With all the rushing about in preparation for Christmas wouldn’t it be wonderful to lie down and have a wonderful, relaxing and therapeutic body massage?  You might regard this as a luxury but the word therapeutic means something that is good for you and good for your health. The history of massage goes back thousands of years and there a numerous references to massage as a therapeutic healing art in ancient Indian and Chinese books dating from about 3000 BC

Massage done by a good and caring therapist is certainly very good for you and a great treatment to help natural detox or to incorporate into a detox program. Even if you are not detoxing just now a massage is very relaxing for both the body and mind. Massage treats the whole person.

Massage has gained phenomenal acceptance in the medical circles and is incorporated into treatment programs for cancer and cardiac patients and to relieve prolonged stress.

Dislodge trapped toxins

From a detox point of view It can help dislodge toxins that are trapped in tight muscles to enable them to be eliminated naturally. A good massage relaxes tense and knotted muscles and stimulates the blood and lymph circulation.

The Lymphatic System is one of the five main elimination channels in your body along with skin, lungs, kidneys & bowels. The lymph system takes the toxic waste from your cells and carries nutrients to them so they can function efficiently. The toxins are eventually carried to the liver and kidneys to be processed for detox or excreted directly into the bowel.

The theory of Eastern massage differs form Western massage in that Eastern massage such as Shiatsu or Thai massage centers on balancing the energies in the body.

Here are some of the main types of massage:

Swedish Massage

This is the first type of massage often taught to students before they progress to other forms of massage and forms the foundation of other types of massage.  It consists of a a series of set strokes that can be stimulating or relaxing.

Vodder Manual Lymph Drainage

Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) is a form of massage that stimulates the lymphatic system with gentle massaging strokes. The light rhythmical massage encourages the lymphatic system to eliminate metabolic waste products, excess fluid and bacteria. The technique was invented by Dr Vodder in the early 1930s.

Deep Tissue Massage

Some massage therapists offer a deep tissue massage incorporating specific lymphatic drainage strokes to stimulate and aid the drainage of toxins. They often use a specific blend of aromatherapy oils like citrus limon, rosemarinus officinalis, daucus carota and helichrysium augustifolium for their detoxifying effects on the body.

Deep Tissue Massage with Sauna

Some environmental detox centers use a regime of deep tissue massage and regular or far-infrared sauna therapy to mobilize and sweat out the toxins.

Ayurvedic Detox Massage

An Ayurvedic Detox Massage usually uses sesame oil with herbs chosen to suit your particular body and mind type (dosha) followed by a steam bath to sweat out the toxins.

It has been scientifically shown that this natural purification treatment combined with a detox diet can successfully reduce detectable blood toxins such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB’s) and pesticides from the body, without damaging side effects.

Thai Massage

Thai massage combines massage with a series  of guided stretches and yoga positions to loosen tight muscles and release energy blockages in the body.

Traditional Chinese Massage

Chinese massage focuses on pushing, pressing, and kneading different areas of the body to help any illness. It works on the soft tissues to improve muscle tone. of both superficial and deep muscles.

Holistic or Intuitive Massage

This type of massage takes into account the whole person – mentally emotionally and physically. This is not to say that the other massages don’t. It very much depends on the therapist. In intuitive massage the therapist relies on her experience and intuition to use the right strokes and pressure
to achieve the best results.

Colon Massage

Some massage therapists tend to be very light on the abdominal area as it can be a very sensitive area but a deep colon massage can help with the detox process. This treatment is becoming a popular and effective alternative to Colonic Irrigation / Hydrotherapy.

Make sure your massage therapist treats your colon area and feel the difference. Many people hold a lot of tension in this area without realizing it. Tension in this area can make the massage seem uncomfortable to start with but a good therapist will tune in to your body and adjust the pressure to suit you until you relax . Taking deep breaths will help relax you more.

A note about oils

A good massage therapist will only use pure massage oils but is worth checking before you make a booking or take your own. You don’t want to be adding any chemicals to your skin.

