Dry Brushing and Why You Should Try It

I know, I know, most of us barely have time to relax in the shower, but trust me if you take five extra minutes to do this, it will prove more than worth it. It’s called dry skin brushing. It’s a really old ayurvedic technique that involves using a natural bristle brush and firmly, but gently, brushing your skin. Dry brushing not only loosens dead skin, but it improves your circulation by getting your blood flowing. It also reduces cellulite over time and aids in fat burning and elimination - due to the stimulation of the nerve endings when you brush. A healthy plus is that it encourages toxin removal by stimulating your kidneys and lymphatic system, making them more effective at removing the bad stuff from the body. Getting rid of that dead skin also helps open your pores, so more toxins can be released. I tried it and was amazed by the results. Not to mention, it feels invigorating! Wanna try it? 

Here’s what you need to get started:

1.      About 5 to 10 minutes to spare, preferably before the shower, so you can rinse off the dead skin

2.      A natural bristle brush- you can get one from your local drug store or a health food store or my favorite (Amazon)

Here’s how you brush:

·         Starting at your feet brush in an upward motion with short quick stokes

·         Continue brushing up your legs and then start with your hands, continuing to brush upward

·         Brush in a circular motion over your abdomen- Great for digestion and toxin removal

·         Brush your chest to your neck (gently girls) in a n upward motion towards your shoulders

·         Finally brush your back (this is where a handled brush is useful) down toward your lower back.

·         Shower afterward to remove the dead skin cells and moisturize with natural oil like coconut or shea butter.

Oil pulling for Oral Health and more.....

Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that is believed to aid in toxin and bacterial elimination. The process involves putting about a teaspoon of oil (olive, coconut, sesame or sunflower usually) in your mouth and swishing it around for at least 15-20 minutes. I have been doing this for about two months now, and I have noticed my teeth are whiter, my tooth pain is gone and my gums are healthier! I use organic coconut oil, which comes in a jar (from Trader Joes or Amazon), it’s pretty solid until you put it in your mouth and then it turns liquid. I swish it around in my mouth each night, while I get ready for my shower and while in the shower, and spit it into the sink after 15 minutes (if the hubby and kids are calling), or 20 when I have time. When I spit out the oil, in the trash or the toilet, (never spit this in your sink unless you’re looking for plumbing issues) I rinse my mouth with water, and give it a good brushing. Every now and then I brush with peroxide, or a xylitol based (from Amazon) tooth paste but never fluoride toothpaste, since I do believe that stuff is a neuro-toxin at worse and totally unnecessary at the least. The results were astonishing at just about two weeks, but the clean feeling can be felt on the first try. And you will wake up with no morning breath, guaranteed!

How the heck did I start putting oil in my mouth in the first place?

I read about oil-pulling one night when I was just too through with dentistry and wanted to know if it was possible to heal your own cavities.  I read from so many bloggers and holistic experts who follow Weston A Price, that it is possible to heal your own cavities and remineralize your teeth. In other words, decay is not final; our teeth are alive and capable of healing just like cuts on our skin can. Amazing right? So, among the many things that capable to rebuilding teeth and preventing future decay, including oil swishing, fermented cod liver oil along with high vitamin butter oil (you can get this from Green Pastures website), and xylitol, on which there are some amazing studies regarding its effectiveness in preventing tooth decay and rebuilding teeth.  Ok, back to the coconut oil- you can oil pull with many oils, but I prefer coconut oil because the taste is almost non-existent, and it smells nice, you can use olive oil if you can stand it. It feels weird, so try not to do this on a full stomach the first time to avoid gagging, but in addition to a brighter smile, I notice that when I’m done oil-pulling I cough up a lot of phlegm. So, this may be removing some toxic stuff, as the Ayurvedic experts claim. After all coconut oil has naturally occurring anti-bacterial properties so when it comes into contact with the membranes in your mouth, it is believed to be able to draw out the toxins.  

Happy Swishing!!

Tips: Swish when you can avoid speaking for 20 minutes-if you try to do both, YOU WILL SWALLOW!! Yuck!

Rinse your mouth out afterwards, and have a drink of spring or filtered water, you will feel great afterward.

Coconut oil is also a great moisturizer and conditioner and styling product too, get a big jar!

For some more info on oil pulling:
 http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/article%20oil%20pulling.htm

 http://trinaholden.com/healing-cavities-a-true-weve-done-it-story/

http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/oil-pulling-has-helped-me-tremendously.html

http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/oil_pulling_questions.html

Releasing the Stress Response

The fact that stress is a leading contributor to many illnesses is well known and documented. Even if you do not understand the process in terms of hormones, cortisol and inflammation outlined by theories of homeostasis, you know that stress and poor health go hand in hand. The pathways is the stress response- which refers to a series of physical reactions in our bodies-designed to keep us safe,which in modern society seem to have turned on us. There is an evolutionary reason for the stress reaction process- the first humans came into contact with serious danger in the form of predators and other life-threatening situations that required quick responses, commonly referred to as “fight or flight.” This means our bodies would respond to danger through physiological changes intended to prepare for physical defense or to run like heck to get away! Within seconds of the danger the brain sends the signal to start the stress response. This process includes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure due to a surge of adrenaline and cortisol to prepare the muscles for action; hyper vigilance increases which fine-tune’s alertness, hearing and vision,the hairs on the arms and body rise, to help heighten the senses in case that predator gets sneaky. The cells start the inflammatory process and release blood clotting agents;this helps ensure quicker healing and recovery from any injuries that may be sustained during an attack.

