BACH FLOWER REMEDIES

Bach Flower Remedies were introduced in the 1930s by the English Physician and Homeopath Dr. Edward Bach and can be most easily defined as natural remedies for the emotions. Unlike conventional medicine, the flower remedies do not work to treat physical complaints, but instead work on balancing the emotions of the indivdual. They can be used to help the fight against illness by addressing the negative emotions which can impede our physical healing or alternatively they can be used at times of stress and anxiety to prevent physical illness. The link between mind and body has long been documented and balancing the mind and body is a vital step in maintaining our physical health.

Dr Bach believed that disease was the result of imbalance between mind, body and soul and committed his life to developing a "medicine of the future" which could be used by everyone to treat themselves. During the course of his short career, Dr. Bach developed 38 remedies in total. 37 of the 38 remedies are prepared from wild flowers and trees blossoms, the other remedy is made from water derived from a natural spring containing healing properties. Each remedy works to treat a specific emotion and mental state. Through his life work, Dr Bach established that there are 38 principal human emotions, most of which every one of us will feel at some stage during our life. Problems can occur when our emotions become out of balance and cause negative attitudes, often as a result of a specific event or trigger. Dr Bach divided the flower remedies into seven groups of fundamental emotions: fear, uncertainty, insufficient interest in present circumstances, loneliness, over-sensitivity to influences and ideas, despondency or despair, over-care for the welfare of others. How to take Bach Flower Remedies?

When choosing the correct flower remedies for you it is important to consider how you are feeling at that particular moment in time. It is possible for more than one remedy to be suitable at any one time and a remedy bottle containing a combination of 6 or 7 remedies can be prepared if this is the case. Bach Flower Remedies are completely safe for everyone to take, even pregnant women, babies and children can take the remedies without complication. 4 drops of the remedy should be taken 4 times a day. The drops can be added to drinks, food, dropped directly onto the skin or under the tongue. If the incorrect remedy is chosen it will not be harmful, at worst case it will simply not have an effect. How do the flower remedies work?

The flower remedies aim to balance negative emotions by transforming them into positive emotions. They do not suppress negative emotions, but instead the negative emotions are removed by encouraging the corresponding positive emotion. For example, if you are suffering from a lack of confidence and fear of failure, the relevant remedy would be taken to increase confidence and remove feelings of despondency. The remedies are invaluable for restoring emotional balance before symptoms of physical ailments appear. They allow us to take a step back from our emotions and deal with them in a more positive way.

There have been various theories over the years as to how exactly the flower remedies can work to restore our out-of-balance emotions and indeed it is still not fully clear. One theory is that the flower remedies work to subtly change our own energy or vibrations, other theories are that the flower remedies trigger chemical releases in the brain which cause our emotions to change. What is clear however is that Bach Flower Remedies are an extremely subtle and effective way of putting our emotions back on track.