Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Get Happy Feet


It is almost August and you have been exposing your feet in strappy sandals for over a month. The pedicures are not lasting as long. The polish is okay but your feet and especially your heels are dry.

Exposing feet tends to allow the skin to dry.


Dry skin gets callused easily.


Dry skin also slows down circulation which results in drier skin still.


Dry skin also lets in bacteria and fungus to possibly cause future problems of athlete’s foot, foot fungus, and nail fungus.


Many people use nail polish to hide nail problems but the chemicals in the polish just increase your problems especially with yellow nails and nail fungus.


Diabetics are more prone to suffer from foot infections, ulcers and fungus even athlete’s foot. And we all are more prone to these foot diseases as we age.


What do these too groups have in common? – Poor circulation. Blood that is not re-circulated often enough can be toxic. The lack of circulation is also the cause of dry skin, edema and cold feet.


To help increase circulation if you are diabetic or a Kapha you can do aerobic exercise, follow a Kapha diet and keep skin on the feet moist with a body lotion.

For conventional medical advice similar to the Kapha diet to prevent the above diseases go to http://www.reversegangrene.com/foot_gangrene_diet.htm


For Vatas-- keep feet warm and moist to maintain good circulation and prevent future problems.

For more information on foot and nail fungus go to http://seniorhealth.about.com/cs/footconditions/a/toenail_fungus.htm


When we are not afflicted with defined diseases, we can be neglectful of our feet.


But prevention is the best way to avoid foot problems and to maintain beautiful legs and feet.


Some easy rules are;


1. Keep skin on feet moist. Vatas can use a rich cream like Martina Gebhardt Chamomile Cream.


Pittas are recommended to use a medium rich body lotion in the summer like Pure + simple’s Intensive Body Lotion


While Kaphas can use a light hydrating lotion like Jurlique Citrus Hand + Body Lotion


2. Use a nail brush and a gentle cleanser like Pure + simple
Shower Gel to clean feet and toe nails daily.

3. Maintain the circulation with exercise and reflexology massage. Jean Louie will bring her healing hands to you. Learn more about jean at http://jeanlouiereflexology.com/


4. In the winter protect circulation of the feet and legs by keeping feet warm.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Digestion: Your Path to Beauty




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Beauty can be your path to good digestion too


Everyone one of us is beautiful and our beauty is most evident in the glow of our healthy minds and bodies. The foundation of this health is our digestive system.

Negative changes in our skin and our eyes are indications of the first signs of trouble in our circulatory system which is caused by trouble in our digestive system.

I have been trying to remedy food allergies and intolerances for 40 years. I started out very conventionally with allergy shots. My major allergies then sugar, grains, legumes and dairy and they remain my allergies now.

But while the 40 years of Naturopaths, Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Doctors have not given me a cure their advice and care have lessened the symptoms. The improved digestion has given the benefits of better mental and physical health along with smoother skin and a fitter body.

No – my happiness in my physical appearance is not the attainment of the model’s figure I wanted in my youth but in the beauty of the fleshiness of a fit compact stocky one.

I had found contentment with the improved but not resolved situation until I began to get gas from eating the above 4 food groups. The digestive upsets prevented me from staying healthy on a vegetarian diet which was important to me.

So I began a new search for better digestion with Dana Zangari, a Registered Holistic Allergist and Nutritionist, http://www.pandechiropractic.ca/Dana-Zangari/dana-zangari.html .
She uses Biofeedback to treat me for allergies to legumes which included some of my favourite flavours like chocolate and coffee and some fruits, vegetables and grains.

I found that though she had reduced my allergy symptoms when I ate the allergic foods, they still gave me gas.

At my third session I was pleased with the improved overall feeling but the gas was still a problem for me. So she advised me to take digestive enzymes but I was hesitant as I found that these enzyme caused me to feel acidic. Dana tested the enzymes and found I was allergic to some of them and clear them for me.
Digestive problems can cause our internal organs and our circulatory system to become too toxic which leads to illness and skin problems.

Skin problems like Rosacea, sensitive skin (redness in the cheeks) and acne are symptoms of impure blood in the capillaries.

Chronic dry skin or dull skin usually indicated a slow moving constipated bowel system.

While vanity is no a virtue, it can be an aid in keeping our bodies healthy. An excellent way to prevent illness s to listen to your skin when it tells you your bloodstream is too full of toxic materials.

And be even more proactive - by listening to your stomach (gas, abdominal pain, bloating) to prevent having to be told by your skin you need to get help to change your ways.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

How to be Radiant without Redness





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How to Survive Summer Heat when you have Sensitive to Rosacea Skin.

