Ms. Shalini Ramesh, running a clinic of alternative medicines in Jabalpur, the heart of India, is using several natural remedies, flower essences and Reiki among them, to heal people with many types of ailments.  
She says most of her cases are chronic. "Having spent years with other systems they come to me for my remedies. I am happy they are satisfied to find me and these alternative therapies. This has made a difference in their lives. They cope with their difficulties better, live happier, and discover the joy of being absolutely healthy."  

FES provided product donations after learning about her work with the children of Justice Tankha Memorial Rotary Institute, where she volunteered her healing abilities.  

"Jabalpur, like any other city in a developing country, is a growing one," Shalini explained. "With our population increasing, civic amenities become more and more stressed. You can very well understand that people with disabilities need special attention and care, otherwise they are always in the danger of being left out."  

The Institute was opened by her fellow Rotarians on the Club premises and Shalini has been associated with it from its beginning. "Initially I wanted to help the children, to bring them some joy, but to my utter surprise they gave me more than I could give them," she said.  

Today, apart from her normal practice where she heals common ailments, Shalini is healing the children at the Institute with results as encouraging as her clinical results. Teachers and parents are saying their children are learning faster and are coping better. The grown up and more vocal children are saying they are happier, their pains have lessened, they are more hopeful, and the efforts of all other members of the school seem to bear better fruits.  

"Of course, the benefactors have great skepticism and are not sure as to what is bringing about the change, yet I am very, very clear because I have been maintaining the finest possible details of every case and that gives me a great confidence," she noted. "And, thanks to FES, I have been able to manage it all without having to charge any money as a fee or a donation."  

Shalini has a unique way of administering the essences to her young clients — she gives them globules of sugar soaked in the flower remedies. Shalini believes it is easier for the students to handle and consume the combinations in this fashion. "They are also happy to have sweet medicines. Since one drop is enough to soak several globules at once, I prepare large packs. I don't think this is a conventional method with FES, but looking into the ease, and mentality of children to make flower remedies popular among them, I have decided to use this mode. The results are marvelous and so I am continuing with this system of preparing dosages."  

Shalini described the process of healing among her patients. Here we are presenting children with disabilities who are benefiting—  

One student, "X," has multiple disabilities. He is unable to walk on his own and has improper coordination of hand movements. He also has a speech disorder and poor vision. He contacted Shalini for his severe and persistent body pain.  

Shalini explained his general emotional state: "The most apparent thing in X was his sadness. He was always complaining about sorrows, that life was very harsh with him, that there was no reason to be happy and smiling. All he was striving for was to somehow be educated. By this means, he reasoned, he could stand on his own two feet, earn his own bread and no longer be dependent on his father — who is aged and a pensioner."  

According to Shalini, X had always suffered body pains but could no longer afford to take prescribed pain killers because they had ceased to give any relief. He loved only morose songs, was melancholy, and he would not even join other children on the playground. When asked why he acted this way, he would always say, "Play? Oh, what's the point? Instead, I should do my studies so that I can at least pass my school certificate exam."  

Shalini offered X a flower essence combination, free of charge, but he replied that the essences "WOULD HAVE NO EFFECT ON ME."  

"When I told him the benefits of the system and the great power they had, he did not even pay a heed to it," she recalls. "One day, on the insistence of his teacher and the physiotherapist, he came to me with his problems, yet with as much disbelief as he had earlier. It was not easy to convince him and I decided not to try."  

Shalini gave him the following remedies:   Zinnia ,   Pine ,   Gorse ,   Willow ,   Gentian ,   Holly ,   Rock Water ,   Dandelion , and   Love-Lies-Bleeding , along with Sai Sanjeevanis radiesthesia medicines. Radiesthesia, popularly known as Pendulum Dowsing, is used by several ancient tribes in India to detect water, gold etc. Shalini extensively uses radiesthesia for diagnosis and selection of remedies.  

X was thrilled when he had no pain the entire week. He was able to put more effort into his studies, he felt a lot healthier, and smilingly said, "FANTASTIC!"  

"Can you believe this?" Shalini wrote to us. "I was very patient with him, without showing my keenness to help him with his other problems."  

Shalini continued the same treatment for another two weeks. She then decided to curtail the flower essences and instead gave him only Sai Sanjeevanis. The result, X told her, was that the effect of the medicines was reduced. Shalini reintroduced the essences into his treatment mix and the next week X "came out with a better account of his position."  

According to Shalini, X said, "the doses you gave this week and earlier were very effective, so much so that I was taking only one medicine tablet and its effect lasted for 2-3 days, or even more if I was not exerting myself. Why are the ones given in this month not as effective? Please repeat the earlier dose, it will be so kind of you. I used to feel so good after taking them."  

"He visited me in his wheelchair (called a tricycle in India), even during the vacations," Shalini said, "and he says he is much better. Though his smile has not yet overcome his sadness, it has sneaked into his life. At the suggestion of his Reiki Master he has joined a spiritual group and attends their weekly meetings."  

