I was so THRILLED to read this! Pain must be addressed from many angles to get to the root cause and help people to manage it. Pills mask the symptoms but do nothing to help you make lasting changes. This is where holistic therapies come into play. The combination of therapies I use work together to help your mind, body and spirit come back into balance allowing your body to help heal itself. Aromatherapy can help ease joint stiffness and swelling allowing you to move with more ease. It can also help uplift your spirits and stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system which contributes to pain reduction. Healing touch can produce a profound sense of relaxation, help clear out old traumas that may be contributing to your pain and decrease or resolve your pain.   Using guided imagery I help you to tap into the power of your mind to find ways to decrease pain or find out why the pain is there.

There are many holistic therapies that are safe and effective that can help relieve pain, you just need to find the one that works for you! Managing chronic pain is not a quick fix, like taking a pill. It takes your participation and making some simple life style changes for long lasting results to occur. If you’re experiencing pain I’d love to talk with you about your challenges and explore options for decreasing it. click here/ for a free consultation.

Neurology September 30, 2014

I worked with a woman in her 60s that had a total knee replacement. She received healing touch the day before surgery, the day she returned home and then once a week for 3 weeks. The other knee had been replaced a couple of years earlier and her healing had been slow. This time recovery was much faster for her. Her range of motion returned sooner and the pain was less.

All of the above makes sense because healing touch elicits the relaxation response which relaxes muscles allowing more oxygen and blood to enter the area. The increased circulation also removes toxins from the cells which promotes healing! It also relaxes the mind so feel good hormones are released helping to alleviate pain. By allowing the body and mind to enter this relaxing state the body actually helps to heal itself on the physical and energetic levels. Healing touch helps to clear your field of the anesthesia which can help relieve post-operative nausea.  You can experience less anxiety and pain after surgery with healing touch sessions.

Many hospitals throughout the US are now offering healing touch to patients. If you have received healing touch while hospitalized I would love to hear your story. Please comment below or email me directly la****@***************od.com.

As an energy worker, I believe there should be some sort of exchange between people so this content is not for free. If you found it valuable, in exchange for payment, I ask that you do one or all of the following: 1) Share it with at least 2 people on Facebook, via email or any social media of your choice.   2) Answer the question or leave a comment.

Laurie Ratto, RN, BSN, Speaker, HTCP, CCA has 30+ years’ experience helping people to heal from physical, mental , and emotional pain. She provides a safe, nurturing space for women to release fears and self-doubt, what spiritually ties us to pain. Laurie Ratto specializes in complementary medicine, as a holistic healer, she keeps her RN certification current because she understands the power of balance as we heal.

When I was at a crossroads in my life and wanted to settle down and get married or become a traveling nurse and see the US that decision came after a lot of talking with my boyfriend. I essentially let go and allowed him to find what he wanted to do. I was happy doing either; I just wanted a direction and a plan. We decided to marry and celebrated our 30 year wedding anniversary and still going strong.

Doing all the work for the certifications for my holistic therapies was not easy since I also had a job and a house to maintain. I loved working on clients but all the reading and paperwork was hard work, many very late nights and very stress provoking. Then receiving conflicting feedback on some papers and needing to redo them was very frustrating. This caused me a great deal of mental pain and at times physical pain. Part of that stress was generated from within because I wanted to get through the programs so I could help people and start my private practice. At the time my family didn’t really understand what I was doing or why. Sometimes when I would start to talk with my husband (he is a pharmacist by the way) he just could not relate to this energy stuff. He did not understand the power of the holistic therapies at the time. What kept me going through all of the difficult times was the support I received from the healing touch community, other holistic practitioners and my passion to help others.

Nothing has been smooth or easy and that is ok. You see through all of these journeys I learned many lessons. One of the most important lessons was to surround myself with people that could support me in my intention. Sometimes it was close friends, other times a community like in healing touch and at times my family. I do know that I have obtained what I desired and more in all of the above circumstances and it was worth it. Have you had a similar experience? I would love to hear it.

As an energy worker, I believe there should be some sort of exchange between people so this content is not for free. If you found it valuable, in exchange for payment, I ask that you do one or all of the following:
1) Share it with at least 2 people on Facebook, via email or any social media of your choice.
2) Answer the question or leave a comment.

Laurie Ratto, RN, BSN, HTCP, CCA has 30+ years’ experience helping people to heal from physical, mental , and emotional pain. She provides a safe, nurturing space for women to release fears and self-doubt, what spiritually ties us to pain. Laurie Ratto specializes in complementary medicine, as a holistic healer, she keeps her RN certification current because she understands the power of balance as we heal.