Make sure you are well hydrated before your massage and drink a cleansing vegetable juice or green smoothie afterwards to aid in natural detox.  A combination of celery, spinach, parsley, cucumber & apple is good.

In this hectic world many of us have lost the art of relaxation. Strangely enough massage can have both an energizing and relaxing effect on the body. Research has shown that it releases endorphins, the natural chemicals that make you feel good. Many people experience and deep sense of peace and contentment after a therapeutic massage. I believe that some of it is due to
the effects of natural detox.

Let’s face it daily life is stressful enough but when it comes to this time of the year it just gets plain crazy. Planning festive meals, endless trips to the supermarket, shopping for presents, parties, finishing off work projects, the list is endless. Stress levels just soar as December creeps up on us.

I hear it all the time  “I’m SO stressed out!” It should be a fun time of the year but if you’re not careful you can end up with no time to recharge and no energy to get everything done. It becomes a vicious cycle. All the pressures cause stress and anxiety that make you sick.

Stress overloads liver detox pathways

Did you know that chronic stress accounts for 80% of all illnesses? Stress interferes with how the body functions. You probably know that it can cause high blood pressure and increases the chances of stroke. It interferes with the normal function of your digestive and immune systems. Studies have proven that stressed individuals have an increased vulnerability to catching an illness and are more susceptible to allergic and autoimmune diseases.

Stress chemicals such as adrenaline can be highly toxic. They increase loss of valuable nutrients and restrict blood flow reducing your ability to detox. Like every other substance  produced in your body they have to be broken down and detoxified. They put an additional burden on the natural detox activities of your liver.

People often fall into the trap of trying to prop them selves up with alcohol, cigarettes, sugary snacks, and abandon their exercise routines. It’s all too easy to ruin all your detox efforts if you are not careful.

Here are 5 tips to deal with stress this season

Listen to music

Listening to music does wonders to alleviate stress. Everyone has different tastes in music but according to experts music with a tempo of 60 beats a minute slows your blood pressure and breathing and stimulates the production of the relaxing alpha brain waves.

Baroque music is particularly relaxing but Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Purcell are great too.  As the music plays, allow it to wash over you, rinsing off the stress from the day. Focus on your breathing, letting it deepen, slow and become regular. Concentrate on the silence between the notes in the music; this keeps you from analyzing the music and makes relaxation more complete. Try it for 20 minutes and see how much better you feel!

Laugh a little

You may have heard that laughter is a good medicine. It relieves tension, frustration, anger,   or anxiety and loosens the muscles enabling you to “let go”.  It causes blood to flow to the heart and brain. More importantly, laughter releases endorphins the chemicals that make you feel good.

Have you heard of Laughter Yoga? It is a very powerful, non strenous, exercise program with a difference. Scientifically proven it is fun and easy to do. There are no postures to learn and it  can be done at any age in spite of problems like weak joints and muscles.

According to experts 10 minutes of hearty belly laughter will give you a cardiovascular workout that is equal to 30 minutes of jogging or rowing machine exercise. I’d go for that!

Calm yourself with Visualization

You can quickly clear mental stress, tension, and anxious thinking with visualization. It is useful when feeling stressed and when your mind is racing with fearful, anxious thinking.

It is best to do this exercise in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. When you get more practiced you will be able to get the same positive results in a busier environment such as your workplace. Don’t worry if you feel you are not very good at mental imagery. As long as your attention is on the exercise, you will gain benefit.

While sitting, close your eyes and place one hand on your upper chest and one on your stomach. Take a breath and let your stomach swell forward as you breathe in and fall back gently as you breathe out. Take the same depth of breath each time and try to get a steady rhythm going.

It is often helpful to develop a cycle where you count to three when you breathe in, pause, and then count to three when you breathe out (or 2, or 4—whatever is comfortable for you). If you are aware of other thoughts entering your mind, just let them go and bring your attention back to counting and breathing.

