...and we like to write about how we can all achieve better health, naturally. Sometimes tips on how you can DIY to better health and sometimes on the therapies that can make a difference to you, your health and wellbeing. Thank you for reading, We hope you enjoy :)
October marks the Breast Cancer awareness month- time to raise awareness of the importance of research, prevention and early diagnosis of this condition which is affecting many women and men around the World.
It’s so important to feel comfortable with and know your body so that you can pick up on any changes as and when they arise.
Cancer Research UK lists the following as symptoms which may be linked to breast cancer:
a new lump or thickening in your breast or armpit
a change in size, shape or feel of your breast
skin changes in the breast such as puckering, dimpling, a rash or redness of the skin
fluid leaking from the nipple in a woman who isn’t pregnant or breast feeding
changes in the position of the nipple
Ladies… get them checked!
FRI
21 OCTOBER is “Wear It Pink Day”
“BREAST
CANCER NOW” FUNDRAISING with CANCER TOUCH treatments
Book
any of the following Cancer support treatments with Eileen on Fri 21 October,
and 20% will be donated to “Breast Cancer Now” fundraising Breast Cancer Now (registered charity 1160558)
Eczema is a
condition affecting the outer-most layer of the skin; the epidermis[1].
Our skin is one of the largest organs of
the body; it covers us from head to toe and has a number of very important jobs
to do, including providing a nice flexible protective layer that helps to
prevent infections. So its important to
look after it and help it do its job.
Eczema is
usually diagnosed when patches of skin get red and inflamed, and are
super-itchy. Of course, because it is
itchy and irritating to us, our natural tendency is to scratch scratch and
scratch it. But that only makes it worse
sadly, which just makes it more infuriating.
In that case, it can even bleed and then the skin loses its protective
abilities and can get infected.
Sometimes,
the itching can get so bad, it can keep us awake at night. When our sleep patterns get disturbed, then
we are really getting into one of those cycles we want to avoid; night time is
when our bodies should really be
resting, repairing and building up energy reserves for next days activities.
Getting sleep disturbed regularly can not only leave us feeling tired out, but
it can contribute towards robbing us of our sense of humour too … and heaven
knows, we all need one of those these days!
The thing
about Eczema is that it can also affect different areas of skin; common places
are hands, arms and elbows, but really
it can and does appear on any part of
the body, to varying degrees of severity. With babies and younger children, its
very common for Eczema to appear on hands, heads and faces.
One of the characteristics of Eczema is that it
is a chronic condition; meaning it doesn’t always just appear once then go away
forever. It can have flare-ups that last
days, weeks, or even months at a time.
Some people may even find that it flares up at certain times of year,
every year.
Personally,
speaking as a therapist, I find that totally fascinating!
So, you got
to your GP or pharmacist and get the diagnosis of ECZEMA.
What
happens next?
Well, some
more traditional approaches to tackling Eczema might suggest that there is no
cure for Eczema, but that you can manage it with creams and medications.
These might
provide a lot of relief to cool down that itchiness, but if you do have a chronic
condition, then its clear, this approach doesn’t actually work. It isn’t clearing up your Eczema and removing
the misery once for all time. It’s just
suppressing the symptoms so you can get on with life and not be driven crazy
with trying not to scratch, especially at night when your body is all snug and
warm and your skin gets hot.
You can
also think about external factors that might affect your skin; have you changed your brand of wash power or
conditioner lately? Or have you changed a soap, shampoo, or skin car
product? Could that be causing a bit a
bit of an allergic reaction?
Sometimes
dietary factors can also cause skin reactions; typically, the usual culprits
such as dairy or gluten.
With the
recent Covid pandemic, many people have increased the amount of hand-washing
they do, or been using hand sanitizing solutions more frequently. Perhaps this is a factor you may have
attributed your hand-specific Eczema to.
Could
the real cause be more than Skin Deep?
Did you
know that many skin conditions can also be stress-related.
Our bodies
are extremely complex pieces of kit!
Researchers and Health Professionals can spend a lifetime just learning
about a single body organ; and the whole mind-brain-body connection – that has
long been endorsed by the more alternative and holistic approach to health – is
now becoming more and more widely
accepted within the realms of mainstream and orthodox medicine (well, sticking
its proverbial toe in the door anyways!)
One of my
specialisms as a Health Coach is helping people explore their
stress-related symptoms so they can get
a fresh perspective on their health, and start to apply some new strategies to
how they deal with their health issues.
One of the
techniques I use for this is EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) which is a
perfect tool for addressing very specific stress triggers that can cause Eczema
and other skin related symptoms (Dermatitis, Shingles, Hives, and so on).
In EFT, we
tap into the mind-brain-body connection which also includes the body’s meridian
energy system, where stress and emotions can become “stuck” and then affect
your physical body creating physical symptoms.
Stressful emotions that we suppress (or sometimes, not even consciously
aware of) are a bit like corks bobbing about in a bucket of water. We can hold them down for long period of
time, not look at them, ignore them .. but sooner or later, they will pop back
up to the top!
