Laoise O'Flaherty

20/01/2021

Did you know The pill doesn’t regulate your hormones. A very common misconception I know, but why is it so many women are under this illusion? Because it’s what you are told. .
The first port of call for G.Ps when dealing with painful, irregular, heavy periods or amenorrhea or anything to do with ovulatory/menstrual cycles is to prescribe the pill under the heading to “balance your hormones” or “regulate your cycle”. But why is this? It’s symptomatic treatment. It will treat the symptoms of an imbalance or underlying condition to give relief. But it doesn’t actually fix the root problem. .
The pill stops your own natural hormone production and replaces it with synthetic hormones. Synthetic Oestrogen & Progesterone or just Progesterone (depending on your pill) are slowly released into the system to switch off ovulation to prevent pregnancy. But It is the process of ovulation which regulates your natural hormone cycles. Stopping ovulation, reduces oestrogen in the body (which can be the main culprit for a lot of reproductive health issues). .
But if you decide to come off the pill for reproductive purposes later down the line, you’ll discover that the original problem you went on the pill to fix, never actually went away. It was just suppressed for a period of time. And now you are back to square one. You have the same problem, which was masked for a number of years, but it was never fixed. Now you’re wanting to conceive, but have to now find the root problem and fix it. Would it not have been better to find and fix the root cause in the first place? This is an issue I see so frequently with women and what I hear so often is, “If I had only known, I could have saved so much time”. .
Women have the right to know what an ovulatory suppressing medication does. That it doesn’t fix a problem, it just masks it. Your concerns and questions around your cycle are valid. Always ask for more information with your GP if you feel you don’t understand something or want to know more. Remember, it’s your body.
Happy Tuesday 💜🌸💜

27/08/2020

22/08/2020

Green Earth Organics is a 30 acre organic vegetable farm located just outside of Galway City, Ireland. We deliver locally in Galway, Mayo, Limerick and Dublin for only €3.50 (depending on your address) and also nationwide via courier. Most of our customers join our box scheme and receive a seasona...

15/08/2020

Folate is an essential vitamin we need for over all health. It’s required for healthy brain function including mood & sleep, metabolic function and nerve function. We can get it through our food from the likes of lentils, avocado, beans, dark leafy greens.

Methylfolate is the natural and active version of folate (vitamin B9). When we take Folic Acid Supplements we rely on a gene and enzyme called Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) to convert it to its active form of L-methylfolate. But 30-40% of women have a mutation of the MTHFR gene making it impossible to convert Folic Acid to Folate.
That’s why when deficient in certain vitamins and minerals, taking a supplement, it’s best to take one in its most natural form to bypass the conversion process.
Happy Monday 💜🌸💜

12/08/2020

11/08/2020

The Earth Diary on the 11th August 2020 as Mutable Water Ceres wanes in semi-sextile to Cardinal Fire Chiron

An unspoken story of 2020 is the deep pain within the sOul of the Earth.

Perhaps a legacy of the Age of Enlightenment and the subsequent disenchantment of consciousness or maybe a by-product of the hunger to control and tame Nature/ Yin, there are many reasons to account for the pain inflicted upon the Earth by humanity.

Regardless of its origins, the Covid-19 virus briefly opened a window for the Earth to breath without the intense demands placed on it by society’s insatiable, yet self-destructive, desire to technologically advance. That March to May pause offered us a glimpse that our activities have had on the world we depend upon to feed/ house/ sustain/ nourish us.

But was it enough?

Humanity is ill. Our way of living is unhealthy and the world we live within reflects that. We are all slaves to the economy that we have co-created over millennia, a bequest of our patriarchal values. Yet so, so many are desperate to get back to the way it was, despite marvelling at the sound of the birds, the clearness of the skies, the silence without traffic and the consideration of neighbours.

This redistribution of power is more than economic. It is much deeper than the intentional slavery, segregation and dis-ease of our society. The sOul of the Earth, the sovereignty of the very body we live within/ on, is at stake.

Every 84 years we move through a radical reappraisal of how we ‘use’/ ‘treat’ the Earth. We are living through that time now. On the 13th March 2021, we will start a new ‘healing the sOul of the Earth’ cycle and therefore the months leading up to that initiation requires us to shed the legacy of toxicity of our predecessors’ activity on the Earth.

Whether artificial or natural, we have witnessed the power that a virus has had on an unhealthy world.

Will we listen to the omens, or just ignore them, chalking them down to ‘unfortunate’ happenstances?

Will we take things into our own hands and act with our purses, demanding a better/ honest/ integrity/ authentic quality product to purchase, since money appears to be the only thing that those in power listen to?

Will we focus on our diminished sOuls by respecting, valuing and honouring all life?

Will we start to create a true equality or slip towards the emerging surveillance capitalism?

This is a truly profound time to be alive. You have the power within yourself to lead change. You have the tools to self-heal and to heal your environment by the economic and life-style choices you make. You matter, even if you feel insignificant. The sOul of the Earth, the sOul of your Earth, is at stake…

As the Cree proverb says “What will happen when the last tree has been cut down, the last stream poisoned and our land dries out?”

