BEAUTY KLINIC

At the risk of sounding like a complete Big Sur hippie, I feel I have to make the case for something called zone therapy, otherwise known as reflexology. I know what youre thinking: James, you’ve done it again. Yes, perhaps I have. But so what? This ancient therapy does not require the use of any special crystals or ethereal pan flute music. All that’s required is a semi-open mind and your bare hands and feet.

Reflexology is something like a hand or foot massage, in fact, it’s just like a hand or foot massage. The only difference is the intentionality of the masseuse. A reflexologist is trained to correspond points on your hands and feet (and sometimes ears) to certain organs or functions of the body. For instance, the hollow of the foot is said to correspond to your stomach. Have a stomach ache? Have that part of your foot rubbed.

I know this sounds rather strange, far-fetched even, but the esteemed journal, Neuroscience Letters, claims that there is indeed a neural link between the brain and the foot. Of course, I would say, how else are we able to walk? Thanks, I’ll be here all week! But seriously, folks, there is something to be said for this form of therapy. I know because it worked for me. My chronic headaches, which bordered on migraines, have abated since I started getting my hands rubbed.

Outlandish, sure. Insane, perhaps. But the bottom line: it works for me. It could work for you. It’s like Tai Chi — some people swear they can feel the chi running through their bodies. Other people punch people like that in the stomach and laugh. It’s hard to say and I do sympathize with those of you who are creeped out by other people touching their hands and feet.

So, for the sake of forgoing the touch of another human, you could get yourself a foot massager. You can find models that are electric (and hence vibrating) or wooden (and do nothing but get mashed into your soft spots). The vibrating ones get the job done and even come with warm water jets and DVD players. I’m just kidding about the DVD players. Either way, it’s something that may work for some people out there, and if something works, why not give a try?

Aromatherapy massage oil are commonly used as a combination for massage therapy as well as acupressure therapy. There are certain conditions and afflictions that are not advisable for use with many forms of aromatherapy massage oils. The reason for this avoidance is due mainly to the many different benefits and effects that one gets from the herbs and botanicals used for most of the aromatherapy massage oil mixtures.

One needs to be aware of the benefits and dangers of using some specific aromatherapy massage oils in order to be safe and healthy. Most of the oils used for aromatherapy massages are not applicable for use in an aromatherapy oil burner.

Hot and Cool

One of the many benefits of aromatherapy massage oils are their warming and cooling properties. Some muscular conditions will benefit from a warming oil which will allow the muscles to relax and recover from their condition. Sesame and peppermint oils can cause warming to form in the place where the oil is applied and are great for massaging sore and overused muscles. Arnica and sandalwood are great when the muscles need to be cooled down.

Treatments for Muscle and Joint Pain

Aromatherapy essential oils are also used to give relief to people who suffer from muscle and joint pain. Common conditions are arthritis, rheumatism, cramps and others. Many aromatherapy massage oils are very effective in reducing inflammation as well as loosening tight muscles that can be the cause of cramps. Sore muscles will also benefit from the massage itself while being calmed by the scent that goes with the aromatherapy massage oil.

Massage by itself is great. Massage with aromatherapy is even better. If you suffer from any sort of muscle pain or joint pain, you owe it to yourself to give aromatherapy a try.

Creating Ambience

Aromatherapy massage oils can also be used to set the mood for relaxation. When you go for a massage, your end goal is usually relaxation. Many aromatherapy oils on the market cater to this purpose. Aromatherapy massage oils can be applied on the skin for the essences to permeate the skin and work their magic as well as to stimulate the sense. Ahhh, relaxation…

We are always searching for the best massage chairs on the market today. But it is not always practical to get a top of the line luxury massage chair. There are many solid and effective mid level massage chairs that will give you years of enjoyment at a much lower cost. We have assembled our list of the best of the best massage chairs in the mid level market.

We actively test massage chairs every chance we get. If they pass our rigorous testing, then we do a selective test with out best customers and solicit their feedback. Only then do we look to take on a particular model. Our customers have asked us to put together the top massage chairs that are available today to help others in their search for the perfect mid level massage chair.

The top three mid range models are from the three top manufacturers. These are Omega, Panasonic and Sanyo. These companies put a high priority on thorough and effective massage therapy. These companies build their massage chairs with exciting extras to make your total massage experience. They also provide solid warranty coverage for your long term protection and enjoyment. So what are the best midrange massage chairs available?