Many therapeutic grade oils decrease inflammation and swelling without the side effects of upset stomach or potential ulcers like many OTC medications.For sprains and strains you still want to use ice for the first 24 – 48 hours to help reduce inflammation in addition to the oils. Pain can be eased with the oils as well.

So here is my medicinal aromatherapy first aid kit that I always travel with:

Lavender – Can apply topically to burns, sunburns, scrapes and cuts, also calming and sedative.

Peppermint – Helps relieve pain and swelling, apply topically. DO NOT apply to open wounds or broken skin. Good for helping reduce fevers. Can help reduce nausea.

Di-Gize – a blend that I love when I over indulge and feel bloated. Also good to help alleviate nausea, diarrhea and gas.

Deep Relief – this blend is great for a variety of muscle ailments including sprains, strains and when you over do a work out. Helps to reduce swelling and pain.

Purification – This blend is good for cuts, scrapes and insect bites. It also helps to repel insects.
Helichrysum – Helps to stop bleeding and bruising. If you have a bruise, applying this topically can help it to heal faster.

We were traveling in Austria and I fell in the street.I scraped my knee, elbow and hand. When we finally made it back to the room I pulled out my medicinal aromatherapy first aid kit.  I washed off the scrapes and applied Lavender oil to prevent infection. My knee was throbbing and swelling up so I applied peppermint oil to the intact skin around the scrape. Within minutes the throbbing stopped and I felt calmer. We had dinner reservations so no time for ice. I applied the oils again before bed and in the morning the swelling was gone! I was able to walk without pain. My scrapes healed within a few days. Remember you must use therapeutic/medicinal grade oils for healing. I also carry oils that are uplifting to the spirit such as citrus oils and/or flowers. A medicinal aromatherapy first aid kit is effective and fast acting. Multiple applications do not cause any serious side effects like some medications can. If you have questions please contact me.  If you have a story to share about using oils I would love to hear it!

As an energy worker, I believe there should be some sort of exchange between people so this content is not for free. If you found it valuable, in exchange for payment, I ask that you do one or all of the following:
1) Share it with at least 2 people on Facebook, via email or any social mediaof your choice.
2) Answer the question or leave a comment.

Laurie Ratto, RN, BSN, HTCP, CCA has 30+ years’ experience helping people to heal from physical, mental , and emotional pain. She provides a safe, nurturing space for women to releasefears and self-doubt, what spiritually ties us to pain. Laurie Ratto specializes in complementarymedicine, as a holistic healer, she keeps her RN certification current because she understands the power of balance as we heal.

You see at the age of 6 months I became ill with spinal meningitis and developed serious complications. On three separate occasions the doctors called my parents and told them to come to the hospital because I was not going to make it through the night. After I proved them wrong all three times they told my parents I would not live past the age of 7 because my heart would not grow properly as I grew. Again they were wrong because I am still here! I believe many factors contributed to my recovery. The medical care I received at the hospital, all the love and prayers from family and friends, my strong will to live and the grace of divine spirit allowed me to recover from the illness and not have any lasting detrimental effects (or at least I am not admitting to anything!).My family moved to California when I was 7 years old for my health. The winters are very cold in Wisconsin and I had pneumonia a few times as well as being asthmatic. It worked very well and my asthma symptoms went away for 15 years and I was not hospitalized for any reason in the winter time!

As I grew up I also knew I was meant to help others. I have always wanted to be a nurse and feel these early experiences really contributed to this passion in me. I have loved the work I did and then took a different path into holistic medicine. I am still helping people but in a way that feeds my soul and my client’s soul, not just the physical body. Have you had experiences that helped you to find your passion in life? I would love to hear from you whether they occurred as a child or as an adult. Everyone’s journey is different. My journey was straight and narrow, others like my daughters’ has many twists and turns and perhaps many different paths. I invite you to share your journey with me.

As an energy worker, I believe there should be some sort of exchange between people so this content is not for free. If you found it valuable, in exchange for payment, I ask that you do one or all of the following:
1) Share it with at least 2 people on Facebook, via email or any social media of your choice.
2) Answer the question or leave a comment.

Laurie Ratto, RN, BSN, HTCP, CCA has 30+ years’ experience helping people to heal from physical, mental , and emotional pain. She provides a safe, nurturing space for women to release fears and self-doubt, what spiritually ties us to pain. Laurie Ratto specializes in complementary medicine,as a holistic healer, she keeps her RN certification current because she understands the power of balance as we heal.

Medicinal aromatherapy can help you cope with negative emotions. Do you constantly feel stressed, overwhelmed and just want to scream? Are you in the process of a divorce and experiencing all sorts of emotions like anger, sadness or guilt? Have you recently experienced the death of a loved one and sadness and depression seem to overwhelm you? Do you feel irritable more often than happy? Many issues play a role in these feelings and medicinal aromatherapy can help take the edge off so you can get back to living your life.