Some bodily functions also come to a halt, like digestion, higher order thinking and immune system functions because the energy used by these systems needs to be used for other much needed defenses.  Our bodies are great at prioritizing! The body says: “forget higher order thinking, breaking down and categorizing nutrients in the belly and activating the immune system- there’s a huge mountain lion after you! The body quickly absorbs the sugar (needed for your muscles), stores the fat and throws away the rest, including all the vitamins and minerals that take time to absorb. It knows that digestion will have to wait or else you’re soon to be digested! Besides, the fat will sustain you if you end up running away so far that you lose your food supply for a while.

Part of the beauty of the human body is how it’s designed to protect and repair with the goal of keeping us alive and well. But what about today, where most of us are not chased by mountain lions, bears or spears on a daily basis,has our stress response changed? Nope, it’s still the same, reacting to our daily stressors as if they were lions, which isfine when you need to either fight or flight, but what about when you are stressed about work, school, money? The kind of stress that is not short-lived. This stress is referred to as chronic, and there’s even a name for it, “chronic stress syndrome,” characterized by inflammation, high blood pressure and a long list of other disorders it accompanies. Chronic stress is like a hungry lion chasing you for days, months, years; he keeps you on your toes, hyper-vigilantand ready to run or be attacked…. inevitably. In the meantime, your diligent body is trying to protect you by suppressing your immune system, limiting your thought processes, interrupting proper food digestion and raisingyour blood pressure-for months or years, until it feels the danger is gone. It doesn’t know that your life is not in danger when you are stressed about your money, work or relationships; it’s faithfully protecting you until you get to, “safety.” In the meantime your body remains out of balance, functioning with limitations, leading to heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, asthma, eczema, arthritis, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, and all the many diseases linked to inflammation. This is why it is so important to identify and find ways to release stress. For some meditation, visualization and deep breathing are effective. For others, exercise, therapy or a combination of tools can work. Whatever stress relieving path you choose is better than attempting none at all.

Is all stress bad? No, it a vital tool used to protect us and our young. We all remember the story of the mother lifting a car to save her child, right? In that case the shift in body functions was appropriate and effective. Even at work, in physical activities or in life- there are temporary crisis modes, where you are called into action and you need your focus and hyper-vigilance to get you through. In some ways stress can be productive; athletes stress their bodies to achieve more strength and endurance. Stress may motivate us to think or act quickly when we must. The key toremember is that stress can be healthy and beneficial whenit’s short in duration and therefore, doesn’t interrupt or alter other essential bodily functions for long periods of time.Remember the perfection of your body, and how hard it’s been and is still working on your behalf, it needs to know when it is ok to relax and release.

Here’s some more information on stress and your health:

http://www.womentowomen.com/inflammation/causes.aspx

http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/04/01/lifetime-traumatic-stress-linked-to-heightened-inflammation/36790.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120329171601.htm

And here are some resources for relaxation and the anti- inflammatory diet:

http://www.mindtools.com/stress/RelaxationTechniques/IntroPage.htm

http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/111609p38.shtml

Things We Hold on to.....

The importance of forgiveness is discussed in just about every religious doctrine, every spiritual leader, tells us that this is necessary to achieve closeness with God or our own spiritual wholeness. “Forgive us our trespasses- as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Yes, I went to Catholic school for 12 years of my life, and I remember this part of the Lord’s Prayer so vividly since I’ve mouthed these words hundreds of thousands of times. However, I never really paid them much attention, since their true meaning likely went way over my head. When I was angry at a friend, or my own mother, when planning my retaliation against whomever I felt wronged by, I never thought about forgiving their trespasses. In fact the only trespasses I wanted forgiven were mine. Not that I was a vengeful child, I just held on to things, tidbits, and tokens, and unknowingly anger, hurt and resentment. I wasn’t even aware that some of the “things,” I was hoarding were eating away at me, stunting my growth and potential and allowing me to stay emotionally in the past-emotionally stuck at the age I was when I felt wronged. You see, you can’t hold on to negative feelings like anger, hurt and resentment without staying in and wallowing in that hurt. You have to actively conjure up the memory of the negative acts or situations in order to keep that hurt alive.

Agent of Change

We cannot change the world! This is the mindset and mantra of so many people. Most of them do not see that we can and we do every day; with every act we create a chain of events for the betterment or detriment of the world. How do we measure change? Is it in weight gain or loss in test scores or finances? Is it the eradication of poverty and hunger? What would happen if we lifted the limitations of our scales we chose to measure change? Could it free us to see real change happening all around us?

 

My personal and professional goals are one in the same. I have come to realize as I have left my twenties behind that I want a career that I can make my life’s work. I would love to be able to contribute to or create positive change in the lives of others, because it makes a positive change in mypersonal development. I have come to understand and totally accept my role as a fellow human, and instrument of social change. I used to believe that I made a series of mistakes in my life, by not deciding on a career path by the time I graduated college. Now I see that I had to experience life and take it all in, in order for me to understand what I truly want to do, and accept that I am still not done. I vow to never be done transforming and learning until I take my last breath. My life experiences have caused me to realize my social change potential including the realization that I can have a positive effect on a person, a community and therefore change the world!