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Posts Tagged ‘Aromatherapy’

The Benefits Individuals Can Receive From Visiting A Modern Day Spa

February 3rd, 2012

Stress is almost unavoidable in the society we currently live in. It is easy locating it not only in our family responsibilities but in our place of work too. There is however a remarkable remedy that can aid in averting this condition from people, making them to relax with very little stress. Modern day spa is one such facility, which provides massages and facials among other luxurious services. Staffs who are assuredly devoted to ensure their clients feel well are always ready to provide non-invasive and natural beauty treatments to their customers. Read on to be exposed to the advantages of visiting these facilities.

The first benefit is that you get a massage from the spa which is very helpful in releasing muscle tension and helps the mind to relax. It is also very helpful to the central nervous system as well as for an improved blood circulation.

Your body will attain ideal waste and toxin elimination from your body system and also have a stimulated lymphatic system: essential for your health. Massage done at least ones every week has proved to be very important to people recuperating from illnesses and those experiencing aches and pains. An absolute relaxation can be guaranteed when you visit this facility.

Visiting these facilities is so much like having a mini-vacation. You get a day of enjoying natural beauty treatments, a massage and a steam bath. This leaves you stress free, refreshed and pampered. Most people become more active and productive with their daily activities after visiting this facility.

These facilities also attain the reduction of extra energy from individual’s bodies by use of water therapy, which also helps in refreshing the mind. Taking a stream, swimming or having some rest in a Jacuzzi are some of the ways use in hydrotherapy. Selection one or more of these practices to get hydrotherapy will be dependent on an individual.

Water therapy helps the body relax and has been found to have a positive outcome on blood vessels. It is also effective in relieving muscle stiffness and aches. This therapy also articulates the production of a natural component, endorphins which help in relieving pain and leaves you with a happy and contented feeling.

Finally, a modern day spa also offers phytotherapy, where herbal preparations are used to help in balancing hormone levels. This is specifically beneficial to women who might be experiencing hormonal imbalance for various reasons such as menopause. If natural plant extracts are used in the right combination, they act as a preventive and curative treatment for difficulties related to hormonal imbalance.

The use of a day spa is appropriate for individuals who want to get away for a few hours. Luzernlabs products are recommended in many of the more popular spas.

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Acne acne, anti aging, Aromatherapy, beauty, cosmetic sugery, massage, Skin Care, spa and wellness

Frankincense Oil: Why You’ll Want To Try This Ancient Healer

June 22nd, 2010

Oh the mysterious Frankincense — it really holds a special status in the world of natural medicine. What other plant extract has been valued as highly as gold, sought after by kings, and been one of the world’s most recognized birthday presents? There must be something to it too, as university’s around the world have found it important enough to spend significant sums investigating its medicinal effects. What follows is a summary of the great benefits of this nearly magical oil, and how you can make use of it.

The term Frankincense refers to the resin from any one of four trees or shrubs of the Boswellia genus. The most common are Boswellia carteri and Boswellia seratta — and these actually have significantly different chemical (and therapeutic) properties. The carteri species is considered by some to produce the highest grade raw material; the essential oil has lovely, unexpected citrus notes and is very uplifting. The seratta produces an oil with a deeper, richer aroma, considered the finest of the scents by some aromatherapy professionals, and lending itself to meditative and spiritual practices. The resin is collected from the Olibanum trees and shrubs without doing damage to the plants — in this way the highly revered medicine can be harvested in the wild without diminishing the long-term availability of the natural resource.

The most medicinally efficacious essential oil is possibly the “super-critical carbon dioxide” distillation of Boswellia carteri — this fancy new distillation method makes a more complex, thicker, and possibly more healing oil than the classic steam distillation. One of the advantages is that the plant material is not heated nearly as much as it would be if processed with steam, the result being a product closer to the original in chemical formulation. Some prominent aromatherapists who didn’t particularly care for this extraction method with other plants have given it the “thumb’s up” when used with Frankincense.

The essential oil is noted by experts to have a very diverse set of therapeutic uses. For skin care, it is considered one of the premier oils for mature skin. The tough, desert trees somehow belie this use; the oil may be particularly helpful for skin that has been prematurely aged from overexposure to the sun. Scientific research has even “proven” the effects, by testing Frankincense extracts in skin care preparations side by side on participant’s faces. The results showed a significant improvement in skin texture and the reduction of fine lines. You can easily benefit from this property yourself by adding four to twelve drops of the essential oil per fluid ounce of any cream or lotion you’re already using. Or if creating a new, personal aromatherapy skin care blend, try adding the oil, alone or in combination with other essential oils, at a concentration between 1/2 and 2 percent.

Boswellic-acid creams are becoming popular in over-the-counter topical pain relieving formulas. These are simple extracts of Frankincense resin, which are available to you in the form of the CO2 distillations. The extracts are highly anti-inflammatory and analgesic, and can be excellent ingredients in massage formulas for any sort of joint pain. The oil will blend in a synergistic manner with other pain relieving and anti-inflammatory essential oils such as Helichrysum, Ginger, Black Pepper and Marjoram. Simply mixing all these oils together, using a 1 to 2 percent concentration of each in any carrier oil, will make a fine arthritis care recipe.