Why are oils so effective when dealing with emotional issues? When you breathe in the aroma of an essential oil it goes directly to the amygdala, a small gland in the brain that houses memories and stores and releases emotional trauma. It bypasses your conscious mind – that is why you react to smells without thinking about it! Think about it – have you ever smelled something and a memory popped into your head? The aroma of baking cookies might bring back memories of Grandma’s house or the scent of roses take you back to a favorite garden where you spent many a lazy afternoon sitting outside reading or gardening. Be aware aromas can also bring back not so fond memories. One woman I knew could not stand the smell of peppermint because her grandfather was an alcoholic and drank peppermint schnapps.

When you take in an aroma that triggers a happy, relaxing thought in your mind your body responds by releasing endorphins,“feel good” hormones. It happens quickly and you feel less stressed, angry etc. The oils will also raise your energetic vibration.

Some of my favorite oils to use when I get into a stressful situation are ylang ylang and jasmine. Other oils that assist in decreasing stress are Bergamot, Frankincense, Lavender, and Mandarin.  I sometimes blend 2 to 4 oils together for a synergistic effect.  They can uplift your spirit and take the edge off so you can function better.

All feelings carry a vibration, buried or repressed emotions have a low vibration.  Therapeutic grade oils help heal negative emotions by raising your vibration and work at a cellular level to release the trauma. If the stress is new, for example an incident happens at work and you use an oil right after it happens, you will feel some relief immediately.  If you have been living with unresolved grief for a long time (months or years) the oils must be used regularly and over a period of time to be effective. Some people feel a positive response in a week and for others 4 – 6 weeks before noticing a change. By raising your vibration your mind and body can come back into balance and help to heal itself.

As an energy worker, I believe there should be some sort of exchange between people so this content is not for free. If you found it valuable, in exchange for payment, I ask that you do one or all of the following:
1) Share it with at least 2 people on Facebook, via email or any social media of your choice.
2) Answer the question or leave a comment.

Laurie Ratto, RN, BSN, HTCP, CCA has 30+ years’ experience helping people to heal from physical, mental , and emotional pain. She provides a safe, nurturing space for women to release fears and self-doubt, what spiritually ties us to pain. Laurie Ratto specializes in complementary medicine,as a holistic healer, she keeps her RN certification current because she understands the power of balance as we heal.

My daughter, Paula, called me the other day to ask what oil she should use because she felt like she was coming down with something. After I hung up the phone a memory was triggered in me about the first time I used essential oils on her. When she was very young 4 or 5 years old, she watched Sleeping Beauty and was terrified by the witch that turned into a dragon. It was difficult getting her to sleep at night. She also awoke a minimum of once every night and I or my husband would have to get up and stay with her until she fell back to sleep. We were exhausted! If I came face to face with the witch I would have strangled her!

My massage therapist at the time diffused oils in the office and used some topically during the massage. I honestly thought it was just something that smelled nice. Then one day I told her about my daughter’s inability to sleep at night. She told me to spray Lavender on her pillow at bedtime and also rub it on her feet. She also said, “Do not buy it at the store. I get better oils through mail order.” She gave me a bottle and it worked very well. Paula went to sleep easily and when she woke up at night we would re-spray her pillow and she drifted off to sleep quickly. Then I totally forgot about the oils for years!

I rediscovered essential oils in 2007 when I strained my shoulder and neck at work one day. I was helping position a large patient who became agitated and pulled away from me suddenly causing a sharp pain in my shoulder and up into my neck. When I finished with the patient and went to complete my charting I felt the muscles tightening and throbbing pain pulsating down into my upper back as well as the shoulder and neck. A friend said she had an oil that could help relieve the pain. She applied 2 drops to my shoulder and neck and within 10 minutes the pain stopped! I was able to finish my shift without pain. I have been using the oils and studying medicinal aromatherapy ever since! My entire family uses the oils, including my husband who is a pharmacist! His journey into holistic health care is another whole blog.

As an energy worker, I believe there should be some sort of exchange between people so this content is not for free. If you found it valuable, in exchange for payment, I ask that you do one or all of the following: 1) Share it with at least 2 people on Facebook, via email or any social media of your choice. 2) Answer the question or leave a comment.
Laurie Ratto, RN, BSN, HTCP, CCA has 30+ years’ experience helping people to heal from hysical, mental , and emotional pain. She provides a safe, nurturing space for women to release fears and self-doubt, what spiritually ties us to pain. Laurie Ratto specializes in complementary medicine,as a holistic healer, she keeps her RN certification current because she understands the power of balance as we heal.