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True Recovery Requires Relaxation After Stress

abctherapeutic@gmail.com (abctherapeutic.com) — Fri, 29 May 2015 01:39:00 +0000

"For every time in stress, you need a recovering time in relaxation." _Emmett E. Miller M.D.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to have met so many great people this year! In wrapping up the month of May and beginning Summer, I find myself in quiet reflection. This month has been like a storm of activity, complete with a tempestuous whirlwind of end-of-the-year testing, class parties to attend, and awards ceremonies. But even when events are joyous, they can be stressful!

Did you know that the human body cannot distinguish between good stress and bad stress? It's true! The human body during stressful activities only knows that it is being required to work more! Remembering to find time to relax has always been a weak point for me. Like so many others I know, I often find myself engaged in a host of activities that require me to get up and go or burn the proverbial candle at both ends. Yet, I know that finding time to relax is necessary for recovery. We must all find time to place our lives back in balance.

Take some time today to observe the subtle nuances of life. Smell some roses. Sleep in a little. Find your ebb and flow, and allow yourself to just be! Your body, mind, and soul will say "Ahhh".

Happy beginning of Summer 2015! Have fun, enjoy life, remember to breathe deeply, live smarter, and feel better!

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day today! I look forward to our next visit!

February is already here!

abctherapeutic@gmail.com (abctherapeutic.com) — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 14:06:00 +0000

Feeling a bit anxious about the New Year resolutions I quietly made to myself and how little progress I've made yet in keeping them, I begin to reflect on thoughts of love. I am reminded that to truly experience love to its fullest extent one must first learn to love yourself. This idea is uncomfortable for many and often reserved for the few people labeled "selfish". Selfishness and self love are not the same though. To love yourself means to treat yourself with the same forgiving nature you would show your most cherished family member or friend. Being kind, patient, tolerant, and firmly rooted in the reality of who you are while being merciful with yourself in your own shortcomings allows you to be better for others too. Happiness is contagious!

Take time this month to learn to love yourself, forgive yourself, and in so doing be a better family member or friend. Appreciate all this month has to offer...get a massage or learn to take care of yourself in different ways...living smarter so you can feel (and look) better today!

Remember you have a purpose, a place, are love able, capable, and open to good things that are coming your way!

Thank you for taking a few moments to visit with me @ abctherapeutic(.com or .org)! You are always welcomed.

Happy Valentine's Day (month)!

New Year Resolutions...

abctherapeutic@gmail.com (abctherapeutic.com) — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 14:57:00 +0000

In this new year of 2015, I find myself embracing the task of dreaming new dreams and putting my best foot forward. So many new possibilities surround us as each new year begins. Why not think of all the possibilities to come, embracing the good with the bad and starting anew. Isn't that really what New Year's resolutions are all about? In this new year, I challenge each of you to dream big and approach your dreams as if failure is not an option. If you commit to the possibility that you can and you will succeed, then any amount of success can be claimed as an achievement. Embrace the possibilities, go forth with boldness and determination, achieve great (or small) things, and be encouraged. While counting blessings each day, we can all share a Happy 2015!

Happy Thanksgiving!

abctherapeutic@gmail.com (abctherapeutic.com) — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 15:48:00 +0000

Thanksgiving is the time of year we all look forward to stuffing, turkey, pumpkin pie, and lots of other yummy treats. I am certainly fond of the pumpkin pie!

This Thanksgiving, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge all the friends and family that have helped me throughout life. I am truly thankful for all of you!

One of the ways I celebrate Thanksgiving every year is by thinking about something I am thankful for every day of the month of November. At the end of the month, I have at least thirty things to be thankful for that I can carry with me throughout the new year and remember when I feel blue.

Cultivating gratitude and thankfulness is so important to living a happy, healthy life. Studies have proven that those who practice gratitude in their daily living, sending joy into the world, and paying it forward live healthier, happier, and longer!

Blessing others with random acts of kindness during this Holiday season and throughout the year can really help spread love to those who may need it the most.