X's case, as is true in many others Shalini treats, do not always end in a completely positive resolution. It was vacation time in the school and the results of X were awaited. He did not contact Shalini after his declaration of results, and Shalini is wondering what his plans are. "You see, I have had instances when children have been absent without notice from school and parents don't bother to respond to the inquiries of the teachers and the school authorities—and these are the children who have actually been making positive progress toward recovery."  

Another case involved "Y," a child with Nystagmus, a vision condition in which the eyes make repetitive, uncontrolled movements.  

Shalini related her emotional analysis of Y: "He has had a history of epilepsy. He can open both eyelids, but instead, he would look through half-open lids and raise his head to see things, or not bother to see at all. He scored much lower in his classes than the other students, and his teacher said Y was always sleepy and dull in the morning. Y is on an anti-epileptic drug, which he takes daily. Y has had no interests, other than watching TV and sharing time with a friend, his classmate."  

He had no other obvious physical condition apart from the Nystagmus, so Shalini prescribed the following combination:   Gorse   (for the fact that maybe he sees no hope and has nothing to look forward to, also because his condition is congenital and probably the mother felt the same way);   California Wild Rose   (for the lack of interest in life and the activities typical for children his age);   Scleranthus   and   Clematis   (for his continuously moving eye); and   Madia   (to improve his memory and his performance in his studies).  

"I felt that the conspicuous phenomenon of his eyelids opening halfway, was more of a habit he had developed than any physical problem," Shalini explained, "so I gave him   White Chestnut   . I also asked the teachers, his classmates, his parents, and the principal to help him break this habit."  

Shalini reported that Y also received Reiki treatments and one yogic exercise daily.  

The improvement in Y manifested in the following ways: He stood first in his class. He was looking healthier, was smarter, happier, and became more mischievous—so much so that his teacher had started complaining. "If I am not teaching Y, he is up to some mischief. What have you given him—he keeps me on my toes all the time!"  

Shalini said Y's father noticed the positive changes, too. "Y became more obedient, smiling, and agile at home," the father reported. "Before, he would be sitting dull, not wanting to participate in any of the activities at home, a loner. But now he plays with his brother and his mother is happy to see them both playing and doing monkey tricks. Y wants to read all the time when I am back from the office. I can't tell you how the whole family feels the relief."  

The father also said that Y had become independent in his toilet habits, put his shirt and pants on without assistance, and was also helping the mother and brother with tasks at home. "Earlier he could not even button his shirt, we had to do it all for him."  

Shalini reported there has been some change in the axis of his sight, but very insignificant change reported in Y's vision—as an ophthalmologist had this to say, "This change in his sight is very insignificant."  

What Shalini is banking upon is that howsoever insignificant, there IS A CHANGE. "There has been no improvement in the 12 years of his life and now after six months of healing he has shown at least a change, however small, in his eyesight. This is the beginning I hope — we will see," Shalini said.  

Shalini works on behalf of the Romola Foundation, a humanitarian service-oriented group, named in honor of her late mother. Some eye transplants have been performed as a result. "You might be aware that the Third World has a lot of poverty-generated diseases and corneal blindness is one we are fighting," she explained. "The problem is so mammoth in the rural areas that we feel we need the support of the whole world if we are to change the scenario."  

Shalini shared one case where the essences seemed to do harm, rather than benefit the child. "Z," is a 10-year-old who has epileptic seizures. According to Shalini, his seizures increased drastically if she gave him any flower essences.  

"It was the same when I performed Reiki on him. He got very, very frequent strokes," Shalini reported. "Still, the mother wanted some alternative to the allopathic medicines prescribed for Z, as she was afraid of the side effects of the heavy, regular dozes he was taking."  

Shalini suggested giving   Sai Sanjeevanis   (a system of drugless spiritual therapy). Z's seizures became less in number and intensity. His grasping power and intelligence level seemed to increase. He also became very jolly and caring, but very stubborn.  

"The mother and even the teachers complained of his extraordinary stubbornness and I again tried giving Z a flower essence formula," Shalini said, "but the seizures increased again. Within a day of taking the essences the seizures became very long and very violent. Still the mother continued to give the remedies without even informing me, but it got out of control, and I had to immediately stop every other treatment. Even though the results of this case are opposite of what I aim for, one thing is evident—the essences have instant action!"  

Shalini continued: "I wanted to tell FES about this case because I was surprised that the essences aggravated Z's condition so much. I tested essence combinations on the other children with epilepsy and the aggravation was evident almost instantly with all of them. I know that the essences must be driving out the negative emotions of these children, which appear as seizures, but nobody has the capacity to allow the seizures to continue at such increased rates. The essences are stopped immediately by the parents or the children themselves, as the seizures could be fatal."  

Shalini personally feels that a physical or mental disability is a hidden opportunity, a hidden talent and a hidden message from the Almighty. And, unraveling that message can be a great experience. She also believes the flower essences can help one do it.  

"I try to imagine if I had epilepsy, how I would feel: my brain perfect, my body in total disharmony with my brain, and my mind tortured. I would still be a human being, I would still be able to think. I would be wanting to dance, to sing, paint, at least walk and play. All lives have a message. We need to discover it, to enjoy life in its full glory. This needs mind/body/soul coordination. Flower essences help in that excellently."