Getting ready for Detox

August is here and I am preparing for my fall detox.

For the novice a great way to start is to get professional assistance from a Naturopath, an Ayurveda doctor or a Traditional Chinese Doctor. Click here for a listing of health professionals my staff and I have found to be helpful.

If you are planning to start your own detox, you will find the following pointers helpful.
1. Eat only vegetable for a period of time from 1 day to a week is a gentle way to start. Strict fasting (liquids only) is not recommended for Vatas
2. Clean your bowels and kidneys first
3. Then your liver

Some people who cleanse regularly advise having a colonic at the beginning to clear the large intestine so that toxins from the small intestine and other organs can be released.

I find the people at Supplements plus a great help in recommending a great colon cleanser program.

Renew Life has two good colon cleanse programs. One regular colon cleanse and one for those with Candida

My personal favourite, for those of us who are not fibre friendly, is Alpha Science Laboratories “Ultimate Fibre Plus”. It supports psyllium with slippery elm, apple pectin and a good combination of acidophilus to give a gentle and balanced colon cleanse. Click here for more info.

Due to my satisfaction with “Ultimate Fibre Plus”, I am planning to use Alpha Science Laboratories “Kidney Cleanse”. I like the ingredients list and that no sugar has been added. I have high blood sugar.

I have been cleansing my liver every long weekend for a couple of years. Yes, when you have had 55 years to pollute your internal organs with city air and some very indulgent food choices, don’t expect to clear all toxins out in one shot.

My favourite is the Liver/Gallbladder Flush from Prime Health Products. You need to prepare 6 weeks in advance before you actually do the flush. It is gentle and not disruptive to your daily life. There are no diet restrictions except for the 2 days before the flush when you consume only apple cider and water. Click here for the link.

An excellent support to an internal detox program is body work like massage and body scrubs. Pick up a bath mitt like the ones the Korean Body Scrubbers use (soon you can get it at www.pureandsimple.ca) and use it in your daily shower.

Pure + simple has put the Lymphomaniac Facial on sale for $85.00, so you can get a great facial and have your stomach massaged like never before. This massage, if you allow us, will give your internal organs a direct rub down that will make Reflexology will seem so remote. We are happy to show you how to do for your self daily. This is an excellent daily routine for those of us who suffer less than optimum digestion or elimination.

The Lymphomaniac Facial targets your major lymph nodes so those tender areas surrounding your breasts will also get a boost to increase circulation and cleansing.

Here’s to that wonderful feeling that we get with Beauty through Health!

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.

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.

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.

A Face of a Thousand Stories

Yes You have a Face of a Thousand Stories

Along with the influence of your character, behavior and beliefs - your diet and your environment can determine your physical appearance. This is not contradictory to Ayurveda. With the help of Ayurveda I rebalanced my body to benefit from the fluctuations of the weather.

Spencer Wells, author of The Human Journey: A Genetic Odyssey and an anthropologist and geneticist, explains with scientific data how your features reflect the journey taken by your ancestors.

You will discover that a stocky build or a short neck is not an unfortunate distribution of attractive features. And that having “excessive” body hair give question to your femininity. Along with other “unique” features, they are nature’s way in helping your ancestors thrive in their environment.

But contrary to common thought, our genetics is not linear or clear cut as in the differences between siblings. I personally have suffered the feeling of injustice as my sister who inherited the features of the accepted beauty with chiseled features, slim build and large feminine eyes and well endowed figure.

While I, somehow I seemed to have gotten all the less feminine, chunkier features from larger frame, short stocky legs and chubby face but with a flat chest.

I did not feel less attractive on my own. Most people and society supported this truth in words and action.

But as I learned Ayurveda and began to understand the message in my physical attributes I started to love each feature as I loved the character that help form it . And I of course shared this with my staff and clients. But even with the knowledge of Ayurveda and evolutionary science - it’s a hard sell to some – so if you are not convinced you are not alone.

When I started to read about the evolution of human kind, I started to see the beauty in how my stockier frame and shorter legs contributed to the survival of my ancient ancestor in the ice age.

While I may have envied my sister in the past, I am now at peace with physical appearance. My personal experience has given me an empathy with those clients that are coming into their middle years and have not yet accepted their physical appearance. They punished themselves by trying to imitate the beauty of others, sometimes with drastic measures.

I believe that but using both Ayurveda and the history of our human journey I along with my clients come to love our selves and others in a genuine way.

We can invest more into our appearance without trying to imitate but to protect and highlight our uniqueness.

“Unique Beauty”, eh…, hmmm?

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“Unique Beauty”, Part 1

What is does unique beauty really mean? - to you.

When I was young and felt short changed on the distribution of beautiful features - I interpreted "You have an unique beauty” to mean "I am diplomatically saying you are not beautiful”.

But now wiser, I define “unique beauty” as the infinite faces of diversity. This change of perspective cannot be attributed to increased self confidence. Actually the real changer is also the cause of this increased self love. It is came from an interesting merger of Ayurveda and a growing understanding of my place in the external world.