Andrew © 2020
Art work by Solveig Katrin
https://www.andrewsmith.ie/the-earth-diary/

10/08/2020

The Black Diary on the 10th August as Cardinal Earth Saturn quintiles Cardinal Fire Chiron

Can we learn from history or are we fated to continue to repeat the patterns of our ancestors?

It seems, at times, as if we are bound to a wheel, repetitious living similarly to ways in which our ancestors lived during previous pivotal turning points in his-tory. Understandable, perhaps, that we, as a society, repeat, verbatim, the choices that lead us to descend deeper into a materialistic philosophy, when our choices have been curtailed by the way in which our minds have been conditioned.

The gift of personal healing, is awareness, forgiveness and clarity.

This in turn transforms the family line, as the unconscious forces puppeteering choice are made conscious and a new path is chosen. That new path gradually offers future members of that family, psychology and spiritual freedom to more consciously and easily raise their awareness and to live more broadly and freely.

In time that healing can offer counsel to others who have a similar familiar ‘fate’ and so on.

The way in which our world has emerged is proportionate to the content of our inner world and the unhealed experiences of our past, personally and collectively. Truly understanding our past, not just the facts but the psycho-spiritual implications of the choices we have made, enables us to see an alternative path.

So as we move through this redistribution of power akin to that of 1518; the revolt of the 1770s; the path of the loss of the sOul of the Earth of the mid 1930s; and as we redefine healing of our coronas (crown chakras) of the late 1970s, the question of whether we have truly:

• learnt from our predecessors
• forgiven our collective pasts
• acknowledged the trauma that has cut us off from remembering
• healed, personally and collectively,

is pushed foremost into our attention to acknowledge.

To paraphrase psychologist Carl Jung “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate”

Andrew Smith © 2020

https://www.andrewsmith.ie/the-black-diary-9/

05/08/2020

Wednesdays Words... What walls have you built up? We all do it. We try to “protect” ourselves from people, places, opportunities. It was brought to my attention this week by 2 different people that I have walls built up. Lockdowns isolation became addictive. By keeping these walls up we are “safe”. But really that’s just a false sense of security. Can you knock that wall down? Even 1 brick at a time?
Happy Wednesday 💜

05/08/2020

Our Patch.

The garden is in abundance at this time of year and we're lucky a passer by with a drone wanted better access to take photos of The Roundtower next to us.

First ever season and we have 60x 15m beds pumping out a range of different veggies!

We don't like taking ourselves too seriously here but this photo made me feel proud of what we've managed to achieve so far. Starting a business in 2020 has not been without its challenges and despite them we've put fresh, chemical free, no dig food onto people's plates.

There's not a feeling like it in the world.
It's an extraordinary time to be a gardener and a privilege.
Now that's enough of that.
💛 Joe

I feel like if you've read this far you could order Veg by clicking the 'Shop Now' button on our profile.
It's a tasty treat.

Photo by UAV. Unmanned Aerial Videography & Photography.

05/08/2020

UTI’s (Urinary Tract Infections: Uretheritis/ Cystitis/ Bladder Infection/ Kidney Infections) are a common occurance for women. They are predominantly caused by bacteria(most commonly E-Coli) getting into the urethra either from the a**s or other forms of bacteria from in*******se. As our urethras aren’t as long as our male counterparts (and is so close to the a**s), its easier for women to develop UTI’s and for them to progress into a Kidney Infection if not treated correctly or early enough.
If you are someone who is prone to UTI’s being pro-active is your first port of call. Here are some steps to take to keep your Kidney’s, Bladder & Urethra healthy.
- Water. Drink a minimum 2-3ltrs of filtered/purified water per day. Urinating will help to flush bacteria out of your urinary tract.
- Take a probiotic daily for good bacteria. I always recommend Super 8’s
- Go to the bathroom after S.x. Again urinating will help to flush out any bacteria that has gotten into the urethra during in*******se.
- Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley is a kidney tonic. Adding it to your food or having fresh parsley tea will help to strengthen your kidneys.
- At the first signs of a UTI, eat Watermelon and drink its juice (fresh). It is 92% water but contains high levels of vitamins A, B6 and C, lots of lycopene, antioxidants and amino acids. All beneficial for clearing infections while supporting kidney function. (Note, this is also a natural aphrodisiac due to it containing L-citruline- not that you’re going to want to be having S.x with a UTI-but good to know outside of that).
- Nettle Tea is a natural diuretic but as well as parsley, it’s a kidney tonic. Its leaves and roots contains vitamins A, C and K, as well as several B vitamins. Minerals: Calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium. Fats: Linoleic acid, linolenic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid and oleic acid.
Happy Tuesday and get that watermelon into you 💜🌸💜

29/07/2020

“Do not cringe and make yourself small if you are called the black sheep, the maverick, the lone wolf. Those with slow seeing say a nonconformist is a blight on society. But it has been proven over the centuries, that being different means standing at the edge, means one is practically guaranteed to make an original contribution, a useful and stunning contribution to her culture. When seeking guidance, don’t ever listen to the tiny-hearted. Be kind to them, heap them with blessings, cajole them, but do not follow their advice. If you have ever been called defiant, incorrigible, forward, cunning, insurgent, unruly, rebellious, you’re on the right track. Wild Woman is close by. If you have never been called these things, there is yet time.”