Omega OM-510 Prestigio: The Prestigio mean Prestige in Italian. The design is certainly racy like many Italian designed products. The Prestigio is a masterpiece of craftsmanship and the most beautiful massage chair available. The Prestigio also packs a punch on the massage treatment side by providing a deeply penetrating massage therapy. It is particularly effective in reaching the lumbar area than any chair we have tried.

The Prestigio comes with an air massage system. The air massage system covers your buttocks, thighs, calves and feet. The feet are taken care of with a reflexology massage that helps to provide full body relaxation. You can relax for a long time with the comprehensive warranty on the OM-510. You get 5 years on the frame, 3 years on parts and labor and 90 days in home service. This is an amazing value for a mid range massage recliner.

Sanyo SA 5000: The mid range model from Sanyo is the SA-5000. The SA 5000 comes with the Grip massage which is made possible by the unique GK roller system. The GK roller system in the chair back can extend out and over the shoulder area. This provides a unique gripping style massage for excellent relief. The neck and shoulder massage with this massage recliner is outstanding.

Now, Sanyo packs this unit with some advanced electronics to compliment and heighten your massage therapy experience. Check out the stiffness sensor which can detect tension in your muscle and then it goes and targets it for you. How about the physical shape sensor that tracks your body position in the chair? When you move, the physical shape sensor automatically adjusts the massage to your new position. The SA 5000 comes with the following warranty: Roller mechanism for 3 years, parts for 1 year, labor for 1 year, and in home technician service for 1 year. The Sanyo has solid massage therapy with advanced electronics for a spectacular massage.

Panasonic EP30003: Panasonic is known to push the limits of replicating massage therapy techniques. The EP-30003 introduces a new massage therapy called Junetsu. Junetsu means ultra fine kneading. This kneading style massage makes small circular motions that then penetrate deeply in one area at a time. This is an excellent massage to take knots out of your back. This is a deep tissue style massage that is very relieving as it penetrates through the muscle.

Need a good stretch? The EP-30003 comes with a lower body stretching function. The leg rest will hold your feet, raise and then lower slowly to stretch the leg muscles. This is a great way to improve your range of motion and to increase your flexibility. This can be activated at any time during the massage and is integrated seamlessly into the program. The EP-30003 comes with the following warranty coverage: 3 years for parts, 1 year for labor, 1 year for in home technician service. The EP-30003 is the first in the new Real Pro Ultra series by Panasonic.

There you have it. These are the best of the best in the midrange massage chair market. These massage chairs provide thorough and effective massage therapy. They are designed with advanced technological features. You get solid warranty coverage which will give you years of soothing massage therapy. These are the massage chair recliners to scout out for the mid range models.

Beginning aromatherapy can be a little discouraging. There’s SO many oils to choose from, with an incredible array of effects, and an equally incredible array of safety warnings. Where is one to start? Well, like learning anything new, the important thing is to actually get started - buy a few bottles of inexpensive, yet broadly appealing and effective oils and give them a try. It’s really more simple than you might think to use essential oils for things like stress reduction and minor wound healing. At the same time, you’ll be venturing into an entire branch of natural medicine, one in which European doctors even specialize in for addressing a wide variety of ailments. There are many, many excellent books available to advance your knowledge; just remember that essential oils are potent medicines: start slowly, use essential oils that are considered safe in all applications, and keep learning to expand your area of expertise.

Aromatherapy really has a bad name in North America. Kinda soft and fuzzy, and maybe a little too ‘new age’ for many folks. But essential oils share many traits with other natural medicines; they’re really concentrated plant extracts that just happen to smell exceptionally good. ‘Volatile-Plant-Extract-Therapy’ would be a much more appropriate name. ‘Volatile’ simply means ‘easily evaporated’ - in this sense, essential oils are more like alcohol than oil. But unlike alcohol, essential oils are made up of very complex molecules that have a great breadth of healing properties. These properties vary greatly depending on the plant from which the oil was extracted. Many oils are known potent antibacterials, antivirals, anti-inflammates, and stimulate wound healing. Of course, their aroma’s DO have profound effects as well; laboratory studies have conclusively shown this in clinical settings. Inhalation is the simplest method of using essential oils, and is an excellent place to start with aromatherapy.

When inhaled, essential oils effect our limbic system, the seat of the brain’s emotional centers. Many oils have been found to sharpen concentration, reduce tension and anxiety, and even reduce depression. How can we reap these magnificent benefits? There are a few simple, cost-effective ways to prepare essential oils for inhalation and experience these wonderful effects: the ‘handkerchief method’, making your own ’smelling salts’, and making your own aromatherapy ‘mister’. More advanced users will want to use an electric diffuser that disperses a fine mist of essential oil throughout your environment. With a little research, you’ll be able to find the right oil or oil combination to suit your needs, and we’ll go over several effective ones here.