We all can easily appreciate the diverse beauty of Nichole Kidman’s fragile Vata beauty along side the strong Kapha beauty of Beyonce Knowles. But we do we feel “unique beautiful” when comparing our physical features to that of camera friendly faces of celebrities.

According to Ayurveda, our “unique beauty” refers to the physical manifestations of our mental and emotional energies. But I found that the uniqueness of our features from colour to shape to size also tell a story of our human journey.

When we understand the importance of our character and our thoughts in shaping our external beauty and the foundation our genetic history in our overall health and beauty, we are less prone to embrace a self defeating definitions of beauty. And we are also less likely to believe or feel that as we grow older we grow less attractive,

A Vata Beauty is fine and delicate. He or she is small boned with small, chiseled features. Due to Vata’s spiritual strength, the physical features tends to be weaker with light pale definition. Vata’s slenderness can be attributed to speed – fast metabolism, fast thinking, quick change and fleeting emotions. Her delicate ethereal beauty evolved from light, cold and dry energy.

Pitta Beauty is in the sharpness of his/her focus. Piercing eyes are hallmark on this logical competitive person’s features. The strength in the mental realm with strong charisma are the characteristics of born leaders. The passion for order and perfection can create imbalance leading to skin sensitivities, rosacea and acne. Her intelligence leads her to strive to become President (of a business, government or organization) and that would trump any desire to be a Miss Universe.

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Kapha Beauty is sensuous and voluptuous. Because Kapha’s strength is in the physical; they are strong, beautiful and large. They have large curvaceous features from large eyes fringed with abundant lashes to full lips and thick hair. They have large bone structure and usually have a stocky appearance. She/he is not your average “super model”, but his/her longevity and sensuousness will keep her alluring into old age.

When Kapha understands his/her uniqueness, she/he stops feeling “fat” and start feeling voluptuous and strong.

And Pitta feels beautiful and fulfilled when he/she pursues life work without needing to be a “beauty queen” as well.

Vatas are fortunate to be born with the socially defined characteristics of slim poetic beauty but are even luckier if they start early to develop spiritual or creative talents.

From the foundation of self appreciation and understanding we can see the beauty radiating from our own spirit and to that of others as well.

Next week –how to love our “unique beauty” by discovering our ancestral journey

Sun Drenched Beauty

Summer can be a boost to our feeling of attractiveness.

When I was a teenage, a suntan covered up blemishes and as I grew older and less plagued with acne, the tan evened out my skin’s blotchiness.

Now I am noticing women my aging using a tan to camouflage signs of skin aging from brown spots, redness and even wrinkles. Yes, this is just one of the examples of how irrational our pursuit of beauty can become.

So what are better ways of looking our best with positive long term results? Most anti aging technologies like Intense Pulsed Light and exfoliation like Microdermabrasion and Chemical Skin Peels make our skin more photo sensitive so are not advisable for most of us in the summer. Only the most meticulous of us will avoid more sun damage with proper sunscreen application.

While the consequences like sun burn, hyper pigmentation or dehydration are not irreversible when tended to right away, it is still wiser to accommodate our behaviors along with our aspirations.

If there is a need for improving your skin’s appearance from a special occasion to lifting self esteem, there is a safe and effect anti-aging treatment. Micronized Current can take years off your face by reducing the appearance of brown spots, chronic redness and wrinkles. It does it by stimulating the production of collagen and elastin while toning up facial muscles.

Our experience with Micronized Current for anti aging has not been all up hill. Our first machine required operator skill along with operator knowledge of the clients muscle placement to attain good results.

Our new machine has eliminated the disappointment of both the esthetician and the client by allowing the current to be dispersed over a larger area. It has the added benefits of red LED to support better collagen production and another current type to help dehydrated skin cells to absorb moisture. We have developed a special lifting gel that doubles as a mask to plump skin cells with skin protein, seaweed and aloe vera .

If some one my age has a special wedding coming up – our children’s or our own – to get our faces camera ready in a pinch – we need only to do three of these treatments a week before the date.

For those of us looking for long term rejuvenation, weekly treatment for two to three months (really depends on your expectations and the condition of your skin) with monthly treatments after can do the trick.

There are smaller ways to look more youthful in these summer months. A gentle exfoliation with jojoba beads at night can give you a fresher look without making skin more vulnerable to sun damage.

Of course using sunscreen, a natural one, with a suitable moisturizer daily will do much to help you avoid the “crêpey” look now and slow down the visible signs of aging long term..

When I wake up disappointed with what I see in the mirror I usually pile on the collagen serum to quickly plump up skin cells and rejuvenate my face. This also helps get circulation in my face going so puffiness in the face or eyes are gone before I walk out the door.

If you have stayed in the sun too long and are worried about the long term consequences, apply a collagen gel mask to hydrate up and repair on skin cells immediately then book a hydrating facial for major repair.

My person favourite is to constantly have your face photographed so that you grow to love the changing beauty that wisdom and life experiences have shaped. I believe some of us want to look eighteen because our emotional needs have not matured. After all we only need to look eighteen if we want to attract an eighteen year old J