it must be homegrown

just peachy…

pammyjane — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:59:00 +0000

We have an abundance of peaches here at THAI and they are the sweetest I have ever tasted! Eri has been bringing in a fresh harvest every few days. The entire student body as well as clients and staff are all enjoying them.
This morning as I was working on my client, I realized I was out of oat mask so I dashed to the kitchen to grind some fresh. There on the counter was a lonely little peach, a bit too soft to eat. Without a second thought, I mashed the whole thing into a bowl and ground it up with the oats.
Whipped up a little White willow bark infusion and voila! Fresh peaches and oat mask. My client was thrilled to have been the first to experience this delight!
Under steam, I massaged the mixture into her skin, allowing the oats to release their soothing substances, while the natural occurring alpha hydroxy acids from the peach did their job of chemical exfoliation.
We had a good bit left over so I bottled it up for her to take home.

You can do this at home too. Really simple, just mash a peach up with ground oats and mix with warm water until it’s the consistency of pancake batter. Ooh ooh, add some honey for antibacterial action.
Use this delightful mask in the shower to receive the steam benefit. Also makes for easy clean up.

Have fun!

honey infused skin care

pammyjane — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 21:13:52 +0000

Thank the bees for making honey!
Did you know that when honey is used topically (as, for example, a wound dressing), hydrogen peroxide is produced by dilution of the honey with body fluids? As a result, hydrogen peroxide is released slowly and acts as an antiseptic. Honey also prevents free radicals from forming, which prevents inflammation. Honey is acidic. The pH of honey is commonly between 3.2 and 4.5. This relatively acidic pH level prevents the growth of many bacteria. It can also act as a light “peel”.
Because of it’s antiseptic nature, honey can act as a preservative in your home made products.
I still recommend keeping them in the fridge and remember to boil your containers before pouring the product into them. These recipes should keep for a few weeks, maybe up to a month in the fridge.
Have fun experimenting..

Cucumber-Honey Toner:
Great for sensitized, inflamed, acneic skin. The cucumber soothes sunburn, too!

Juice 1 cucumber. If you don’t have a juicer, puree in a blender and drain away the liquid.
Add 2 teaspoons of honey and mix.
Smooth your toner on the face and neck area after cleansing. Allow the product to air dry for a few minutes and rinse clean.

Honey-Apple Pack:
Apple is a natural source of malic acid, a popular AHA. Use this product if you are experiencing a build up of dead skin. In a blender or food processor, combine 1 peeled, cored apple with a tablespoon of honey and pulse until smooth. Apply mixture to face and allow it to stay for 15 minutes, then rinse.

Honey and Oat Face Scrub:
Y’all know how I loooove to use oats in my skin treatments! Here is a yummy way to scrub away dead skin cells while soothing irritation.

Combine 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon finely-ground almonds, 2 tablespoons dry oatmeal, and a dollup of yogurt. Massage mixture gently onto face, then rinse with warm water.

Honey Hair Conditioning Treatment:
This is wonderful for a bathtub treat!

For lustrous, silky, healthy hair and scalp, simply combine 1/2 cup honey and 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup olive oil. Massage scalp with this conditioner, then wrap your hair in a steamy, towel. Relax for 30 minutes. Shampoo and rinse as usual.

What is Thalassotherapy?

pammyjane — Thu, 13 May 2010 18:26:06 +0000

Thalassotherapy is the use of of the sea and sea products to maintain health and wellness. Thalassa, the Greek Goddess of the Mediterranean was thought to be the creator of all sea life. She was revered for the life giving aspect of her sea nature.

From the 5th century BC, the ancient Romans, Egyptians, and Greeks built temples of healing along their coasts. We can thank the Romans for bringing about the use of marine mud and mud baths for healing.

Hippocrates, Galen, Plato, and Aristotle recommended the use of seawater for treating various ailments such as aching muscles and arthritis.

In 1906, a French marine biologist named Rene Quinton came to a revolutionary conclusion that the internal environment of each living creature is a reflection of the external environment of primordial life. Based on his studies of human blood plasma and lymph, Quinton discovered that seawater is chemically identical to both.
The study of curative effects of seawater continues today and in France is accepted as valid medical treatment.

Thalassotherapy provides us with a multitude of benefits. Seaweeds, algae, sea salt, and briny air are antibacterial agents, help to firm the skin, eliminate toxins and stimulate blood circulation. The healing properties of the sea are abundant and widely used today in spas throughout the world.