One of the most fascinating therapeutic potentials of the CO2 extraction is the much-researched anticancer and anti-tumoral activity of the oil. The resin and the oil have been the subject of University studies which have concluded that Frankincense may be a viable treatment for cancer. It has shown the ability to destroy cancerous cells at concentrations which leave healthy cells unharmed. Some aromatherapy practitioners have started to using the essential oil as a preventative measure, topically applying, or in some cases even ingesting small amounts. The oil is considered very safe — non-toxic and non-sensitizing, so that consumption of a couple of drops daily should not pose any health risk. If this is something which interests you, find a natural health care practitioner to consult with to determine the best protocol for your personal condition.

The traditional “aromatherapy” uses of the essential oil focus on its antidepressant and grounding nature. Battaglia in “The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy” notes that it “has the ability to deepen the breath — that is, to slow down the rate of breathing, and increase the amplitude of breathing…an ideal choice for someone with an asthmatic condition associated with nervousness”. This is a very interesting feature considering, that some esoteric physicians believe the lifespan is governed by a total number of breaths, not heartbeats as is more commonly believed.

It’s plain to see Frankincense is a very worthwhile aromatic in the therapist’s toolkit. With anti-aging, anticancer, antidepressant and anti-stress activity, it’s likely that the essential oil can easily find a way into your overall wellness program. You’ll likely be happier and healthier for it, and will have another valuable natural medicine to enjoy and share.

More on the healing effects of essential oils can be found at http://www.anandaapothecary.com.

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Skin Care alternative medicine, Aromatherapy, cancer, disease, essential oils, Health, illness, natural health, natural medicine, science, Skin Care, wellness

Essential Oils Can Eradicate Fungus!

March 25th, 2010

Ridding the Body of Unwanted Fungus

There is a growing interest in seeking alternatives to conventional treatments for fungal infections. Pharmaceutical treatment for fungal related illnesses is often accompanied with unwanted and even dangerous side-effects. A growing body of science literature supports the use of essential oils to supplement or replace conventional treatments of fungal related diseases.

Fungi are More Than Mushrooms

Many of us associate fungus with mushrooms either growing on moist lawns or under a forest canopy. Yet fungus (known collectively as fungi) is a large group (in the Kingdom Fungi) of multi-cellar organisms that includes molds, yeasts and the familiar mushrooms. These organisms can infect human skin, nails and tissues ? causing unsightly, irritating and sometimes painful symptoms. Such infections are known as mycoses.

Ailments Associated with Fungal Infections

In recent years, increasing attention has been given to the perils of Candida species (namely Candida albicans) infections, especially for women. Overgrowth of these usually commensal critters often results in vaginal irritation and discharge. Other candida-related infections lead to oral thrush, gastrointestinal troubles, and infection of the urinary tract. For those with severely compromised immune systems, such infections can even be fatal.

Other disorders arising from fungal infections are such things as athlete’s foot, maladies of hair and nails, necrosis of the skin, and aspergillosis- a pulmonary disease initiated by fungi of the genus Aspergillus. An Aspergillus infection can cause airway restrictions and even fatal lung bleeding.

As you can deduce, fungal infections are nothing to trifle with. In the following paragraphs synopses of science study findings are assembled. All of these studies have indicated possible use of essential oils to effectively treat fungal infections.

Stopping Candida Overgrowth

There is a large collection of recent science literature indicating that various essential oils and their constituents (such as clove oil, lemongrass, eucalyptus, thyme, juniper, cinnamon, and tea tree) have been shown to be effective (in vitro) at inhibiting the progression and spread of this fungus. In a 2007 study from the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India, scientists found that rosemary essential oil was effective against drug-resistant mutants of Candida albicans.

Essential Oils in the Treatment of Dermatophytes

Dermatophyte fungi infect the skin, hair and nails of humans as well as our beloved pets. The by-products of their colonization are toxins. These toxins in turn cause often painful inflammation and embarrassing blemishes (remember your grandparents’ brown or even green toenails?yuck!).

Researcher from the Center of Advanced Study in Botany in India (2009) found that Cymbopogon martini (palmarosa) and Chenopodium ambrosioides (wormwood) exhibited in vitro and in vivo (guinea pigs) antifungal activity separately and synergistically. They conclude that such results validate using essential oils in the treatment of dermatophyte infections and an alternative to conventional tropical treatments.

Stopping the Spread of Pulmonary Aspergillosis

As mentioned earlier, an infection from Aspergillus is no walk in the park. Several recent laboratory studies find that the inhibitory capabilities of essential oils against this fungus merit further investigation for clinical use. A 2010 Australian study from Charles Sturt University found that the essential oil Leptospermum petersoinii was more potent in reducing infection (in animal lungs) from Aspergillus than conventional antifungal drugs.

Conclusion

It is certain that most of us will experience fungal infections at one time or another. Once these organisms take a foot hold, they are not eager to leave and are often resistant to conventional treatments. Acknowledging that conventional treatments are not always successful nor safe, medical researchers are looking at using essential oils as a treatment alternative. Laboratory studies indicate that essential oils are effective against fungal infections and in some cases more potent than conventional drugs.