The handkerchief method is pretty straightforward - put a drop or two of an oil or blend on a tissue and inhale (careful with some oils though - peppermint, for example, can burn the sensitive skin around your nostrils if put in direct contact). You can even leave the tissue, handkerchief, or piece of cloth in a room or your workspace and the oil will continue to evaporate and have its effects. Making your own smelling salts is similar, and your preparation will last a while longer. To make the salts, fill a small vial with natural sea salt and drip essential oils into the salt. The amount of oil needn’t be precise - enough that there is detectable aroma, and not so much that the salt gets completely wet. Just unscrew the cap and inhale from the bottle whenever you need a lift, or, like the handkerchief, leave the vial open in your space, letting the aroma slowly fill the area. A mister can be used infuse a room with aroma - just add essential oils to water in a small spray bottle (10 drops per cup of water is a good starting point), shake before each use and spray! When you’re ready for a greater impact from the aromatic use of oils, find a quality cold-air nebulizing diffuser. These units make fine mist of oil, creating a significant concentration in your environment, and can have valuable health benefits beyond stimulating the smell sense - they can purify the air in your home or office, and can help with many infectious illnesses when used as directed by a health practitioner.

Here are a few easy recipes for the inhalation method: For uplifting the mood and brightening the mind - 4 parts of Rosemary, 3 parts of Lavender, 2 parts of Lemon and 1 part of Peppermint, OR 3 parts Clary Sage, 2 parts Bergamot and 1 part Sweet Orange. For calming anxiety - equal parts of Roman Chamomile, Bergamot and Orange, OR 3 parts Lavender, 2 parts Neroli and 1 part Bergamot. For creating a harmonious atmosphere - 3 parts Jasmine, 1 part Ylang Ylang and 1 part Sandalwood, OR equal parts Geranium, Patchouli and Bergamot. For simply bringing calm or inducing sound sleep, pure Lavender oil by itself may be perfect. These and other blends can make wonderful natural perfumes when diluted to 15% in Jojoba oil; Rose and Jasmine oils can be used this way by themselves.

Aromatherapy massage and topical application: Ideally, this is done with a partner, but self-massage will work as well. Creating your own massage oil is a straightforward process; just dilute 10 - 20 parts of essential oil (single or blended) per ounce of carrier oil. There are a variety of carrier oils available; Sweet Almond is a great all-around oil and is recommended for general aromatherapy massage. As for the massage, itself, any technique will do - let your intuition be your guide. The blends listed above will work effectively as massage oils as well, when diluted in a carrier, though here are a few more fun recipes: For a sensual massage, per ounce of carrier oil, add - 8 parts Sandalwood, 6 parts Rose, 4 parts Lavender and 2 parts Ylang Ylang. For opening the heart, try 4 parts Spikenard, 4 parts Lavender and 2 parts of Rose. Finally, for sheer relaxation, use 6 parts Lavender, 4 parts Neroli and 2 parts Bergamot. Note that topical application of citrus oils (Orange, Bergamot, Tangerine, Lemon, Lime, etc.) should be avoided on skin that will be exposed to direct sunlight in the following few days - these oils are known to be photo-sensitizing, and can make the skin more susceptible to burning by UV rays. The feet are excellent receivers of essential oil energy; this is the basis of reflexology. Many oils that can irritate sensitive skin elsewhere can be applied ‘neat’ (undiluted) to the bottoms of the feet; the tops of the feet are more sensitive, though this area will also have significant energetic results.

Don’t be afraid to create your own blends! You will certainly find particular oils that you enjoy - and aromatherapy is like that. It is the oils you find most enjoyable that are likely those that are most effective for you. An important starting note is to change the ratios of oils you are blending very slowly. Start with one drop of each oil in a small vial, mixing them and allowing a few minutes for them to blend before adding more oil 1 drop at a time. In general, citrus oils (Orange, Bergamot, Tangerine, Lemon, Lime) tend to bring alertness while calming at the same time. Herb oils (Peppermint, Rosemary and Basil) tend to be invigorating, while floral oils tend to be relaxing (Lavender, Chamomile, Jasmine, Neroli). This is only a guideline - many oils have complex properties and will affect individuals differently - use your nose as a guide.