Curious? You can schedule a Thalassotherapy session with me at Texas Healing Arts. Go to www.texashealing arts.com and look for the “book and appointment” tab. There you will find services like “mud spot treatment” and “the full shebang” (a sea salt scrub followed by massage)

I’ll be teaching a Continuing Education workshop on Thalassotherapy this summer, so if you are an MT looking for some interesting CE classes, check the THAI website.

For now, I’ll leave you with a few recipes to try at home.
Be well!

Seaweed Lotion
1 T. kelp powder
1 c. distilled, mineral, or floral water
1/2 c. aloe vera gel
1 T. almond oil

Combine kelp powder and water in a nonmetal bowl and mix. Add aloe vera and almond oil to the kelp mixture. Add more water to bring to desired consistency.
Bottle or jar and refrigerate. Keeps up to 6 months.

Sea Salt Detoxification Bath
2 c. sea salt
2T. oil of choce - sweet almond, grapeseed, apricot kernal…

Pour ingredients into the tub while it is filling with water and mix well. Soak for 20 - 30 minutes.

the comfrey is blooming!

pammyjane — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:23:17 +0000

Looking out the window of my sweet little work space is a lovely herb garden. This is where I pick many of the goodies that end up in my concoctions. The Comfrey has been teasing me for the past week with it’s blooms …taking it’s sweet time. Now, the buds have burst with beautiful purple flowers! I’ll be picking some this afternoon to craft some soothing skin tonic. Meanwhile, I’ll share some info on this garden gem…

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale ) is used to treat wounds and reduce the inflammation associated with sprains and broken bones. The roots and leaves contain allantoin, a substance that helps new skin cells grow, along with other substances that reduce inflammation and keep skin healthy. In folk medicine, Comfrey ointments were often applied to the surface of the skin to heal bruises as well as pulled muscles and ligaments, fractures, sprains, strains, and osteoarthritis. A decoction prepared with comfrey root or an infusion prepared with the leaves of the herb makes a wonderful eyewash for tender, inflamed eyes as well as a cleanser for skin conditions like eczema, acne, and psoriasis.

carrot seed oil

pammyjane — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:31:27 +0000

Carrot seed oil is one of the most rejuvenating and regenerating oils for skincare. Rich in beta-carotene, this luxurious orange tinted emollient helps to improve the complexion in part, by it’s strengthening effect on red blood cells. The red blood cells deliver oxygen to our tissues increasing elasticity and firmness, while removing toxic buildup.

Carrot seed oil is not extracted from carrots but is obtained from the seeds of the wild carrot, also known as Queen Anne’s lace. You may have noticed these lovely white flowers in old meadows or along an overgrown trail as they are quite prolific! When the plant turns to seed, it has been known to take on the name of Begger’s lice ( pesky little burs that stick to your socks). They may be a nuscience in the the wash but what a treasure those little seeds are! Maybe you’d like to experiment with distilling your own Carrot seed oil. Too much of a chore? I’ll make some for you!

You say Easter, I say Eostre…

pammyjane — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 14:18:16 +0000

Eostre is the Germanic Goddess of Spring. Also called Ostara or Eastre, She gave Her name to the Christian festival of Easter (which is an older Pagan festival appropriated by the Church), whose timing is still dictated by the Moon. Modern pagans celebrate Her festival on the Vernal Equinox, usually around March 21, the first day of Spring.

Eostre is connected with renewal and fertility. Eggs and rabbits are sacred to Her, as is the full moon, since the ancients saw in its markings the image of a rabbit or hare. She is also a dawn goddess, and may be related to the Greek Goddess of the dawn Eos. She is shown here at dawn, quickening the land, while the full moon sets behind Her.

have you heard of a ginger compress?

pammyjane — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:47:33 +0000

Ginger is a wonderfully warming treatment to soothe your aching back or rumbling tummy. As a tea, ginger is used to aid and soothe digestion. As a compress, ginger stimulates blood and lymphatic circulation in an area of stagnation. You may experience stagnation as pain, inflammation, swelling, stiffness, or mucus and fat accumulation. Ginger penetrates the tissues to loosen, dissolve, and disperse stagnation, leaving the tissues cleansed and nourished with fresh blood, which softens and revitalizes the body.
The ginger compress is an external & topical application of fresh, hot ginger water to specific areas of the body. In the spa, we apply a compress soaked in the ginger water and cover it with a hot pack. After 20 minutes, the pack and compresses are removed and we proceed with massage.
If you have not tried a ginger compress before, add it to your next massage. It’s only $10 and the effects are truly amazing!

