Health

What to Look for in a Reputable Spa

If you drive down any major street, in any big city, you will be sure to stumble across no fewer than three nails salons/spas for every five block radius. With so many salons to choose from, how do you know which one is the best and safest bet? I have 5 surefire ways to tell if the spa you are in is worth the precious coin you are about to pay.

Look for licenses. When you first walk into a spa look for any licenses posted. Most reputable spas will have either all employees licenses prominently displayed near the cash register or at each technicians workstation. If you don’t happen to see them displayed, ask your beauty professional out rightly if you can see their certifications. You may also wish to ask them questions like; “How long have you been practicing” and “How long have you been at this establishment”. True professionals have to work hard to get through their classes, are very proud of their accomplishments, and will welcome showing and talking to you about this.

Technique. Good therapists have learned good techniques to use in order to make their customers comfortable. Be aware of what they are doing; are they too rough, fumbling through your treatment, or otherwise seeming clueless? For example, if you go to a local spa to have a massage and find your therapist pressing aggressively on a bony prominence that contains no muscle underlayer (hips, clavicle area, scalp) for no good reason, you can be pretty safe in assuming that they are not really likely to have a good knowledge base. At that point it may be in your best interest to stop the treatment short and go before any damage is done.

Products. Good spas will take pride in their reputation and the products they use. They will tell what items they will be using on you beforehand and have the items ready for you after your treatment for you to purchase if you wish. They will stand beside you and explain the active ingredients in every product, what it does, and why they would recommend it for you. Most customers don’t look forward to these moments and think of them as the necessary sales pitch they have to sit through, but that notion couldn’t be more false. Your therapist will talk to you, get an idea of your likes and dislikes, and note any problem areas you may have. They will then use their training to recommend something that would suit you best. The idea is not so much to try to “make a sale”, although I’m sure its part of it, the main idea is to educate you as best they can.

Cleanliness. A good spa will be clean inside and out including in places a client would not readily be looking like in the washroom or under treatment tables. If you see spills, dust, chemicals, towels, wraps, or any other disorderly mess chances are that the location you picked is not the best. Also look around and make sure that you see devices that are used to sterilize tools and instruments. Obviously if a tool looks dirty or you are not sure, you really owe it to yourself to speak up and stop the treatment if need be.

Do they listen? A good spa will have technicians who listen to your requests for modifications and respect your privacy. Typically, before most body treatments, your technician will sit down with you to ask about any allergies you may have, injuries you are suffering from, and your overall preferences for the session. They will respect your need to remain draped and will not allow you to remain exposed or be seen by anyone else while exposed. They will also respect your boundaries and will check with you often during your treatment to make sure you are totally comfortable.

Although visiting salons and spas are relaxing and can make you feel better inside and out, it is really important to remember that it is your health that is at stake. A manicure or pedicure done with unclean instruments can leave you with terrible fungi that are very difficult to cure. An untrained masseuse can cause you even worse pain than you were in already and can possibly cause severe injury. A self taught esthician can cause severe burns on your face and possible infection and scarring. You owe it to yourself to ask questions and make sure you are getting the best. After all, you are the most important person in the world, and your health comes first!

Source : Best Medical Spa

Praiseworthy Pemmican: The Energy-Packed Treat!

Looking for an energy-packed and tasty treat that will fuel your adventures? Look no further than pemmican, the ultimate trailblazer snack! Pemmican has been enjoyed by indigenous peoples for centuries, and with good reason – it’s a delicious combination of protein, fat, and carbohydrates that will keep you going, whether you’re hiking rugged terrain or simply need a mid-afternoon pick-me-up. Read on to learn more about this delightful snack!

Pemmican: A Tasty Trailblazer!

Pemmican is a perfect combination of meat, fat, and berries or other fruits, all dried and ground together into a dense and satisfying snack. It has long been a staple of indigenous peoples in North America, who used it as a convenient, high-energy food source on long journeys or during lean times. Pemmican is easily transportable, non-perishable, and incredibly nutritious, making it the perfect snack for anyone on the go.

Time-Tested Recipe for a Powerful Punch!

Making pemmican is a simple process that anyone can do at home. First, you’ll need to dry some lean meat, either in the sun or in a low-temperature oven. Once the meat is dry and brittle, grind it into a powder, then mix in melted fat and dried berries or other fruits. Press the mixture into a flat cake, then let it cool and harden. From there, you can cut it into convenient bars or chunks for easy snacking. The result is a dense, flavorful snack that will give you sustained energy and keep you feeling full for hours.

The Perfect Snack for All Your Adventures!

