Essential Oils and Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is the art and science of using pure plant essential oils to enhance physical and emotional well-being. Massage therapists, Chiropractors and Reflexologists are just a few types of professionals who use the healing powers of essential oils.

Some tips on the desired outcome of these little wonders:

1. They should be absolutely pure, organic and ethically wild crafted. Synthetic oils will not give you the effects you desire and may even have adverse effects. I use the brand Simplers Botanical Co., found at local food co-ops.

2. Use only the amount recommended, too much can overload your system and leave you with a headache, nausea or worse. Some people have sensitivity reactions to the oils, so first smell the oil to see if it agrees with you, then test yourself by applying a dilution (usually with a blending oil) to a small area of skin before using on larger areas.

3. Store oils in dark glass bottles, out of sunlight for no more than 2 years. After 2 years, transfer your "expired" oils to the cleaning cabinet; they can be used for antiseptic/antibacterial household cleaning! A few drops of
lavender, lemon or peppermint will leave your house smelling great, clean and more environmentally friendly!

4. One Essential Oil that really is essential for helping you get through the cold and flu season is Eucalyptus Globulus. Eucalyptus Globulus is stimulating, balancing and cooling and good for coughs, sore throats, sinusitis, skin infections, ulcers, and muscular or arthritic complaints.

Eucalyptus is antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antibiotic, diuretic, analgesic and deodorizing. *Eucalyptus is contraindicated for those of you pregnant or epileptic, this means you SHOULD NOT use Eucalyptus oils of any type!

5. The most effective use of essential oils is by external application or inhalation. Methods include body, foot and hand baths, candles, humidifiers, room sprays, massage oils and compresses.

For the Common Cold/Sinusitis/Bronchitis:

Bath: Place 5 - 10 drops in a bath already drawn, agitate the water thoroughly to disperse oils, lie back and inhale deeply for up to 10 minutes. Or, sprinkle a few drops around the tub if you take a shower.

Massage: Place 2 - 3 drops in 1 tsp of vegetable oil (almond is an excellent oil for all skin types), and massage around chest, neck, forehead, nose and cheekbones. Be careful not to get into eyes, nose or mouth!

Qi, Chi or Ki: One Energy Many Names.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has more than 2,000 years of tradition in movement and breathing, touch therapies and acupuncture. TCM is based on the principle of living in balance with your environment and the seasons, and also having a harmonious relationship with your body, mind and emotions.

TCM is based on the concept of energy or life force called "Qi", "Chi" or "Ki". The translations from Japanese and Chinese accounts for the variations in spelling, but the concept is the same. "Prana" is the life force energy related to the breath, talked about in Yoga. "Chi" moves in pathways called meridians or channels. The goal of Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Shiatsu, Acupuncture, Yoga and Reiki is to promote the smooth flow of energy in the body. All promote strength and vitality. Pain, fatigue and tightness are due to stagnation of energy.

TCM theory states that we are born with a finite amount of constitutional energy that we receive from our parents. This Qi is stored in our Kidneys. We renew our qi throughout our life through eating and breathing. So the way we eat and breathe is crucial to how vital we are.

The factors that drain qi away are imbalanced lifestyles, including not sleeping, excessive eating, sex, and activity, and emotional stress. Eastern healing activities include breathing and exercise regimes to build qi, and avoidance of unhealthy stressors.

To read more about Chinese Dietary Therapy or to find classes in an Eastern Tradition see below. Or I can teach you a simple Tai Chi or Qi Gong routine. Get into the flow, Jill

1. and 2. The Tao of Healthy Eating and Prince Wen Hui's Cook by Bob Flaws.

3. Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford.

4. Between Heaven and Earth by Beinfield and
Korngold.

Tai Chi classes (Movement)

1. Tai Chi Chuan Twin Cities in St. Paul near
280 and Univ. 651-767-0267.

2.American Academy of Acupuncture and
Oriental Medicine 651-631-0204

Yoga Classes

1. 3 Smooth Stones in Seward Neighborhood of
Minneapolis 612-729-9549.

2. The Yoga Studio near our offices.
763-525-1518

Qi Gong Classes (Movement and Breathing)

1. Dragon Door Publications, John DuCane
classes in Minneapolis 651-487-2180.

Reflexology

Reflexology is a science based on the principle that there are foot reflexes that relate to every part of the body. Our feet are a map of our health! People who suffer from headaches, poor digestion, menstrual difficulties or structural problems such as sciatica, neck and shoulder discomforts can be greatly helped with foot reflexology. It is also a great way to soothe your mind and soul.

