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Archive for May, 2010

Sankalpa goes for adventure therapy!

Monday, May 31st, 2010

The Cavan Centre is a Community Development project offering residential programmes to marginalised and disadvantaged communities, groups and individuals of all ages.

Since 1977 the Centre has been delivering a range of educational, creative, recreational and activity programmes aimed at targeted users with the aim of encouraging them to reach their potential and enhance their social and personal development.

The Cavan Centre is located near Ballyjamesduff in county Cavan and is open on a year-round basis.

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Posted in The Sankalpa program, Video | 3 Comments »

Sankalpa beats addiction through tribal drumming!

Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

Its amazing how the drumming at Sankalpa has taken off!  Every Friday Tom Quinn facilitates a tribal drumming workshop and as you can see when the sun permits we take it outside.

Drumming has many benefits!  Its a form of deep emotional and spiritual communication to and from the soul.  It facilitates each of the participants to find their own rhythm!  This is so important in life.  It helps to develop team work and good group communication.  It confronts the addictive rhythm involved in drug use and challenges each of us to listen deeply to our own rhythms within!

Tom Quinn not only teaches drumming, but supports and encourages each of the participants to deepen their sense of self and become more proactive in their own lives.

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Posted in The Sankalpa program, Video | No Comments »

Superfood of the month – Nuts

Sunday, May 16th, 2010

Nuts can get a bad press as they are associated with peanuts and salted nuts you buy in shops or munch on in bars while waiting for a meal or having a drink.  These are not very nutritious as they are full of salt and are highly processed.  For most people who try to lose weight it is always about reducing the fat content of their diet and this is where nuts get the boot!  Therefore it is important to say that human beings need good fats in their diet to help boost mood and keep joints lubricated.  Good fats also promote healthy nails, skin and hair.

In their raw state nuts are natural superfoods. If you don’t eat fish and want to get a boost of Omega – 3 fatty acids, look no further than a handful of almonds or one or two Brazil nuts or cashew nuts, which you can get, from health food shops or most large supermarkets. Just look for the pure unprocessed ones, without additives or salt.  Nuts are an excellent source of vegetable protein.  Almonds are a good source of calcium for those of you who avoid dairy foods.

Nuts are a versatile food and can be blended to form nut butters like almond butter and peanut butter.  These spreads are loaded with goodness and have a rich sweet flavour.  Spread almond butter over an oatcake or bagel or rice cake and you get the richness of that buttery taste as well as an energy-giving source of protein and fat.

As always when we eat omega 3 rich foods it can have a positive impact on our mood and because of the richness of the taste, it takes less of it to satisfy our hunger.  Nuts are also a good source of zinc, which is a good defence against stress.  Hazelnuts and almonds contain folic acid, which again is good for supporting the nervous system, which in turn can help reduce the intense low mood that can accompany depression.

Walnuts are great in salads and on cereals either finely chopped or eaten whole. Nuts are such a versatile food and can be a great alternative to meat or fish or a handy snack food to eat with a piece of fruit.

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Posted in Nutrition | No Comments »

Herb of the Month: Dandelion

Sunday, May 9th, 2010

I grew up on a farm in Wicklow, where weeds were the enemy of my dad!  Dandelion was one such enemy.  A weed is only a plant out of place!  It was not until I started to study herbal medicine that I began to understand the medicinal value of every day plants like Dandelion.  Its yellow flower can be seen everywhere at the moment, reminding us that winter is over!

Dandelion is one of the most useful medicinal plants, as all parts are effective and safe to use.  It is regarded as one of the best herbal remedies for kidney and liver complaints.  The root is a mildly laxative, bitter tonic, valuable in treating dyspepsia and constipation.  The leaves are a powerful diuretic.

The strong leaves are high in potassium and have potent diuretic properties that make it a wonderful treatment if you suffer from water retention, high blood pressure or swollen ankles.  The bitter root stimulates the liver and the release of enzymes throughout the digestive tract.

The dandelion flower stem exudes a milky-white latex sap that can be applied directly to warts and verrucas to inhibit viral replication.  If you suffer from skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis and acne, it can help to flush toxins from the body.  Dandelion also has the ability to aid removal of uric acid from the body, making it good for treating gout and joint disease.

What to harvest

The leaves, roots and sap.  The root is best harvested in early spring or autumn when the plant is dormant and before the active growth and flowering depletes its constituents.

What is it good for?

Acne, Eczema, Psoriasis, Warts and verrucas, Arthritis, Gout, Atherosclerosis, High cholesterol, High blood pressure, Depression, Bloating, Constipation, Flatulence, Gallstones, Indigestion, Irritable bowel syndrom, Worms, Kidney stones, Menopause, Premenstrual tension (PMT)

Cautions

Do not use in combination with orthodox diuretics.  If treating with high blood pressure, its is advisable to do so with the assistance of a medical herbalist and your doctor.

References

Wild Drugs, a forager’s guide to healing plants by Zoe Hawes

Jekka’s Complete Herb Book by Jekka McVicar

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Posted in Herbal Medicine, Natural Healing | 1 Comment »

Street league winners!

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

Mick Scally, Stephen Coleman and David Doyle enjoyed recent success at the 2010 Dublin street leauges.  Congratulations to the boys from Sankalpa!

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Posted in Sankalpa News | 3 Comments »

Rat Park – an experiment in addiction

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

In 1981 an experiment was carried out in Vancouver. The results were published in a journal called, “Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behaviour”, but at the time, they received little attention.

Bruce Alexander and his colleagues decided to build a house for rats. It measured 200 square feet, and they made it as comfortable and beautiful as possible. They designed a birthing room, provided plenty of food, painted the walls with nature scenes, and laid down bedding and toys for the rats to play with and explore. They also set up ordinary cages.

The experimenters then put a number of rats into the house, and a number of rats into the cages. They gave the rats a choice between water, and sugar water laced with morphine. (Rats are known to have a sweet tooth). The rats in the lovely, welcoming rat house greatly preferred plain water to morphine sugar water. The rats in cages ignored the plain water and kept themselves sedated – or high – on the morphine water.

Before this experiment, it was widely believed that drugs like heroin, morphine and cocaine were inherently addictive – no matter what the situation, using these drugs would always lead to addiction. In fact, the results were so controversial that they have been mostly ignored. It seems much easier to believe that addiction is a disease, or that it is due to an ‘addictive personality’ than to accept that the chances of becoming addicted to any drug depend very much on the situation.

This research should have changed the world. It should have changed our town planning, our social welfare systems, our education systems, and the way we design our world. Instead we continue to think of addiction as something beyond our control, as a problem we’re born with rather than a symptom of the worlds we grow up in.

For more information, see the very accessible ‘Opening Skinner’s Box’ by Lauren Slater, or click on the following link for the original article:

http://sciencethatmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/sdarticle.pdf

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Posted in Addiction | 1 Comment »

Learn how to make your own face cream!

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

What has making a face cream got to do with addiction or rehabilitation?  Answer = discovering your own power!

We are all affected by marketing.  ’Look younger’ ‘feel better’ ‘be more confident’.  We become convinced that happiness is in things and not in us, and become consumers rather than citizens.  We take the anti-depressant rather than look to the root of our sadness, we buy the expensive cream because were worth it and gradually we become more and more helpless over our own lives!

The very act of creating something is empowering and healing.  Making something for ourselves raises our self-esteem, increases our self worth, and nurtures our self belief!

So why not start with our face cream!

Not only will you feel better and save money, its actually good for your skin!

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Posted in Natural Healing, Video | 1 Comment »