Troublesome
Chronic Recurring Eczema
If you have
chronic recurring Eczema, you might start to notice more what times of day,
month, or year it gets most itchy and
annoying.
You may
notice that your skin in these areas actually doesn’t stay constant.
Pay
attention to it more closely, and do you notice that at times it is very rough,
dry and flaky, but then there will also be periods when it gets hypersensitive
and inflamed.
Once you
notice these patterns, keep a written or mental note!
From this
point forward, I can help you explore your eczema on levels that are more than
just skin deep! And that will give you
new perspectives for tackling your health issue so you truly can resolve them
once for all time.
The answer is undoubtedly yes! We all do, maybe it stays in our heads, maybe it’s out loud, but either way we all do it.
But, did you know the importance of your self talk? And that it can either help you to get what you want out of life or block you from getting it?
Once you know, you know. It’s not whether you talk out load or not, it’s the type of language you use that makes the difference between achieving what you want… or not.
Newsflash!!
**Your automatic thoughts are changeable **
It takes practice, but it can be quite fast once you make the decision to just do it.
So here’s how.
start noticing what kind of self talk pops up for you. Is it worrying thoughts of what might go wrong? Critical thoughts about yourself or your abilities?
Jot them down
When you have a reasonable sized list to work with, have a look at what you’ve written. Would you say any of those things out loud to someone you love and or respect? Probably not. Think what the opposite is to each negative thing you have written. E.g. I’m rubbish at cooking (but would like to be good). Could be changed to; I can give myself the time and space and correct ingredients and practice to become better at cooking.
Write a new positive, kind sentence for every negative one.
Rip up the negative list and throw it away.
Every time you find yourself thinking or starting to think a negative or unkind thought, stop and swap it for a positive, kind one.
Practice, practice, practice! This will build new neural pathways in your brain (neuroplasticity) and gradually become your new automatic thinking process.
With these improved thoughts your mind will begin to automatically seek out the things you want, noticing opportunities that it would previously have steered you away from.
Have a go, it costs nothing and you have so much to gain. I’d love to hear how you get on.
Indian Head
Massage has been practiced in India for hundreds of years where these skills
and all the benefits are passed down through the generations. It arrived in the UK in the 1970s when Dr
Narendra Metha – who had been studying here and really missed his homeland’s
stress-busting therapy – developed the original techniques from India and
introduced it as a highly beneficial therapy.
Now you can find it in lots of places, including at your hairdressers
where you can get a basic Indian Head Massage while having your hair washed and
conditioned!
For the
majority of us, modern living presents us with a lifestyle where little
physical labour is required and we may spend much of our days indoors, without
natural light, or even fresh air, and few ways of working our muscles. Apart from mental and emotional pressures,
our physical environment also contributes to us having tense, achey muscles,
fatigue, tension headaches and many other symptoms of stress.
Massage of
all types helps us counteract this, and head massage is very effective. Why?
A
head massage can benefit the whole body because stimulation of the head results
in stimulation of the brain, and this is where our Central Nervous System is
found that reaches every part of our bodies.
When stimulated in the right way, it will help ease muscle aches, take
away tension headaches and even counteract insomnia.
Indian
head massage not only focuses on the face and scalp, but also the neck,
shoulders, upper back .. and at Acorn we also include arms and hands too. So it’s a wonderful upper body
treatment. These areas often hold a lot
of tension that has accumulated from poor posture and repetitive movements
(like being at your keyboard everyday!)
The massage helps relax taut muscles, ease stiffness, stimulate blood
flow and drain away excess toxdins, so helping to relieve headaches, eye strain
and improve join mobility.
Regular
massage sessions can also help improve condition of skin and hair. It stimulates blood and lymph circulation to
ensure that living cells are well oxygenated and provided with fresh
nutrients. Increased blood flow to the
brain can, of course, also help improve concentration and improve memory
retention.
Indian
Head Massage is a truly pleasurable experience; it helps release the body’s
natural feel-good hormones, endorphins, that contribute to your feelings of
contentment and happiness.
Part
of Indian Head Massage includes the stimulation of certain acupressure points
on the case and scalp that help to release blockages in energy pathways of the
body. You can gently massage these
points yourself and will often notice that some are more tender than others,
indicating an energy imbalance/disruption on that particular therapy. At Acorn, your therapist Eileen will give you
a handout sheet that shows you where these are, to take away with you after
your treatment.
After your
massage, it’s a good idea to rest and relax and avoid strenuous activity for
atleast 12 hours. You should drive
plenty of water to speed up the elimination of toxins from your body .. better
out than in ! Also, cutting back on
caffeinated drinks like tea, coffee or cola will help too. Your body will be detoxing .. so cut back on alcohol
too! And avoid a heavy meal straight
after. These are all sound aftercare
tips that will help you get the most from your massage.
Remember,
your body will be detoxing so be gentle with yourself and help support it’s
healing processes! Take care if you’re
driving home afterward too .. deep relaxation may cause your reactions to slow down
temporarily.
A regular Indian Head Massage can become an important and enjoyable part of your health and wellness regime!!