Whether you’re hiking, camping, or just need a quick boost during a busy day, pemmican is the perfect snack for all your adventures. It’s lightweight and easy to pack, making it a great choice for backpackers or anyone who needs to carry their food with them. Plus, it’s incredibly filling and nutritious, so you won’t need to eat as much to feel satisfied. Pemmican is also a great choice for athletes or anyone who needs sustained energy over a long period of time.

Praise for Pemmican: A Nutritious Nibble!

Pemmican has been widely praised for its nutritional value and energy-boosting properties. It’s a great source of protein and healthy fats, which are essential for building and repairing muscles, as well as providing stable energy. Plus, the addition of dried fruits gives pemmican a boost of vitamins and minerals, making it a well-rounded and nutritious snack. Many people also appreciate the fact that pemmican is made from simple, whole-food ingredients that are easy to recognize and understand.

If you’re looking for a tasty, energy-packed snack that will keep you going on all your adventures, pemmican is the way to go. With its time-tested recipe and delicious flavor, it’s no wonder that this trailblazer treat has been enjoyed by so many people over the years. So go ahead and give pemmican a try – your taste buds (and your body) will thank you!

Acupuncture and Reiki: Complementary Modalities; Alternative Medicine

Philosophy of Healing

Approximately five thousand years ago acupuncture was practised by the Chinese as a complete philosophy of healing. They had observed that everything in nature needed to be in balance and found that tapping a certain area (with a stone) seemed to help pain in another part of the body. With the advent of the Bronze and Iron Ages they began to use needles made of these metals.

Scarification

The early practitioners introduced the method of scarification, which was burning a special place on the body, using a stick or stone. In present days the practitioners use Moxa for certain treatments. Moxibustion is used to heat needles for specific areas where heat or energy is needed. Conditions such as anemia, where the patient is pale, chilly and tired, would be treated with heat. A gouty arthritis is itself a heat syndrome and does not require warmth but rather needs to have the heat dispersed.

Cupping

The use of cupping is another technique utilized in the practice of acupuncture. The procedure is to take a small cup in which the oxygen has been removed by a lighted match and put it directly on the skin. The lack of oxygen in the cup allows it to cling to the skin. In the modern era they have introduced plastic cups that are attached to a device that creates a vacuum, thus allowing the cup to adhere to the skin by means of suction.

Different Styles

There are many different styles of acupuncture, among which are Scalp acupuncture; Korean hand acupuncture; auricular acupuncture and TCM (traditional Chinese Medicine, which is often used in conjunction with herbs). An example of treating a skin disorder such as psoriasis would be to use a plum blossom hammer (a small hammer with seven or eight small needles on the head) and tap over the plaque.

Acupuncturists

Many medical doctors now advise some of their patients who might be helped by acupuncture to seek out a practitioner. In St. Marys, Ontario, Dr.Barbara Lee, M.D., CAFCI (Certified with Acupuncture Foundation of Canada Institute), has limited her practice to the use of acupuncture and Reiki, another healing modality. Dr. Lee received her undergraduate degree in honors biology at the University of Western Ontario, and did her medical training at the University of Toronto. Two months of general medicine in Truro, Cornwall, England, followed, and she did her internship at the Wellesley Hospital in Toronto. Believing that compementary modalities could be very helpful, she left her medical practice to concentrate on acupuncture.

Uses of Acupuncture

Acupuncture is commonly used for muscle strain, sprains, tension and arthritis, and can be helpful in treating Allergies, Migraines, Menstrual problems, Menopausal symptoms, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Acupressure can help somewhat, but the needles are a much stronger form of treatment. For further reading on health see: Interstitial Cystitis.

Counseling Services’ Workshops Focus on Time Management

If you are experiencing difficulty in juggling classes, homework and a job while trying to find time for yourself, don’t worry — there is hope.

Counseling Services at the Snow Health Center began offering stress management workshops for students Wednesday.

The goal of the workshops is to teach students how to manage their time effectively.

Megan McInerney, a graduate assistant at Snow Health Center, said every college student handles stress differently.

Students who are coming directly from high school may have a harder time coping with stress than a student who has been in college for a while, McInerney said.

McInerney listed three important tips students need to remember in managing stress: No.1: Take care of yourself; No.2: Schedule time for yourself; and No.3: Avoid drugs and alcohol.

She said drinking alcohol doesn’t decrease your stress load or make your problems disappear.

Your stress doesn’t go away, McInerney said. It is important for students to talk about stress when it becomes really bothersome.

She also said that students should let other people know when they are feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes having someone share or take over a few tasks can help alleviate stress.

Counseling Services is available to help students from 12:45 to 2:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

These services are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Students can also make an appointment to see a counselor if needed. The services are free.

McInerney also said students can look on the Internet for ideas on how to manage stress.