I encourage and challenge you to develop an attitude of gratitude and watch your world blossom into a more beautiful and joyous place. S-

How do you cope?

abctherapeutic@gmail.com (abctherapeutic.com) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:30:00 +0000

Over the years, I have experienced some true losses! Caring.com often provides great information about how to deal with tough life issues regarding loved ones and critical stages of life and death. If you are dealing with a loss, this may be a great article for you. It is so helpful to have direction when you are in the midst of a life storm. I hope this adds some value to your life! I'm thinking of you today...S-

P.S. Lotsofhelpinghands.com is a great adjunct to help you plan things for loved ones you help take care of...check it out too if you get a chance.

WELEDA, Change is in the air!

abctherapeutic@gmail.com (abctherapeutic.com) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 08:21:00 +0000

WELEDA has made some changes! Last year, you were introduced to the Pomegranate Hand Cream and Body Oil. Pomegranate is an excellent antioxidant for the skin, with rejuvenating and firming properties. The oil is rich in essential fatty acids to protect the skin. The hand cream was shown in studies to reduce aging spots and restore the skins natural elasticity after just 4 weeks of use. Now WELEDA has finally rolled out the anti-aging line for those over 40~ Pomegranate Firming Serum, Pomegranate Firming Day/Night Cream, and Pomegranate Firming Eye Cream is now available.

If you were previously using the Wild Rose line (or the "BIG drink", as WELEDA calls it), you received excellent hydrating properties with sheer absorption and line reducing qualities. The Wild Rose Eye Cream is a long-time favorite and is excellent for all skin types, reducing dark circles, and puffiness. Crow's feet and lines around the eyes are also reduced when it plumps the skin with added moisture.

But, would it be nicer to have more permanent results with the NEW Pomegranate Firming Facial Care line? The line not only improves moisture (studies showed an increase in moisture and elasticity of 39% after just 30 minutes. The product includes organic golden millet (Vitamin E), organic pomegranate seed (essential fatty acids and antioxidants), and eye cream which actually has firming capabilities to restore the natural contour of your eye and reduce fine lines and wrinkles for good? It actually works to restore the collagen/elastin production of the skin and delicate eye area showing a marked wrinkle reduction of 29% within the first 28 days.

Use WELEDA's newest products and start fighting aging now! For a relaxing bathtime experience, you may also try Pomegranate Body Oil, Hand Cream, and Body Wash!

Bath or Shower?

abctherapeutic@gmail.com (abctherapeutic.com) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 23:16:00 +0000

I was recently asked if it is better for your skin to shower or bathe. I generally prefer daily showering, which allows you to quickly get clean and wash dirt down the drain. However, there are many benefits to a good soak. Soaking is great for deeply and thoroughly cleansing skin. As you know, the skin has many functions including cooling, protecting, and detoxifying the body. So if you add a good scrub, some salts, and essential oils, you can really cleanse and condition your skin, and aid in the body's detoxification process. To supplement your daily regimen, try these steps 1-2 times a week:

Start by lightly dry brushing your skin in long strokes toward the heart to clear any debris from pores and stimulate circulation of blood and lymphatic fluids. This is important, because the body carries oxygen and essential nutrients to each cell through blood, while it carries away toxins or impurities of each cell through blood and lymph. You can use a natural boar bristled brush, scrubby mittens, or loofah.

Mix a bit of sea salt with Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap or your favorite lathering body wash and lightly scrub your skin to exfoliate and remove any dead skin that you just brushed loose. This will also help to rejuvenate cells. Harder scrubbing is not better, because it can damage tiny blood vessels, cause undue skin irritation, or retard cellular turnover!

In a clean, sanitized bathtub/shower, draw a bath of lukewarm water, add salts, and add essential oils per product direction. Soak for approximately 10-15 minutes. Drain the tub and rinse with a shower of warm to cool water, which will refresh you and close the pores (Note: Salts are not recommended for soaking if you have Diabetes or a serious heart condition. Oils other than tea tree are not recommended when you are prone to yeast infection. Also, you may have an allergy to some essential oils; a few drops go a long way! Exercise caution and talk to your doctor if you are concerned about affects in relation to conditions, allergy, or medications.).

