Rick I'm a real believer in echinacea, especially when combined with goldenseal for boosting the immune system against colds and flu and relieving nasal congestion. I've been using it for the last few years with excellent results - I've only 'caught' about two, very mild and short-lived colds. And I'm a private music teacher, so I get exposed to the germs going around at least a dozen different area schools every week!

Hint - use the echinacea (not the goldenseal!) as a preventative measure regularly if you want to build up your immune system. And use the combination at the first hint of cold symptoms - don't wait until it really kicks in! Once your system is over-run with 'bugs' the herbs don't work as well in my experience.

I do have quite a bit of experience with a couple of the so-called 'new-age' energetic healing techniques - Reiki and Therapeutic Touch. I can tell you that without doubt SOMETHING very mysterious and physically tangible happens during these treatments - and the effects vary from person to person. I've found that some people, and some conditions seem to be more readily affected by these techniques than others. Reiki in particular is very effective at stopping bleeding and pain from small injuries, and preventing infection too.

But I'm throwing out a huge CAUTION sign here! The energetics behind these techniques are not well understood even by the practitioners themselves. I suffered greatly after I took my first attunements in Reiki a couple years ago. Something very subtle but powerful about me and my energy changed dramatically - and I'm not lying or overstating the facts of my experience here!

For the first time in my life I started to feel all the aches and pains and fevers - even the emotions and 'foreign' attitudes and thought-patterns of the people around me, as if they were my own. It was very sickening, very frightening, very draining and VERY confusing. It got so bad I dreaded being around anyone, dreaded going to public places. Made it very difficult to continue working as a teacher too.   
Started isolating myself from others, afraid of what I started to call 'people-vibes'. And I was getting more burned out all the time. Went from someone who went running five times a week to someone who could barely make it up the stairs.

I ended up having to take a whole year off to recover my own health - physical mental and emotional. I thought I was going insane, that I'd ruined my health permanently, and for the first time in my life felt like I really wanted to die. It was very scary, and a condition I wouldn't inflict on my worst enemy (if I had one!)

The people who came to me for 'healing' more often than not most happy with the results - their flus and pains would usually be relieved - but I'd end up sick myself - with their symptoms!! - in short order. Again, I'm not kidding you - this is the truth of my experience. Little Hawk can vouch for this - he was one of those people I 'healed' of a flu only to develop it myself within a few hours! And he witnessed a good portion of my experience with my first "Reiki Master". I don't practice Reiki with anyone but myself these days - and it IS very relaxing. As long as I'm alone.

I still struggle with it (the new 'empathic' sensitivities) but it's getting a lot better as I've learned how to 'ground' myself and clear my energy from unwanted influences on a daily basis. Those techniques should have been taught to me by my first Reiki 'Master' - but he had his own agenda (power-over-others and manipulation!) - as I learned most painfully later.

As it was, I'm so grateful for the 'divine help and protection' I received during that awful period of my life. I will never doubt again that 'angels' DO EXIST!! I would probably be pushing up daisies today if they didn't - and I don't care if no-one believes me!

And I'm so glad I found some talented practitioners with real integrity who helped me 'save my life', quite literally. Went all the way to Vancouver Island to find them during that year off. I knew if I'd gone to a regular doctor with my problems I'd most likely have been sent up to some psych ward and 'treated' with mind-bending drugs - which I'm sure would only have aggravated my condition!

And I'm most gratefully back to work now, much wiser and a lot less willing to trust ANYONE with the subtler aspects of my being!

I do have lots more real-life related experiences I could share here, but right now I'm going to get out the boots and umbrella for the deluge of s*** I just may have attracted already!

Healthy blessing to all!

daylia