McInerney encouraged students to attend the workshops.

I am hoping that students will take something away from this to apply in their every day life, McInerney said.

Acupuncture for Migraines: What You Need to Know

I’m one of those high-strung people who constantly suffers from stress-related pain. Backaches, tension headaches, muscle pain, joint tenderness and abdominal cramping are an everyday part of my life. When the going gets really tough, I sometimes develop intense migraines that– without some form of treatment– can last days.

I have yet to find one single treatment that knocks out all of these problems, but the tenants of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have always been beneficial to me. I’ve found that TCM treatments, including acupuncture and acupressure, have always helped to relieve my migraine-related pain and other forms of recurrent discomfort.

If you’re interested in using acupuncture to treat your own migraine symptoms, there are several key points to consider.

1. Talk to your doctor. This isn’t just a recommendation that we health-writers give to appease attorneys. It really is a critical step in seeking treatment for migraines– or, for that matter, any other medical condition. Your health care provider can help to diagnose your migraines to differentiate them from similar problems, such as sinusitis or severe tension headaches. She can also evaluate you for signs of common migraine causes, such as hormonal imbalance and food intolerance. A comprehensive evaluation is essential for guaranteeing a correct diagnosis and a safe treatment.

2. Understand acupuncture. Acupuncture faces a tremendous amount of misunderstanding, both among health care providers and among those receiving the treatment. Traditional healers use acupuncture to stimulate specific points in the body, known as medians, by inserting very thin needles into the skin. In TCM theory, this facilitates the flow of chi, or life-energy, into the appropriate areas of the body, thereby enabling healing and pain relief. TCM theory is neither entirely consistent nor entirely inconsistent with Western medical science. Despite thousands of years of traditional use, it’s not clear if acupuncture really “works” or fails to work for migraines.

3. Know the evidence. Only one Western clinical study has evaluated acupuncture’s efficacy as a migraine treatment. In the study, which was published in the British Medical Journal, adults who experienced migraines more than twice per month were divided into two groups. One group received only conventional treatments for migraines, while the other group received both conventional treatments and regular acupuncture. Those who received acupuncture had fewer headaches, needed less medication, made fewer doctor’s visits and missed fewer work days than the group receiving conventional treatment alone.

4. Know the limitations. Like all treatments, acupuncture does have limitations. The clinical trial examining acupuncture for migraines failed to account for the placebo effect– the patients receiving acupuncture may have experienced improvement simply because they believed that the treatment was working. There’s also no clear evidence that “real” acupuncture works better than “sham” acupuncture, or that it can entirely replace conventional treatments. It’s also critical to understand that acupuncture fails to effectively eliminate underlying problems such as hormonal imbalances.

5. Consider other treatments. TCM practitioners rarely recommend acupuncture as a sole treatment for any condition. Instead, it usually on a holistic view of the patient. Comprehensive TCM treatment may involve acupuncture in combination with medicinal herbs, dietary changes, exercises, meditation and conventional treatments. Of course, always get the go-ahead from your health care provider before you use any of these treatments. Medicinal herbs and radical dietary changes can cause dangerous side effects when used inappropriately.

Yoga for All Ages and All Levels of Fitness

The great thing about yoga is that it can benefit anyone and everyone. From older people who are looking to keep fit and healthy to younger people and athletes who are looking for more challenging exercises to strengthen their body and mind.

Many people start yoga in order to help improve their health, whether that is as simple as digestion or more serious illnesses such as osteoarthritis. And that’s the great thing; Yoga is an exercise technique which can easily be adapted for whatever your capabilities, and from which many people can benefit. Obviously the exercises need to be performed regularly in order for them to have an effect, but with more and more people taking up yoga every day, why not try it yourself?

Take a Yoga Holiday

When thinking about where you would like to go for your next holiday why not consider going on a yoga retreat. After all the whole reason for getting away is to enjoy some rest and relaxation time and what could be better than yoga.

As you would expect, these retreats are set in peaceful and tranquil locations with many retreats situated in mountains, forest areas and even on secluded beaches. The retreats run on a timetable basis where in a typical day meditation and yoga normally compromises the morning activities. The afternoons are usually where you get free time and then the evenings are taken up with chanting.

Most of these activities are optional so you can choose what to take part in, so ultimately your holiday is still your own.

If you want to come away from a holiday feeling fully relaxed instead of feeling like you need another holiday in which to recover, then a yoga retreat could be just what you need.

Laugh Your Way to Health

If you feel better doing regular yoga exercises then you might want to combine laughter with it and reap even further benefits. It is said that laughter makes your chances of experiencing happiness much greater and new yoga classes combined with laughter aim at helping with this.