The Purpose and the Way of Action of a Ginger Compress:
We should never forget however that these stagnations and deposits originated in our way of living. Primarily in our way of eating, especially by using too much meat, cheese, butter, sugar, eggs and milk. Everyone can benefit from the effect of a ginger compress, but to produce a lasting improvement we must also change our way of eating. However, even when we have been eating natural balanced wholesome food for years, not necessarily will all our hardenings, deposits, and stagnations caused by our past living habits disappeared. Their disappearance can be achieved by:
1) Activity (work, exercise): this is the best way to increase our circulation in general.
2) Controlling overeating and chewing your foods thoroughly.
3) Ginger compresses: this may be one of the best ways to stimulate circulation at certain stagnated or tens locations.
4) Massage!

My favorite sugar cookie recipe

pammyjane — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:56:03 +0000

I have finally found it! A cookie recipe that comes out perfect! I’m extra exited about this because my cookies tend to be too puffy or too dense. I had pretty much given up on making a good cookie. This has been very frustrating for me, as you may know how much I love to cook, plus I have that awesome kitchen aid mixer just axin’ to be used…So, this weekend I decided to give it another go and I googled up “easy sugar cookies”. I found a few recipes and decided on this one. I did tweak it just a bit and now we are making our second round tonight. Canon is in the kitchen right now with some cut outs having a grand old time. He is really into cooking lately!
Here’s the recipe!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Ingredients….
2 and 3/4 c. flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (omit this if you like flat cookies)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of butter…no wonder I like this recipe!
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla (I used almond extract and reduced it to 1/2. Almond tastes so old fashioned.)

Do this…
Cream butter and sugar.
In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients.
Add egg and vanilla or almond extract to butter/sugar. Blend until light and fluffy.
Gradually blend dry ingredients into butter sugar egg.
Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Or roll out and use cut out shapes.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Mine were perfect at 12 minutes.

We also sprinkled red colored cinnamon sugar before baking to give the holiday flare.

Makes about 4 dozen.

I hope you bake some of these for your friends and neighbors! Enjoy! I’m taking the last batch out of the oven right now!

Christmas sauna

pammyjane — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:45:33 +0000

We recently added a sauna at Texas Healing Arts and I am exited to incorporate it into my hydrotherapy class. I found this interesting tidbit while doing research…

The Christmas sauna

The sauna has a special place in the Christmas traditions of many Finnish families. In past times, peasant families started heating their saunas two days before Christmas so that everybody could bathe before the sun set on Christmas eve. It was believed that once the darkness set in, the sauna would be used by the invisible folk, the previous inhabitants of the house. In lighter versions of the tale, the visitors would be sauna elves, who also brought good fortune to the house.

Even in modern times, many families go to the sauna as part of the Christmas eve preparations. After the sauna, they visit the graves of their families and friends before settling down for the festive dinner.

homeopathy - the law of similars

pammyjane — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:23:40 +0000

If you are tired of using over the counter medications that leave you with troublesome side effects, try Homeopathy . It is a safe alternative that is relatively easy to figure out. With that being said, make sure to check with your doctor if you are already on medication. You may also consult your local Naturopathic doctor to help with diagnoses and recommendations.

For self help, I usually hit Whole foods, go to the Boiron display unit and browse the symptom guide. The remedies come in little bottles and resemble B-Bs. Recently I saw a kit for colds or allergies, traveling etc. Arnica is a popular remedy for bruises. We have used many different ones for all kinds of snot conditions! There are other brands as well, but Boiron usually has the largest selection.

Here, I’ve included a little history on homeopathy to get you started.

Homeopathy, also known as homeopathic medicine, is a whole medical system that was developed in Germany more than 200 years ago and has been practiced in the United States since the early 19th century. People use homeopathy for a range of health concerns, from wellness and prevention, to the treatment of diseases and conditions such as allergies, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, digestive disorders, ear infections, headaches, and skin rashes.

The principle of similars (or “like cures like”) is a central homeopathic principle. The principle states that a disease can be cured by a substance that produces similar symptoms in healthy people. For example, one of the remedies for watery eyes is derived from onions. This idea, which can be traced back to Hippocrates, was further developed by German physician Samuel Hahnemann. After he repeatedly ingested cinchona bark, a popular treatment for malaria, Hahnemann found that he developed the symptoms of the disease. He then theorized that if a substance could cause disease symptoms in a healthy person, small amounts could cure a sick person who had similar symptoms.

So off you go, into the wild world of homeopathic medicine. One thing to keep in mind, be specific with your symptoms. Simply stating that you have a cough is not enough information. You’ll want to describe it; hacking cough or wet cough, a cough that gets worse with cold , etc and so on. Homeopathy really forces you to look at your condition, not just lay back and dose up on the nyquil.

Be well!