The Process for Dry Skin Brushing

Dry skin brushing is an excellent way to improve the look and the function of your skin and the process will take only minutes a day.

First of all, buy the right kind of brush. The best type of brush for dry skin brushing is a natural bristle brush that will not damage the skin in any way. Choose one made with vegetable bristles.  Aim for a brush with bristles that are not too soft but not too stiff and unyielding either. Also look for a brush with a long handle in order that you can reach those hard-to-reach areas such as the middle of your back. 

Once you have the brush, you are all set. Dry skin brushing is one of the least expensive forms of alternative healing that you will come across. The best time to brush your skin is in the morning or at night before your shower because you have to disrobe to do it. No clothes allowed! This is also the best time of day to do it because the dead skin cells that are brushed off your body can be washed away in the shower afterwards. Dry skin brushing can be done once a day and even twice a day if you tend to have two showers a day or a shower and a bath.

Make sure your skin remains dry for the duration of the dry skin brushing- thus the name DRY SKIN BRUSHING.

Here is the procedure:

1. The feet contain pressure points that are associated with all of the body’s major organs so begin at the soles of your feet. Brush gently but with a steady movement.
2. Next, brush your ankles, calves and thighs. You should feel the bristles of the brush on your skin but it should feel tingly as opposed to uncomfortable. If it does feel uncomfortable then you are being too rough and need to ease up a bit.
3. Brush across your stomach and then move the brush around to do your buttocks.
4. Now brush your lower back and then move up to do your middle back and then your upper back and your shoulders.
5. Once your shoulders are finished, do the front of your neck and then the back but be gentle.
6. Now it is time to do your arms and hands. Do one arm and hand on one side of your body and then do the same on the other side. The brush should follow a circular type of motion in order to get the very best results.
7. Do your chest last but use caution when you brush around the breasts. Avoid brushing the nipples and all sensitive areas.

Important Points about Dry Skin Brushing

– This is the general procedure for dry skin brushing but you can modify it to suit you. For example, some people prefer to do their feet and calves but then return to do their legs and knees closer to the end, right before they brush their chest. See what works best for you.

– Always brush in the direction of your heart and it is important that you do circular counter-clockwise strokes when you brush your abdomen.

– Dry skin brushing should never be done on the face.

– Fluids are lost from the body when dry skin brushing is done and therefore it is recommended that you drink plenty of water following the procedure.

– Every couple of weeks wash your brush in water and then allow it to air dry.

Samantha

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Detoxify Your Skin with Dry Skin Brushing

Dry skin brushing is a form of detoxification for the skin that can help rid it of many harmful toxins that reside under the surface.

Did you know that the skin is the largest organ in the body? The skin is also one of the most important organs of elimination and is responsible for ¼ of all of the detoxifying that your body does on a daily basis.

Dry skin brushing is a simple technique that is exactly as the name implies- you brush your skin (yes your skin!) with a dry natural bristle brush. It may sound strange and when you first do it, it may feel strange too but it will also feel good. Plus it is good for your body in so many ways!

What is so good about dry skin brushing?

Dry skin brushing aids the lymphatic system in cleaning out toxins that can lead to skin eruptions, boils, eczema and a whole list of other skin disorders. It is a form of natural healing that can be done by anyone. Dry skin brushing gets rid of dead skin cells that can clog pores. The result is increased cell renewal, better circulation and skin that looks and feel invigorated and more alive!

If you have cellulite and hate it (who doesn’t?!) then dry skin brushing can help to stimulate the cells in this area. The action of the brush can improve the texture of the skin as well as to firm and tighten it. The fatty deposits that lead to the development of cellulite can be broken up with regular use of dry skin brushing in order that they do not accumulate. This helps to slow down the process of aging. You can say goodbye to expensive cellulite creams that don’t work thanks to dry skin brushing!

Dry skin brushing must be done in a gentle manner so as not to damage the surface layer of the skin. That is why a natural bristle brush is recommended as opposed to a synthetic one that can scratch the skin.

As if that was not enough, dry skin brushing strengthens the immune system and it also strengthens the skin. It makes it much more difficult for bacteria to find its way into the skin. Dry skin brushing also improves muscle tone and the way in which the cells work together. This simple procedure which can be done once or twice a day before you shower also has a positive effect on the digestive system.

With all that dry skin brushing has going for it you must be wondering why this is the first time you have ever heard of it?

Stay tuned for more on my next post.

Samantha

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EFT Tapping – What is it all about?

EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique and is a self-administered form of psychological acupressure based on the same energy points used in acupuncture. But instead of needles simple tapping with fingertips is used.

EFT tapping techniques can be used to help with smoking or food cravings, reducing pain and stress, and coping with most negative emotions.

The basic technique of EFT involves thinking of the negative emotion while using the fingers to tap on a series of 12 points on the body. The premise is that the energy flow of the negative emotion is disturbed and thereby becomes ineffective.

Some proponents of EFT use a modified technique that involves speaking an affirmation out loud in place of merely thinking about the emotion. This may or may not be inconvenient in public places, especially if you’re among friends or co-workers.

This is a new field of therapeutic study and like many techniques not based on medical science has received a fair amount of scoffing and derogatory remarks from the traditional medical profession.

The fact remains the use of EFT does translate into a distraction for an individual that is feeling a negative emotion, as it becomes difficult to focus on it. And this alone “short circuits” the damaging thought process. In many respects the outcome is much more important than the theory behind how and why it works.