Throughout these yoga classes you will experience laughter eruptions from members of the class. Some of them are scripted and others are just spontaneous and usually in response to the scripted outbursts.

It has been documented that laughter helps with giving you a sense of well being but it has also been used in the past to help with pain relief as some people have found that just ten minutes of genuine laughter can leave them with a few hours pain relief often helping them to sleep better.

Although there are still not many classes which employ this technique it may be worth reading up on the technique and trying it out yourself.

Pregnancy and Yoga

Being pregnant is no reason to stop doing your yoga exercises. Of course you will not be able to perform some of the more advanced extreme body contortions but as long as you take the correct precautions you can continue to benefit physically and emotionally from your yoga practise.

Some of the exercises to avoid when pregnant are those that involve stretching your body too strenuously, in particular your abdominal muscles. Also, be sensible; If any particular pose is causing you discomfort then do not continue to perform it. Throughout your pregnancy you will probably find that you need to adjust your exercises in line with your changing body.

Yoga exercises can benefit both you and your baby, as long as you remain aware of your limits.

Teaching Your Children Yoga

Yoga is something that most adults take up, but it is never too early to start, and can children can really benefit from the exercises. In today’s world even children suffer from stresses, whether it’s with exams or homework, and yoga is a great technique to help them cope better with these things.

Some people are even going as far to say that yoga should be included as part of the school curriculum. Yoga can not only help with getting children to exercise is this world of video games and watching TV, but can also help them to control their feelings of anger and frustration. Bullying can be a big problem in school playgrounds so teaching children to think and stay calm and controlled during times when they might otherwise get very angry can only be a good thing.

Chi Kung for Health: A Tradition of Fitness

The wisdom of Chi Kung (also spelled “Qigong” and pronounced the same way with either spelling: chee gung) is the source of the martial arts and of Chinese medicine. Both traditional and always evolving in its styles and methods, Chi Kung is spreading worldwide. In translation Chi means living energy; while Kung means skill or method. So, Chi Kung is the skill of cultivating vital energy. As an art of self-healing, it includes movement, meditation, sound and visualization. A modern interpretation is that Chi is the biologically generated electricity that flows throughout the body. Then Chi Kung is the way to recharge your own batteries.

This spring, build up your health and vitality with Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang’s Primordial Qigong. It is a powerful method from the Taoist healing tradition of China. This series of gentle movements blends the creative energies of Heaven and Earth with the personal energy within each individual human body. Primordial Qigong recharges you from the abundant life energy that flows all around us in Nature. It promotes physical endurance and peace of mind. It greatly helps people with many different ailments, including stress, fatigue, headaches, fibromyalgia, arthritis and rheumatism.

Metabolic Efficiency (classical signs: faster growth of hair & nails, better digestion)

Spiritual Effects: Bright Eyes, Intuition, Creativity, Meaningful Dreams, Synchronicity

China’s culture has included Chi Kung fitness skills for over two thousand years. Modern Chinese educational and medical institutions include this health training in their treatment programs. Individuals also learn Chi Kung for its many physical, emotional, mental and spiritual benefits. The temples and martial arts schools have preserved these skills in Asia. Now each of us in the West can enjoy them with regular practice to restore, refine and build our Chi.

In traditional terminology, Chi Kung enables the student to feel, circulate, and store the three living internal energies:

Shen – the Consciousness

Chi – the Physical Energy

Jing – the Physical Essence

Collectively these three are called the “Three Treasures of Life”. By building and circulating the Chi, we increase vitality, prevent or overcome illness, and promote healthy longevity.

Acupuncturist Eli Jacobe first learned Chi Kung meditation and Taiji movement from Master Mantak Chia in 1982. That inspiring vision of Chinese health philosophy and its personal benefits led him on to study Chinese medicine. He graduated from the New England School of Acupuncture in 1985. In Chi Kung his primary teachers include: Thomas Tam, Lic.Ac. (Oriental Culture Institute, Boston), Mantak Chia, Kenneth Cohen, & Dr. Wan Su-Jian (in Beijing, China). In 1987 after diligent daily practice and continuing instruction, he received a teaching certificate from Thomas Tam. In 2006 and 2009 he earned certificates in Taoist Medical Qigong from Dr. Wan Su-Jian, including authorization to teach Master Wan’s system, called BaGua XunDao Qigong. Before discovering the Chinese healing arts, Eli had taught restoring fertility yoga, meditation and stress management since 1974, having trained with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

The field of Chi Kung is diverse, including lineages of many styles and methods. With development extending over thousands of years and in many regions of China, there are innumerable moving exercises targeting all the systems and structures of the body. There are meditation methods using the breath, sound, or visualizations. Chi Kung meditations can be enjoyed seated, standing, lying down, or even walking.