A lot of people are having heightened health problems of late. Here are some things to be aware of, in my humble, non-medical-professional opinion:

Breathing issues are going to increase, so will problems with any kind of congestion-related sensitivies. We now have more new bacteria and particles in the air that haven't been on the surface of the planet for milennia. This isn't just caused by the fine dust/ash/ice/minerals/etc. released into the air from the Icelandic volcano eruption; but every time there is a major quake, old bacteria and germs are released from deep in the earth. We don't have natural immunity to these and we aren't getting a whole lot of time to develop immunity as the stuff is coming at us so fast.

As of today, Friday, May 14, 2010, there have been 14 major quakes (6.5 or above) since January. Remember, this is the Year of the Earthquake. People who already have allergies, asthma or other breathing problems are obviously going to be affected. People who have never had allergies or aren't usually susceptible to colds or flu are going to pick things up easily.

And since there is no "logical" reason for allergies, colds or flu to be worse (as volcanic ash and earthquake dust aren't being considered by the standard medical community, at least that I've encountered), people might think there is something far more serious going on within their own bodies.

A friend who has asthma recently thought she was developing heart problems because she was getting severe palpatations. But it was because her asthma was worse, so she used her inhaler more, and too much of the medication affected her heart activity adversely. With a new inhaler aimed at dealing with more severe asthma, her heart was fine.

Colds and flu bugs over the last several years have gotten very severe, not just because our bodies are developing resistence to antibiotics. Again, these are caused by new germs we haven't seen since humans have been on the planet, so we haven't built up immunity. People treat them like they're just regular colds and sometimes can end up in hospital with pneumonia in a matter of days because they aren't recognizing these as more dangerous bugs.

Then there are the stress related illnesses that are coming to a head because of all the forced inner work from the retrograde Saturn, Pluto and (just direct last Tuesday) Mercury. If there are health or stress issues that have been put aside, or you think you'll deal with them later, well, this is later. And in the last few weeks of Saturn retrograde (direct on May 30th), the push to take care of these issues is going to intensify.

Joint issues, whether new sensitivity or aggravated cases of pre-existing arthritis, will seem worse. Back issues, mostly spine rather than muscle related, will get a lot worse. Bad eating habits will increase because of stress increase. That brings on weight problems which brings added issues for physical health. Then there's the mental health, i.e. depression and anxiety, associated with feeling you're a failure because you can't control what and how much you eat, let alone have any control of how your life is going.

And there's the regular depression and the up-and-down mental juggling act we're all doing as we adjust to facing issues of the past (Saturn retrograde) while adapting to the new consciousness shifts without a roadmap. Humans can adapt a lot better when they know what's going on and not too many people really have a clue right now.

So please take care of yourselves. Eat well, build up your immune system, figure out ways to deal with stress because it isn't going to go away. It's actually going to get worse (sorry about that) and not just because the last weeks of Saturn retrograde are going to be rough. I'm talking years. We're in a time of major change and we'll all be pushed to what we think is our limit. But we can actually deal with a lot more than we think we can. Especially if balance within self is foremost. And every lesson is incredibly valuable whether we like it in the moment or not.

It may sound all New Age-y (well, this is the New Age of Aquarius and the Fifth Day of Mankind and the end of the Precession of the Equinoxes), but meditation, chanting, drumming, spiritual ceremony, prayer, song, energy exercises (Tai Chi, Qi Gong) all help a lot. So does drinking a lot of water and eating a lot of dark greens. And if you can't stop eating the bad stuff, at least add the good stuff in there somewhere.

The biggest lesson that seems to be on us now in all parts of our lives is balance: physical, mental, spiritual, emotional. And, like I said, it's a juggling act at the moment. Achieve balance one day and you'll be out of balance the next. That's because things are changing so fast. That's good, but it's also tough. We can do it. The first step is taking care of yourself.

Hang in there. We all agreed to be here and it may be tough, but you're here for a reason at this time exactly where you are. Find out what that is, and it makes it all a lot easier.

Blessed be.