Many essential oil blends have already been created that combine these wonderful seasonal aromas.

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Health alternative medicine, Aromatherapy, disease, essential oils, fungus, Health, herbs, illness, mold, natural health, natural medicine, wellness

Want to Add A Superfood To Your Diet? Try Coconuts!

March 8th, 2010

The coconut is a beautiful gift to the peoples of the world. The Sanskrit language calls the coconut palm ‘kalpa vriksah,’ meaning that it is a plant which gives everything one needs to survive. The coconut is an old tree and a distant relative of grasses, and its meat, water and oil have been used for nutrition and health by many cultures. In India in particular, the coconut has been used extensively in Ayurvedic medicine, a system which has inspired aromatherapists, nutritionists and naturopaths the world over.

Taking almost nine months to filter each liter of water in its shell, the coconut is an amazing natural water filter. The water is pulled up through micro-fibers which purify it before it ends in the actual nut of the coconut. This clear life-giving fluid isone of the highest sources of electrolytes found in all of nature. Coconut water is a great re-hydrator and makes an ideal sports drink. When we consume a drink consisting of 55% fresh coconut water and 45% fresh green-leaf juice, or blue-green algaes, we create for ourselves an instantaneous infusion of life energy.

A completely saturated medium-chain fatty acid (remember: not all saturated fats are bad!), coconut oil contains no cholesterol and does not form dangerous trans-fatty acids. The medium-chain fatty acids (MCT’s) in coconut oil possess incredible health giving benefits requiring less energy and fewer enzymes to digest, allowing the body to quickly convert the MCT’s into usable energy. Even better than olive oil for lowering overall cholesterol levels, coconut oil is stable at high temperatures (up to 170 degrees Fahrenheit), making it an excellent choice for use in cooking.

Coconut oil is one of nature’s most versatile and healthy fats. Studies show that coconut oil supports the health of the thyroid gland, which regulates thenecessary anti-aging steroids progesterone, DHEA and pregnenolone. These steroids are important to help prevent heart disease, senility, obesity, cancer and other degenerative diseases associated with aging. Coconut oil also contains capryllic acid as well as lauric acid, both of which are anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-microbial. It has long been known that caprilyc acid is the most potent yeast-fighting substance, making it an excellent choice for those working with candida and other inner ecology imbalances. Transitioning to coconut oil as one’s fat source also helps to normalize blood sugar levels while increasing energy, building a healthy immune and nervous system and reducing the overall stress on one’s system. It is helpful to note that a ‘therapeutic dose’ of coconut oil consists of daily doses of two to three (or more) tablespoons for an adult.

Cooking with coconut oil is a fun way to introduce this supplement into your life. Try using it instead of margarine, butter or other vegetable oils. Also, consider using fresh coconuts that are not too old (i.e., forgo the shaved coconut and opt for a whole coconut instead).The meat is primarily fat, and it can be chopped and eaten with fruit for a delectable treat. Coconut oil is also great as an oil for veggies, tossed into your morning smoothie or buttered on bread with spices or preserves. If you’re looking for a way to enliven oats or rice, coconut oil adds a special note to a normally humble dish.

Coconut’s reputation as a skin nutrient is well-documented, and people with many skin types can benefit from its moisture-giving qualities. In aromatherapy, both virgin and fractionated coconut oils are used. A way to see the difference is to remember that virgin coconut oil looks more like coconut flesh. It is a solid fat that is used in both cooking and body care, and it can be mixed with aromatic oils. While it is certainly a dense oil, virgin coconut oil doesn’t leave the skin feeling too oily, as it is absorbed rapidly. Fractionated coconut has similar qualities, but it is made by physically reducing the size of the fat molecule, removing the section of the molecule that makes it a solid. This creates a liquid oil that has no odor, lasts a long time (its molecular structure makes it “fully saturated,” meaning it has no atomic space for oxygen to attach, thereby deteriorating the oil) and is quickly consumed by the skin. Sometimes coconut is mixed with other oils, like jojoba, resulting in a nutrient-rich cream. With so many coconut oils to choose from, mixing coconut with aromatic oils is a simple way to add to your health and beauty regimen.

One more thing about the fabulous coconut: this oil is great for use in sexual play. Both the taste and smell of coconut add to the delights of intercourse. A great way to experience coconut is by mixing it with vanilla and cacao oils. Smooth this concoction over your lover’s skin and enjoy.

In terms of versatility, the coconut is a marvel of nature and a perfect oil to work with in aromatherapy and nutritional healing. It can be used in body work, cooking and skin care, and its radiance is highlighted when complemented with essential oils. Use it in any form and expect results – the coconut has long been our friend, and its beneficial qualities continue to be discovered and cherished the world over.

Flower essences can help nourish adults, children, and animals. Learn more about how you and your loved one’s can benefit from flowers.

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Uncategorized alternative health, alternative medicine, Aromatherapy, Cooking, food, Health, home, natural, women