Emotional barriers stand in our way of achieving our goals be it to stop smoking or losing weight. If we feel a desire to smoke or have a cookie those thoughts overtake us and we become tuned in to those emotions. At these times the use of EFT can stem the craving or desire and help us through the specific emotional challenge.

EFT tapping is a technique I’ve introduced into my hypnosis practice but I don’t teach affirmations. Instead I get clients to focus on the negative thought itself, such as a cigarette or that piece of chocolate cake you want but know you shouldn’t.

There is not enough room today to highlight and go over the twelve body points for tapping but they’re mostly around the head and shoulder, under the arms and on the wrist. The tapping is performed with the middle and index fingers.

My post today is introducing you to the basics of EFT tapping and what it is all about and how it can be used.

While EFT by itself may in some circumstances be all that is needed to eliminate pain or stress or cravings such as food and smoking, I use it as a supporting technique to hypnosis sessions. Hypnosis still performs the core therapy to tackle the systemic issues, with EFT providing another technique I can provide my clients to combat the challenges of the real world once they leave my office.

Stay tuned for more on this subject.

Hansen

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The Top Six Ways to Boost Your Energy Levels

There are many ways to boost your energy levels but here we discuss six ways to get you started.

Sometimes the stress of day-to-day life can serve to wear a person’s energy levels down. When this happens it can make you vulnerable to any number of health problems. You do not have to settle for a lack of energy and vitality. There are many ways to boost your energy levels. Before you become drained of energy, educate yourself about the top six ways to boost your energy levels. Once you have then get to work and make it happen for yourself!

Number One- Start the day off right
Breakfast stands for “break the fast”. After not eating for many hours you need to eat foods that will give your body the fuel it needs. Think protein, fruits and whole grains to get your metabolism going and to provide you with the energy that your body and mind requires to get you through the day.

Number Two- Exercise on a regular basis
Exercise will not make you more tired then you already are. In fact, regular exercise helps to increase energy levels by stimulating the cardiovascular system and providing more oxygen to the blood. The more oxygen that reaches your brain, the more energetic you will be.

Number Three- Practice deep breathing
Most people breathe from their chests but this type of breathing reduces air flow. Relearn how to breathe from your diaphragm so you maximize the work of your lungs. Breathing the way nature intended will nourish your cells and make you feel relaxed and calm. When you breathe deeply, your stomach should expand like a balloon. To learn more about deep breathing visit http://www.herbalist.com/wiki.details/463/category/16/start/350/

Number Four- Get enough sleep
Make sure you get enough zzz’s every night. Most people need seven to eight hours a night. Don’t shortchange yourself on sleep or you will decrease the work of your immune system and sickness is more likely to set in. You will also be less productive and focused at work and in your everyday activities.

Number Five- Eat healthy
Eat nutritious meals and healthy snacks. Load up on leafy green vegetables as they are full of B vitamins, magnesium and chlorophyll. These foods are a tremendous energy booster! Cut way back on sugar consumption. Stop eating anything made with white flour and instead eat only whole grain products.

Number Six- Drink plenty of water
Your energy will be zapped if you allow yourself to become dehydrated. Water is the healthiest beverage you could drink. Consume enough water but don’t worry if you can’t drink six to eight glasses a day (let’s face it- most people cannot!). Even if you don’t feel thirsty, drink up and keep yourself well hydrated.

To learn other ways to boost your energy levels visit http://willtaft.com/health/boost-your-energy-level-7-tips-to-productivity/ and http://health.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=694499

Samantha

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The Mysterious Power of the Placebo Effect

The placebo effect is often thought of by the medical community as a cure in the mind.

There are many things that defy logic in the world of medicine and the placebo effect is one of them. For those unfamiliar with this term, a placebo is defined as an “inactive substance or procedure used as a control in an experiment.” The placebo effect then is the “measurable, observable, or felt improvement in health not attributable to an actual treatment.”

In other words, a patient is not receiving a form of treatment but believes that they are. The power of this belief then helps them to get better. The placebo effect points to the amazing strength that the mind holds. The expectations and beliefs of a given patient can have a significant effect on the person’s illness. The placebo effect is very real and very much alive- even when a supposed treatment is just that- a sham. It is hard to imagine but time and time again there are patients who have borne out this reality in clinical trials and in terms of real time sicknesses.

Despite the reality of the placebo effect, it continues to perplex (and intrigue) the medical community. And why shouldn’t it when there is no rational reason why it should happen in the first place?!

The latest research points to the conclusion that the placebo effect does not always come from a deep belief that a given treatment will work. Instead, it is more likely to occur because the patient makes an association in their mind between their recovery and the entire doctor-patient healing experience. This is a form of subliminal conditioning that can rein supreme over the physical and can work on the release of hormones in the body and responses from the immune system.

If the placebo effect sounds fascinating to you then imagine what it says to researchers who are constantly making headway in learning more about how the human brain works. Researchers have unraveled some of the mystery that surrounds the placebo effect and have shown how it is related to processes that take place in the brain in the most active of areas.

The placebo effect has been around in one form or another since the 18th century, however the very first double- blind controlled trial demonstrating how the placebo effect works was conducted in 1907.

In modern day many medical investigators have considered the placebo effect to be nothing more than an annoyance that interferes with their work. On the other hand, a plethora of biologists, behavioral  and social scientists, as well as psychologists see the placebo effect as a key to a door that provides insight into the brain and how it can control functions of the body to bring about healing.

If you wish to explore this subject further and want to learn about studies that have looked closely at the placebo effect, then this article will be of interest to you- http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=placebo-effect-a-cure-in-the-mind&print=true

Samantha

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