Medical aromatherapy, the use of essential oils to treat specific medical conditions, requires a bit more knowledge in many cases. There are a few excellent examples of employing oils for common needs: Lavender works very well for minor burns; it is anti-inflammatory and helps the skin regenerate. Blended half and half with Tea Tree, it can be used in place of other antibacterial agents on small cuts and scrapes. Helichrysum italicum oil is a remarkable healer of bruises and sports injuries; it can be used undiluted or at a 5-10% dilution in Hazelnut oil. Melissa oil is documented as an excellent treatment for the herpes virus. For support for common colds, inhale equal parts Lavender, Rosemary and Eucalyptus. For support in clearing chest and sinus conditions, use Lavender, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus. These blends can be added to a carrier oil and rubbed into the chest, inhaled from a steaming bowl of water (with the eyes closed!) or used in a diffuser. The greatest promise for medical essential oil use lies in their profound ability to eradicate bacteria and viruses - this is where the need of an experienced professional arises, however. As with any medication, matching the correct oil and it’s application with the illness is critical, otherwise the oil may have no effect, and the patient may not heal. When done properly, however, remarkable results have been achieved.

Should you pay for a massage, or are you just wasting your money. Some people may say why pay just to have your back rubbed. But if your masseur is well trained, then there are hugh benefits to be had by having a massage. Unless you have a sports injury it doesn’t matter what type of massage you have as the benefits are very similar with all of them.

So what exactly are these benefits? and are they worth paying for? Massage as a health care model is fairly new to the Western world, although has been practiced in many Eastern cultures for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Chinese, to name a few, used massage as part of their healing tradition.

Massage therapy was often prescribed as part of a treatment in traditional medicine. It would have been given with advice on diet, exercise and maybe even medicines that were to be taken internally.

In the West a variety of massage techniques are used incorporating the traditional techniques of the Middle and Far East. Over the last couple of centuries western massage has evolved and some new techniques have been incorporated into more traditional massage therapies. Gradually scientists proved the efficiency of massage and over the years main stream medicine has become more accepting of its benefits.

If asked the majority of people would tell you that massage is used to relax you, but I have to say that it does far more than that. Although saying that the benefits are similar for every type of massage, each method does bring their own unique technique to create healing in the body.

It is important to get used to listening to your body, we are all individuals and are changing all of the time. Maybe you have tried massage and thought that it was ok but didn’t find any real benefit, then maybe it was the wrong type of massage for you at the moment.

Do you know how to relax? I mean really relax so that all of the tension goes out of your muscles, if you meditate you will know the kind of relaxation I am talking about. In the modern world we live in stress comes at us from every direction, from our jobs (or lack of), from our families and friends and just from the manic pace of life most of us live at. Our stress is unlike our ancestors, whose stress came in short bursts, ours is continous day in and day out.

Today’s stressful world causes you a great deal of harm, there is a hectic pace of life, where you may feel you must be doing something all the time, this takes a toll on you both mentally and physically. You may often feel exhausted, but feel you have to carry on for fear of loosing your job to someone else.

Environmental pollution in the air, and chemicals in your food puts toxins into your body, putting even greater strain on your body. Fortunately, a good massage works to help the body get rid of toxins and allows the body to relax, taking tension out of the tight muscles.

On the physical level a good massage will leave you feeling invigorated, when you have finished your massage you may feel as if you are walking on air.

Your blood circulation will be improved when you have a massage, and there will be an increase of flow of the lymphatic fluid throughout your body. Toxins in the cells can impede the correct working of those cells and when this happens disease can follow, a regular massage can help prevent this.

When you have a massage there is a lot of physical manipulation of the muscles, this can reduce stiffness, release tension and increase mobility. Due to the nature of this physical manipulation, massage is very good as part of your regular exercise regimine, as it can help in the prevention of muscle injury.

Many scientific studies confirm that massage therapy can:

Reduce heart rate.

Lower blood pressure (if high).

Increase blood circulation and lymphatic flow.

Stimulates weak and inactive muscles to compensate for lack of movement due to an illness or an injury, stiffened and tense muscles are also relaxed.

Increases endorphins.

Reduce anxiety and tension.

This list is very impressive, but I am sure over the next few years the scientists will find even more benefits of massage.

The type of treatment offered by skilled masseurs combines healing techniques which work with the natural healing powers of your body to bring about wholeness to your mind, body and spirit.

Of course, it is recommended that anyone with any severe condition or chronic pain should consult with a licensed medical professional before embarking on a massage. Also any well trained massage therapist will be able to tell you if it is wise for you to have a massage or not.