Now move your attention to your feet. Picture the soles of your feet and visualize roots growing slowly out through your soles and down into the earth. The roots are growing with quickening pace and are reaching deep into the soil of the earth. You are now rooted firmly to the earth and feel stable like a large oak or redwood tree.

Once you have created a strong impression of being grounded like a tree, visualize a cloud of bright light forming way above you. A bolt of lightning from the luminous cloud hits the crown of your head, and that ignites a band of bright white light descending slowly from your head all the way down your body, over your legs, and out past your toes.

As the band of light passes over you, feel it clearing your mental state. It is illuminating your mind and clearing any disturbing or stressful thoughts that you may have been thinking about. Repeat this image four or five times until you feel a sense of clearing and release from any anxious thinking.

Meditation

One of the most effective methods for managing stress is through meditation. This is a simple method of simply focusing the mind on nothing instead of focusing on everything that is stressing you out.

Though there are many deep levels of meditation, the best place to start is with simply closing your eyes and taking deep breaths while concentrating on your breathing. By paying attention to your breathing and really focusing on it, your mind will clear itself out and permit you to relax easily. This is best done every single day as a preventive measure rather than as a cure for stress. However, it can also be effective when you need to ditch some stress.

Take a nice, long, slow deep breath in.Breathe in through your nose until your lungs are completely full.Then hold your breath for a second or two, before slowly exhaling through your mouth until your lungs are totally empty. Repeat this sequence a few times.

As your breathing becomes slower, you’ll find yourself becoming more relaxed. Like counting to ten, you’re likely to find that this simple exercise is often enough to get rid of your stress in just a few short minutes.

Eat, drink, sleep and be merry!

Lack of sleep and a poor diet increases the stress on your body.  Eating regular, healthy meals helps to keep your blood sugar balanced and replaces nutrients lost through stress.   When you want to wind down after a stressful day avoid that glass of wine, cup of coffee or bar of chocolate.  Alcohol is a depressant and caffeine increases anxiety.

Eat a snack of protein and low GI, slow burning, carbohydrate. The combination helps your body produce serotonin the brain chemical that helps you sleep and makes you feel relaxed.

Stress saps the production of serotonin. Like everything else in your body serotonin is made from the food you eat. Low calorie foods and missed meals quickly reduce your serotonin supplies. Caffeine and aspartame are very anti-serotonin.

Serotonin is made from the amino acid tryptophan which comes from protein foods. You can get it from turkey, chicken, beef, lamb pork, fish, dairy products especially cottage cheese,  and eggs.  Healthy fats helps to increase the uptake of tryptophan in the brain. Nourishing carbohydrates like fruit, potatoes, yams, squash, whole grains and beans help carry the tryptophan into the brain.

Eating meals that contain a good balance of protein, health fat, a good variety of vegetables especially greens and good carbs will help keep you relaxed. Never skip breakfast.

If you are stressed out turn off the TV and radio, sit down at a table, eat slowly and focus on what you are eating. It will help to calm your mind. Don’t forget to stay hydrated with 6 glasses of pure water a day too.

Even if you don’t think you have enough time for relaxation taking 10 minutes to start practicing one of these stress busting tips will really help keep you sane and healthy this festive season.

Christmas is typically one of the most stressful events of the year but our everyday lives seem to have become increasingly more stressful. We all seem to have been affected in some way by the economic crisis and with the media constantly thrusting doom and gloom down our throats it’s hard to stay calm and maintain a positive outlook.

If you celebrate Christmas the chances are that you are stressed out right now. Stress, especially prolonged stress, is very damaging to your health. It can affect your whole body but your digestion, your immune system and detox system are particularly affected. This is accompanied by increasing levels of acidity in the body which always ends in disease.

Here are a few tips to help you cope with the holiday stress:

Help your body’s chemistry

Your body’s response to stress is a chemical process. Hormones and other
elements that control this are affected by your diet and environment. It’s easy
to skip meals if you are rushed and stressed. Eating regular meals and nutritious
foods that support your hormonal and nervous systems will help you manage
stress more effectively.