While summer is a welcomed reprieve from the long still cold of winter, it is not so true for those who suffer from the heat.

For those of us with Pitta imbalances, the heat makes us tired, irritable and it can be seen in our red and puffy faces. And to really make summer life more frustrating the redness can be the accompanied with acne.

What causes this Pitta Imbalance?

In Ayurveda, Pitta is heat. We all have this in our individual make up. Those of us who genetically have it in abundance can claim to be a Pitta - secondarily or primarily.

It is only an imbalance when we suffer from unhealthy or unwanted symptoms of this heat energy. Any one can suffer from a Pitta Imbalance. And a primary Pitta does not necessarily suffer from a Pitta Imbalance

Over abundance of Internal heat that imbalances Pitta can be caused by a stress out or aggressive lifestyle, an unbalanced diet of too many heating foods, medication, alcohol, caffeine, smoking, menopause, extreme exercise, a high level of toxins and aggressive skincare and over sun exposure.

Air conditioning can give us some reprieve as it cools down our bodies but the dehydration just worsens the appearance of our skin.

So how can we improve our plight in such an otherwise delightful time of the year?

From the list of causes, it is wise to start with diet. Any book on Ayurveda will list the foods for Pitta. They are cooling and alkaline foods which are great for any summer meal. Star foods are cucumbers and melons. Substitute coconut oil for your salad oil. You can cook with it but eat as much raw food as you can. Favour lean light proteins like white fish. If you want your omegas then eat either low salt smoked salmon or go for sushi. Avoid high oil foods including meats, salt and acid foods like vinegar. Replace it in salads with lemon or lime juice.

Raw foods can be a challenge as Pitta imbalance can come with digestive problems. Usually if you suffer from rosacea or redness in the cheek area your body is telling you,”you do”. Pittas are also more sensitive than other Dosha dominant types so are more prone to allergies. Make cucumbers more agreeable by removing the seed section.

The best solution would be to get advice from a naturopath or an alternative allergist. I am currently experiencing great reduction in my food allergies and great improvement in my digestion with Dana Zangari, a Registered Holistic Allergist and Nutritionist. You can find her at http://www.pandechiropractic.ca/Dana-Zangari/dana-zangari.html
To decrease stress and other extreme behaviors, find relaxing exercise like Yoga or Tai Chi and find time to do daily meditation.

Try to avoid excess sun and heat exposure by choosing shadier and greener paths to your destination.

Once you have lessened the macro causes of your internal health, you can start to repair the visual damage this energy has caused by reducing the redness and puffiness in your skin.

Redness in the skin is an indication that your capillaries are dilated and your circulatory system is not working properly. This is due to the capillary walls being dry and inelastic.

This compromised circulatory situation results in less moisture and nourishment being delivered to the skin cells in the area- in turn this causes more inelastic capillaries and more redness.

The puffiness and acne is caused by the inactive circulatory and lymph system. The result is excess toxins and fluids left in the area which causes localized edema and breakout when stress or body heat -as in PMS- is increased.

The ideal solution is a facial treatment that will turn around the situation. The best facial to quickly reverse the dehydration redness spiral is our Deluxe Lumi-Lift Facial. It will stimulate circulation and drainage with micronized current while improving skin hydrating with galvanic current improving the effectiveness of our own collagen gel mask . While you may breakout after the first facial due to the increased circulation and hydration - the end result is both less redness/puffiness and less breakouts. Another bonus of this facial is better facial tone and less wrinkles. It is not a one off deal though if you want long term effects. Depending on your skin condition and the results you want you will need to have a series of the facials weekly. It can vary from 3-10 per week. http://www.pureandsimple.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=103&Itemid=42
For those who are more timid to try new things you can choose any facial treatment that will clean your pores, hydrate up your skin and include a good face massage like our Super Hydrating Facial. The hydration effect of this facial is pumped up with a collagen sheet mask and oxygen treatment. Again if you are doing these facials with results in mind you will probably need to do a few of thsi facials weekly for 3 weeks or more. http://www.pureandsimple.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=5&Itemid=42#SuperHydratingFacial
Then get advice from a knowledgeable skincare expert on creating a daily care routine. Beautiful healthy skin comes with a seasonally adjusted daily regiment that includes gentle cleansing, hydration and protection. A must-have item for all that want hydrated skin throughout the year, is our facial serum Collagen Elastin Plus. It is not only our best selling item but it has the most loyal client following.

This serum with a suitable moisturizer for your skin type will keep your skin hydrated without a lot of fuss throughout your day. http://www.pureandsimple.ca/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=553&Itemid=27
For more detailed advice on the above please feel free to contact me or any of our professional staff.