Four Avenues to Optimum Health

There is a lot you can do to optimize your health through natural, drug-free choices. Health and vitality are maintained through four main avenues: good nutrition to supply the building blocks of a strong, vibrant system; exercise for structural, mental and emotional balance; bodywork to improve circulation, flexibility and energy flow,  and self-awareness techniques to sustain balance.

Preventive self-care includes experiencing therapies that help you feel healthier which increases awareness of the subtle onset of imbalance. This enables recognition of the need to make changes at an earlier stage before an adverse health condition arrives. Polarity therapy is but one example, but is a powerful therapy addressing physical, emotional and mental well-being.

While it is never too late to change your lifestyle , the earlier you experience the value in healthier food choices, the use of natural remedies and activities that serve as preventive self-care, the earlier you will notice increased vitality and better function. Whatever reason finds you at this site,  you are welcomed!

Virginia Hanspiker, RMT, RPP

Location: Erin Mills Parkway and Dundas Street in Mississauga South

Forever Living Distributor number 200002349635  at        foreverliving.com

Detoxification and How To Begin

Information abounds today on the importance of detoxification for a healthy metabolism, largely because of its surprising results. It can reverse fatigue, insomnia, anxiety and a long list of ills.  The improvement that occurs from this simple but lengthy process has made it a popular practise that until recently, we had forgotten was necessary.  Don’t let the word ‘lengthy’ be intimidating – you eat every day, so incorporating these natural cleansing options into your routine is not difficult. People with conditions are less apt to be discouraged with adverse reactions when detoxing if they seek guidance from a skilled practitioner to ensure they don’t proceed too quickly, but for most, these are easy options.

What’s the simplest way to begin? –   The first organ to address is usually the colon. It’s advisable to begin slowly to draw out and absorb wastes from the colon to ensure your body can easily handle extra wastes released from detoxing. When it comes to foods, aloe vera is a cleansing food that is antifungal and antiparasitic, but effectiveness depends on ingesting the proper quantity for your system and the quality of your source. One day or a weekend of only freshly pressed juice is also a preparatory cleansing that may attract you before beginning a cleanse with some natural cleansing options listed below.

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Salt Scrub - New Season, New Skin!

When you’re short on time, an at-home exfoliation treatment is an easy addition to your shower for the health and glow of deep cleaning.

Skin is the body’s largest organ with many vital functions, including the protective barrier it provides, its role to help regulate body temperature and the important sense of touch. As a secondary organ of elimination, similar to the lungs, unusual skin eruptions can be one of the visible signs that inner cleansing or diet changes are overdue. It takes between 20 to 30 days for healthy cells to regenerate, sloughing off old ones as new are formed. A little attention between seasons will help your skin stay in top condition.

An exfoliation salt scrub is purifying, helps to remove dead cell layers and leaves your skin satiny-smooth. The salt is the medium to remove old cells, so either fine-grain table salt or sea salt works well. Mix the salt with a small amount of water to make a thick paste or simply have a salt dish ready to dip damp hands into after wetting your body in the shower. It’s easier to turn the water off to avoid rinsing away the salt scrub before you’ve finished the treatment.

The rubbing motion of your salted hands over your skin exfoliates top layers of dead cells, leaving your skin soft and refreshed. The hint of oil and smooth glide you notice as you rinse the salt off is the natural oil of your skin surfacing.

Adding oil to the salt paste is not necessary and will merely coat your skin with an oily barrier, resulting in less exfoliation from the salt paste and a residual film that hides your skin’s natural oil. Done too frequently, the salt scrub would be drying, but is beneficial at least seasonally or for a special occasion when you’d like your skin glowing. The walnut-shell scrub is an alternative to the salt scrub for more frequent exfoliation.

There usually is no need to use soap after this treatment. If you do use soap, notice whether or not you then have a squeaky-clean feeling instead of the smooth glide after the salt scrub. If so, it means there is a soap residual left on your skin that hides the natural skin oils. You could try a pure liquid soap the next time, preferably with moisturizing aloe content to see the difference.

The finishing touch of a good-quality lotion year-round will help your skin retain its softness. As to the usual reminder of water intake, drinking adequate amounts will help your skin by flushing wastes out through the kidneys instead of through the pores. That just leaves diet and what you feed your skin – but that’s another subject for another time.

Herb Basics

More people may be turning to herbal use but many haven’t fully acknowledged the power in herbs. Considering that many drugs are based on only one component of any one plant that often contains over 100 components, we can imagine the strength of the whole plant when used wisely. While it may sometimes take longer to see a plant’s effectiveness, it works in tandem with body function. The extra bonus is that medicinal herbs, unlike drugs, are not accompanied with the possibility of addiction.

Why are herbs safer than drugs?  - Our body recognizes and accepts herb components as natural substances and actions that work harmoniously with the body, similar to food. This contrasts the forcing action of a chemical effect that suppresses responses, in the manner of a drug. Most herbs cross the blood brain barrier. This can be an asset for conditions that impair brain function, including Lyme disease, depression, anxiety and poor memory. Working with herbs for such conditions should be with the guidance of a skilled health practitioner or Master Herbalist because choosing the correct herb and right amount takes as much knowledge as choosing the right drug from a drug manual.

How to know which herb does what -  It’s easy to look up herbal remedies online or ask someone in a health store, but matching a herb to your condition and interactions with either medications or natural remedies will take more knowledge or effective research as well as an understanding of physiology. This particularly comes into effect when you are working with a condition that threatens your health because you are then on a timeline for effective treatment and improvement.

When is it safe to turn to herbs? -  Early onset of adverse symptoms will often find relief and systemic balance with herbal remedies and dietary adjustments. Simple examples include:

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