A doctor by the name of William Fitzgerald discovered zones in the body and feet by dividing the body into 10 longitudinal lines, or zones. He found that working anywhere in a zone on the foot affected everything in the entire zone of the body. He noted that when the foot pain was relieved, the condition producing the pain was also positively affected.

Reflexology's history dates back as far as 2500 BC when paintings were found on Egyptian papyrus and walls showing medical practitioners treating the hands and feet of patients. Cultures in India, Japan, China, Egypt and Europe have worked on the feet and hands since the beginning of time. 5000 years ago, people from India thought the feet to symbolize the unity of the entire universe. In the Chinese medical text, The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, Reflexology is called The Examining Foot Method. Today foot therapy helps heal the modern complaints of stress and fatigue.

FUN FACTS ABOUT FEET!

Did you know that there are 52 bones in the feet? On average, the feet take 7000 steps per day, that's 7 miles! Our feet support us every day, all day long, yet we fail to give them the support they need. Our feet were designed to walk on conforming surfaces (grass, rocks and sand), which would exercise and stimulate the feet. However, most of us encase our feet in shoes and walk on hard surfaces much of the day, not allowing for that natural care for our feet. Luckily, the feet are extremely sensitive and very responsive to massage. By receiving reflexology, you are doing your feet and your health a huge favor. Walk well, Kelly

Stay Fit for the Feasting

The Feasting season is often a time when workout schedules go by the wayside and we stuff ourselves with abandon, ending with a New Years Resolution to lose 10 or 20 pounds and join a gym.

Remember weight maintenance/loss is fewer calories in and more calories out. (3,500 calories equals one pound of fat, weight gain happens when your body can not adapt to the imbalance anymore, and stores the extra as fat) Here are some ideas to stay fit through the season and end feeling better than ever.

1. Pace yourself. Think of the holidays as a ten course meal and sample food and drink items.

2. Eat nutrient dense foods. These foods are usually lower in calories and much healthier, leaving you satisfied without stuffing. Think of eating a rainbow, more color equals more nutrients.

3. Move more. Rather than saving exercise for that hour workout, add in movement and stretching throughout the day. Think of dogs and cats, they stretch every time they get up and move in bursts. Park farther away at the store, carry your packages, and take the stairs. Movement also relieves stress. Stress hormones help deposit fat around the middle of your body.

4. Add fun movement to parties and family events. Some ideas are touch football, a family walk, hopscotch or twister with the kids (big and small), a hayride, ice skating, skiing, bowling, dancing, etc. The times I remember the most with my family is when we did something physical. A healthy lifestyle is easier to maintain with the support of family and friends.

5. Strength train. The benefits of strength training are endless. Muscle revs up your metabolism. Muscle burns calories all the time, not just during exercise. Strength training releases endorphins and leaves you feeling great.

Strength training has beneficial effects for people of all ages. According to the NIHS Senior Fitness Training Manual. We lose 5-7 pounds of our muscle mass per decade of our lives, after fifty this can double without strength training. This muscle mass is replaced on average with 15 pounds of fat per decade. By age 80 the average American has lost up to 50 % of their strength capacity.

6. Get plenty of rest. The body repairs and replenishes when we sleep. Rest keeps us in balance when life gets busy. So stay fit this holiday season and if you want to start a low-equipment strength training program call me today for more details. Jill

Aging Well with TCM

TCM theory states that we are born with a finite amount of energy or Qi that we receive from our parents. This Constitutional Qi is stored in our Kidneys. As a metaphor we think of this energy as the wax in a candle, what we do to rebuild and sustain this energy could be thought of as the wick. We can work to have a longer wick through Qi building activities and living in balance. You could think of the vitality we have as how brightly the flame burns. Burning the flame too brightly through over-activity will deplete the wax or constitutional energy more quickly. Therefore the goal is to live in harmony with ourselves and our environment.

Some lifestyle choices that assist us in living longer lives include:

1. Eat wholesome foods grown organically or through sustainable practices. These foods have higher nutrient content because the growing practices enrich, rather than deplete the soil and water. Eating foods as close to their natural state as possible leaves more nutrients intact. Processed and
packaged foods are depleted of nutrients and have them 'added' back in. They also contribute to the obesity epidemic and are more expensive.

2. Have a daily exercise practice. All traditional Asian cultures have some sort of daily practice to build energy, calm the mind, and keep the body healthy and supple. Some of these include Tai Chi, Yoga, Do-In, and Qi Gong. There are many aspects to keeping healthy and fit, but the key elements include strengthening the body, working the heart and lungs, and keeping flexibility in the spine and joints. The added benefit of calming the mind, and increasing the focus adds longevity to our minds as well as our bodies. We can participate in any of these eastern traditions or build a practice for ourselves. This could be as simple as walking daily and strength training three times a week, with some sort of meditation or contemplation to balance out the stressors of daily living.