If you have oily or normal skin, briskly towel dry and immediately add lotion like shea or cocoa butter to your body. If you have dry skin or eczema, while water droplets are still on your body add an oil like almond or cold pressed coconut, then blot dry with a towel. This process replaces the essential fatty acid layer you just stripped off in cleansing, which is important to helping your skin retain moisture and protect you against harmful bacteria, fungi, and other skin contaminants.

Replenish and rehydrate with water and feel better and alive!

Another spot? Oh NO!

abctherapeutic@gmail.com (abctherapeutic.com) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 22:30:00 +0000

We regularly host different types of bacteria on our skin. When a bacteria, like P. Acnes, multiplies in the tiny oil-producing glands of the skin it can overtake the tissue and can clog a pore. A blemish that starts as a red, raised, and itchy spot should be addressed quickly.

I do not recommend itching, scratching, popping, or peeling the spot. Doing these things can cause bacteria to spread into surrounding tissues, create infection, and scar!

Today on Dr. Oz's show, he demonstrated several shortcuts and tips for creating beauty and health on a daily basis in 2 minutes or less. I really liked Zeno Hot Spot Blemish Clearing Device, because it uses heat to kill bacteria and aid in healing the area; and, it is very portable for on-the-go usage when you need it most! Click the link on the left if you think you would like to try it today!

Vitamins? Hmmm...

abctherapeutic@gmail.com (abctherapeutic.com) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 20:21:00 +0000

Family, friends, and clients have asked me to explain how vitamins can benefit skin and overall health. Skin is the largest organ of the body; its primary functions are to regulate body temperature, protect the body's internal workings, and to eliminate bodily waste. I believe skin is a healthy or unhealthy reflection of one's insides. To have beautiful, healthy, radiant, and functional skin one must cleanse the body and provide it adequate nourishment. No amount of money spent on expensive products that have fabulously beneficial claims will permanently correct skin issues if the body's inside is not maintained well! Vitamins can be a great way to boost energy, build immunity, beautify the skin, and offset improper and/or a deficient diet and lifestyle.

The "How Much Is Too Much" Vitamin Chart found on The Women's Health Resource: Taking Care of Your Body website is the best comprehensive vitamin chart I have found. It is not meant to be an all encompassing resource or substitute for advice from your medical doctor (especially if you are taking any prescription medication). It is meant to be a guideline, showing the recommended daily values and the maximum values at which negative reactions have been observed during past studies. Discuss adding a multivitamin with your doctor or pharmacist; supplements containing Copper are not appropriate during some Cancer remission therapies. Special consideration should be taken when additional Iron, vitamin D, Vitamin B6/12, and Magnesium are added to your daily regimen.

If you have additional questions/feedback or would like to know how you can get more tailored nutritional information that is specific to your blood type or genetics, please contact abctherapeutic@gmail.com or check out our Products page. Thank you for providing interest and opportunities to serve you better!

Simply Detox. Why?

abctherapeutic@gmail.com (abctherapeutic.com) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 07:23:00 +0000

What is detoxification?
Detoxification is about resting, cleaning, and nourishing the body with vital nutrients. Remove and eliminate toxins in the blood (removing toxins from blood in the liver, kidneys, lungs, intestines, lymph, and skin where they go to be eliminated), feed your body with healthy nutrients, detoxify so that you can protect yourself from disease and maintain your best health. When these systems are compromised, impurities aren't properly filtered and every cell in the body is adversely affected.

When to detoxify?
Detoxify for symptoms like unexplained fatigue, muscle or joint aches and pain, sluggish elimination, irritated skin, acne, allergies, low-grade infections, bags or circles under the eyes, a distended stomach even if the rest of your body is thin, menstrual difficulties, or mental confusion.

