The various articles provided on this site are to support people in providing treatments for themselves and their family at home based on the prescriptions that I make and/or to complement workshops that I offer.
The skin is the largest organ of the body and just as nicotine and morphine can be absorbed through a skin patch and affect the nervous system so too can the calming affects of chamomile flowers and ginger.
Rudolf Steiner indicated that as the impressions from the outer world impinge on our inner life the application of therapies to the skin would be increasingly necessary to maintain a healthy sense of Self. For this reason you will find that a number of the instructions are complementary to the articles on the senses. These traditional nursing applications are applied in relation to the senses through the understanding of a child’s gradual growth. They enhance the well-known understanding of the necessity for warmth, nutrition, sleep, touch, and rhythm as the foundations for healthy development and relationship with others.
Compresses and footbaths are also used by anthroposophic nurses as adjuncts to treatments of acute and chronic illnesses. Many of these can be applied by the home-health carer. However in saying this it is important to note that some treatments are simple and safe when applied with common sense, whereas others are not suitable, for example during pregnancy, or for people who are schizophrenic or have manic depression. Please speak with me or seek advice from your chosen health practitioner before starting a treatment to establish if it is wise for you to do it safely.