~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Art by Eyan Myers Creative,'Wolf Moon'

28/07/2020

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN...?

What would happen
if you removed the word ‘anxious’
and just paid attention
to these flickering sensations in the belly?

What would happen
if you took away the concept ‘lonely’
and simply became fascinated
with this heavy feeling in the heart area?

What would happen
if you deleted the image ‘sick’
or ‘broken’ or ‘bad’
and just got curious about
the tightness in the throat
the pressure in the head
the ache in the shoulders?

What would happen
if you stopped looking for solutions
and checked to see
if there was actually a problem here?

Come out of the exhausting storyline, friend.
It’s not true. It was never true.

Commit sacred awareness to a single living moment.
Come closer to yourself, Now.

Bring warmth to the tender places inside.
Infuse sensation with the light of attention.

It’s never as bad
as you think.

– Jeff Foster

24/07/2020

Homeopath Linda Lee presents a case of herpes zoster treated based on classical homeopathy. Stinging pain better from cold application, burning pain, worse from touch and better from pressure led to the simillimum.

23/07/2020

In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) every organ correlates to a certain emotion. This week I’m looking at the lungs. When I see people in clinic or even look at myself when there is a lung issue, either chronic or acute, there are a few questions I wonder about. Have you had a bereavement? Have you gone through a break up. Have you moved away from loved ones? Do you feel duty bound to something or someone? Work? Family? Relationship?
Whenever I get sick, it more often than not turns into a cough. Sometimes its just a cough. But if it becomes a more prolonged issue like a chest infection that lingers, I have to ask myself am I stuck in or avoiding a grief or duty bound cycle? About 18 months ago I developed Pleurisy very quickly and then a collapsed lung. I didn’t want to look at the emotional side of it as I was avoiding (hence the severity of it *cough cough*) but at the time I was going through both a grieving process and feelings of being duty bound. I was forced to face these emotions (thanks sister-in a gentle way), but that’s when I started to improve. When I acknowledged my emotional body. If this resonates with you, take some time to be gentle with yourself. Ask someone for a hug or a hand. Physically let someone hold your hand so you can feel held. You don’t have to talk, you can just be held. 💜
Emotions: grief, sadness, detached, feelings of being duty bound.

Lung Function: Respiration. Forms energy from air, and helps to distribute it throughout the body. Works with the kidney to regulate water metabolism. Important in the immune system and resistance to viruses and bacteria. Regulates sweat glands and body hair, and provides moisture to the skin.
Symptoms of Lung Imbalance: Shortness of breath and shallow breathing, sweating, fatigue, cough, frequent cold and flu, allergies, asthma, and other lung conditions. Dry skin. Depression and crying.
Lung Conditions: Lung Qi Deficiency, Lung Yin Deficiency, and Cold Damp Obstructing the Lungs.

22/07/2020

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

22/07/2020

California appeals court upholds a verdict that Monsanto’s widely used w**d killer caused cancer in a groundskeeper but also slashes the damage award.

21/07/2020

Did you know there are different types of Amenorrhea (loss of periods), meaning there are different causes and different ways to help bring your periods back. To know how to support the body in balancing out hormone levels, we must know what the root cause of it is. Here are the top 3 causes of amenorrhea.
Hypothalamic amenorrhea is a condition in which menstruation stops for several months due to a problem involving the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a gland in the brain that controls reproduction. It produces gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). In blood tests your LH will be low and FSH may be elevated.
PCOS amenorrhea Polycystic o***y syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of amenorrhea in women with evidence of androgen excess. Although, PCOS most often occurs concurrently with onset of me**es, it can also cause primary amenorrhea. In blood tests your LH will be high and FSH may be lowered (the opposite to Hypothalamic amenorrhea.
Post-pill amenorrhea If you don't have a period for several months after stopping the pill, you may have what's known as post-pill amenorrhea. The pill prevents your body from making hormones involved in ovulation and menstruation. Your HPG axis has been suppressed while taking the pill. When you stop taking the pill, it can take anywhere from 2 up to 12 months to regain a normalise your HPG axis again.
Knowing your hormones can help you regain your periods. 💜🌸💜

20/07/2020

Efficacy Of Arsenicum Alb 30C for upregulating Immunological Markers among Residents of Covid-19 Related Hot Spot Areas In Pathanamthitta Kerala by the Department of Homoeopathy Govt of Kerala - Arsenicum album 30C can be used as a preventive and as an immune booster against COVID-19 prophylaxis