Where to start?
There are many detoxification programs. Click the link on the right side of our Home page to subscribe to our blog and get updates on the best detoxification programs. Because it takes time to clean the blood with preparations of herbs, exercise, and practices such as dry-skin brushing and hydrotherapy to enhance circulation, you will want to supplement the body and abstain from certain foods in your daily diet during this process. First, eliminate toxins such as alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, refined sugars and saturated fats, all these are toxic to the body and get in the way of your body’s natural ability to heal itself. Second, use natural alternatives for the chemical-based household cleaners and personal products you use (cleansers, shampoos, deodorants and toothpastes). Stress also gets in the way of good health. It triggers your body to release stress hormones. Hormones do provide the "adrenaline rush" to win a race or meet a deadline, but in large amounts they create toxins and slow down detoxification enzymes in the liver. Minimize stressful life situations along with detoxifying your body. Try some Yoga and meditation. They relieve stress by resetting your physical and mental reactions to everyday stress.

Adding antioxidants, such as a daily multivitamin, green tea, blueberries, or elderberries can help boost immunity and speed the body's natural healing processes during detoxification. Daily living can cause harmful oxidants to clog the body's natural filters or organs. It is important to anti-oxidize with vitamins like B and C to maintain energy and build a healthy immune system while the body is busy repairing itself.

There are many ways to add mineral supplementation to your daily regimen too. Today I suggest combining clay with minerals and salts with a detoxifying bath or foot spa about 2-3 times a week, which will banish lots of aches and pains! Clay draws impurities from your system. It also naturally supplements valuable minerals like magnesium and sulfur to help reduce pain or inflammation in joints and muscles, kill harmful bacteria, or fight off other sources of infection.

Ways to Help Your Body Detoxify Daily

1. Eat plenty of fiber, like brown rice and organically-grown fresh fruits and vegetables (beets, radishes, artichokes, cabbage, broccoli, spirulina, chlorella, and seaweed).

2. Cleanse and protect your liver with herbs like milk thistle, dandelion root, burdock, and green tea; add extra vitamin C, which helps the liver produce glutathione.
3. It is vital for you to drink water!!! Harmful toxins can build up in your blood during detoxification when you do not drink enough water to flush them out. Drink at least a minimum of half your body weight in ounces during detoxification daily! Putting that into perspective, a normal glass has 8 ounces of water or a gallon has 64 ounces. If a person weighed 128 pounds, then the minimum amount of water per day would be 1 gallon!

4. Breathe deeply to get oxygen to your blood supply and lungs.

5. Transform stress by positively changing your perspective.

6. Dry brush or try a detoxifying scrub before your daily shower. You can also practice hydrotherapy before bedtime. Repeat a cycle of hot shower for five minutes and cold water for thirty seconds (3X).

7. Get moving! Exercise and sweat as much as possible! It helps the body detoxify through the skin. You can try Yoga, jump rope, or walking to get you started.
8. Try foot baths , salts, clays, and/or essential oils.
[some content paraphrased from www.gaiamlife.com September 01, 2010.]

I suggest the following products to get you started. To find all suggested products, click on the products page at the top of our site. Wishing you well!

Make someone smile! Ahh, no more pain.

abctherapeutic@gmail.com (abctherapeutic.com) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 02:51:00 +0000

Here is the thought for the day: "People may forget who you are, but they never forget the way you make (made) them feel!" [Anonymous]...So, make someone smile today! Relax, destress, and be pain-free with some Weleda Arnica Massage Oil. Give the gift of relief!

This is one of my favorite Weleda products! I like to massage a bit of this oil anywhere where I need some pain relief. The Arnica flower and root has natural anti-inflammatory and antibacterial healing properties. It works like Ibuprofen, and it works fast too! You can add a few drops to a warm bath for silky smooth skin and relief from muscle aches and pain. Weleda makes several types of oils, like Lavender, Citrus, Pomegranate, and Sea Buckthorn. The quality of this product is excellent, because it is cold-pressed and bottled in glass for freshness! It has great absorption and a pleasantly soothing smell. This all-organic product is really potent, so you get your money's worth. Arnica should not be used while pregnant or breastfeeding and may interact with some anti hypertensive medications. Please visit Ayurvedic-medicines.org for additional information. I hope you enjoy this oil as much as I do!