3. Sleep! We need 7-9 hours of sleep every evening. Running a chronic sleep debt can shave years off our lives and has been linked to increases in heart disease, automobile accidents, and slower healing processes. We do many physical repairs to our bodies while sleeping and need even more during times of stress or to recover from injury. In addition, new studies have shown that sleep deprivation leads directly to overeating. A single night of less sleep elevates the hormone that makes us hungry. Our bodies try to compensate for the loss of sleep by eating more.

4. Build a healthy lifestyle that includes fulfilling social relationships and activities that develop ourselves. In traditional Asian culture, cultivating artistic skills and studying were important ways to develop as a person. This could be through calligraphy, painting, dance etc. Studies have shown that we keep our mental faculties sharp by having lives full of social contact and meaningful activity.

5. Recieve healing bodywork. Every culture has some form of hands-on healing. There are many forms of massage, spinal and joint manipulation, acupuncture and herbal remedies. These practices all have the
common goal of helping the body heal by stimulating our innate healing abilities and releasing unwanted stress and stagnation. Regular bodywork helps us to self-regulate by getting a current body-feeling state, stimulating the energetic systems and promoting deep relaxation.

Live long and healthy, Jill

Stress and Liver Qi Stagnation In TCM

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) identifies Five Elements that relate to our health. Each element corresponds to a season, an organ system in the body, weather, food type, and particular health imbalances. * When we speak of an imbalance in an organ system this does not mean there is a western disease process occurring. These are simply guides to living in harmony with the natural rhythms of your body.

In TCM, the Liver is called the "Free and Easy Wanderer". Its main role in the body is to regulate the free flow of energy (qi) and maintain harmony in the emotions, in particular anger. When liver qi is stagnant it is difficult to move smoothly through life and people become irritable or if anger is not expressed, depressed.

TCM sites stress as a major cause of Liver Qi Stagnation. Liver Qi Stagnation is a prevalent pattern in Western Society. This stagnation comes from emotional stress, poor diet and lack of exercise.

When we don't have a healthy outlet for stress, the liver gets full, so to speak, and has a difficult time regulating qi throughout the body. Symptoms of Liver Qi Stagnation include sleep and digestive disturbances, headaches, achy muscles and joints. These symptoms are especially pronounced in the spring, the season of Wood and Liver/Gallbladder.

A common sign of Liver Qi Stagnation is shallow breathing and sighing. Deep belly breathing is one way to help move stagnation in the body.

Bob Flaws, a well known Acupuncturist and popular TCM author, believes that the single most important thing to do for Liver Qi Stagnation is to practice some form of deep relaxation on a regular basis. Receiving energy work is an excellent way to promote deep relaxation. Many of our clients report a sense of emotional balance after an energy/Shiatsu session.
During your session we encourage you to reconnect with your body through your breath and the quieting of your mind, this invites awareness in and allows you to be present as each meridian is pressed, kneaded and stretched. As you pay attention to what you are feeling and allow the meditative state to transform, you will feel a deep sense of relaxation.

Sky Blue Shiatsu currently offers Reiki, Reflexology, Shiatsu and Rehabilitative Exercise Sessions for your relaxation and rejuvenation! Consider buying yourself a package at a discounted rate to help you relax on a regular basis!

Love Kelly and Jill

When to use ice or heat.

Unsure when to use ice and heat? These are general guidelines for minor injuries and chronic complaints. *Always consult a qualified medical professional if you are injured. Use common sense and do what feels good.

RICE

This is the standard protocol after a sprain or a strain.

Rest, stay off the injured area and allow it time to heal.

Ice, gel packs or frozen peas work well.

Compression, wrap with an ACE bandage firmly, but allow circulation.

Elevation, raise the limb to promote circulation.

Cold only: 24-48 hours after a strain or sprain. This helps reduce minor swelling. Leave on 20 minutes at a time, off for one hour. Never apply ice on bare skin, use a cover or thin towel.

Cold and Heat: apply for several weeks after an injury for pain relief and faster healing. Also great for chronic complaints as it brings blood and qi into stagnant areas. Alternate 10-15 minutes of each, ending with 5 minutes of cold.

Heat only: For aches and pains, stiffness and discomfort associated with arthritis, low back tightness, neck and shoulder stress. Takes the edge off winter.