Minimize the use of stimulants such as coffee, regular tea, chocolate, sugar
and food additives.

Eat more fruit and vegetables

Foods rich in the minerals magnesium, potassium, calcium and vitamins B
and C nourish your nervous system and adrenal glands which control the stress
response. Fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds are excellent sources.
Green vegetables are rich in magnesium and calcium while most fruits supply
plenty of potassium and Vitamin C.

Eat a variety of colorful foods — greens, reds, oranges, yellows. The vitamins,
minerals and other plant nutrients they contain help your body’s restorative
efforts.

Balance your blood sugar.

Avoid refined and processed foods that are lacking in fiber and nutrients. These
foods place even more stress on the body and the swings in blood sugar levels
they cause can make you feel anxious and nervous.

Researchers have found that eating some protein with carbohydrate provides
support to the adrenal glands by reducing the stimulation of cortisol, a stress
hormone.

Nuts, seeds, beans and lentils are good anti-stress foods as they contain
both protein and carbohydrate which helps to keep the blood sugar steady.
Alternatively combine carbohydrates with proteins such as brown rice with
chicken or eat a few nuts with fruit.

Drink more water

Our body is about 75% water and dehydration affects its ability to manage
stress. It’s easy to get dehydrated if it’s cold where you live and you keep the
heating on high. Drink a daily minimum of 8 glasses of pure water. Herbal
teas, fresh juices or fresh vegetable soups can count towards this amount.

Include Omega 3 fats.

Include good quality, unrefined fats and oils. Foods rich in Omega 3 fatty
acids help lower the stress hormone cortisol and the inflammation it causes.
Foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acids are oily fish (eat only low mercury fish),
walnuts, flax seeds and hemp seeds.

Reduce alcohol consumption and smoking

These rob the body of many nutrients which are needed to to process them
as well as those that support your nervous system and adrenal glands.

Eat slowly

Stress seems to make people eat faster. Digestion starts in the mouth. Chew
your food really well so you digest it well and get the nourishment from it.
Undigested food encourages the bad bacteria to flourish in your gut causing
bloating and gas as well as the production of toxins.

Exercise

Moving your body is a great way to fight stress. Moderate exercise encourages
the production of endorphins, your “feel-good hormones.” It helps reduce blood
pressure and balance blood sugar levels. Too much exercise on the other hand
can increase your output of stress hormones.

If you are very stressed try yoga, Tai-Chi, brisk walking or rebounding.

Deep Breathing

You body produces energy when the carbohydrate you eat reacts with oxygen
you breath in. When you are tensed and stressed its easy to shallow breathe.
Deeper breathing energizes you and clears your mind.

Try The 4-7-8 Relaxing Breath Exercise

Try to sit when doing this exercise. Place the tip of your tongue against the
ridge of the roof of your mouth just behind your upper front teeth, and keep
it there through the entire exercise.

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.

• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.

• Hold your breath for a count of seven.

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.

• This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a
  total of four breaths.

• This exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. Do it twice a day.

Get some good quality sleep.

Prolonged stress increases the stress hormone cortisol which in turn can
prevent you sleeping well. It becomes a vicious cycle. If this is a problem
for you try these things:

• Turn off the TV in the evening. Read a book instead.

• Dim the lights – When your eyes are exposed to lights your pineal gland in your brain will not secrete the melatonin you need for a good night’s sleep. You should sleep in total darkness.

• Listen to relaxing music.

• Take a hot bath with Epsom salts before bed.

• Use essential oils, like lavender.

• Ask someone to give you a foot massage,  it is very relaxing.

Think positive, be positive

Everyone has been affected by the economic crisis in some way and it can be hard to think positive but focusing on positive thoughts stimulates the release of chemicals in the brain which support and enhance positive feelings.

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and moan about life with everyone else but finding something positive to think about will make a lot of difference.