Flu

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Flu is caused by a virus. Symptoms include high temperature, fatigue, muscular pain and general debility. Flu can be dangerous, so don’t try to shrug it off and work through it. Those of you who are most at risk are advised to get the flu vaccination.  

Who is at risk?

Mums to-be; those over 65; those with another serious ailment like diabetes, asthma, heart conditions etc.  

Prevention

Precautions against this incapacitating illness are a) annual flu vaccination b) good hygiene and c) a strong immune system. Before you’re reading this, the chances are that you may have already fallen prey to this virus, so I’ll focus on what to do to relieve the symptoms and speed up recovery.

 

Conventional treatments

·        Keep warm

·        Rest

·        Keep well hydrated

·        Take paracetamol or ibuprofen

 

For full NHS information go to http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Flu/Pages/Introduction.aspx

 

Complementary treatments*



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·        All of the above PLUS consider

·        Zinc lozenges

·        Vitamin C (overdose my result in tummy troubles including diarrhoea or cramps)

·        Echinacea used in advance may help prevent flu and cold taking hold

·        Honey and lemon in warm water or in warmed up lemonade. Honey may be taken straight from the spoon!

·        Garlic – as a supplement or in food

·        Mum’s chicken soup!**

·        Aromatherapy oils

 At the first sign of flu like illness e.g. feeling shivery and cold, consider taking a warm bath to which this blend is added: Lavender 2 drops, Thyme 2 drops and Tea tree 5 drops. This blend may be added to a tablespoon of milk and then in to the bath water. Don’t use more than 10 drops of essential oil.

 The bedroom may be sprayed with oils mixed with water in an atomiser or burned in a normal burner: try a couple drops of Clove and Lavender; or make a personalised blend of any from Eucalyptus Lemon, Eucalyptus Radiata, Lavender, Cinnamon, Clove, Oregano, Patchouli, Sandalwood or Tea Tree. The oils all have properties such as anti-viral, antiseptic, antibiotic or anti-fungal.

 A good warm shower can refresh and make you feel better; consider using 3 drops of oil on a clean cloth, rub your body all over and shower as normal. Try Lavender, Bergamot or Rosemary to refresh you.

 

NB The medical profession don’t always consider aromatherapy to be effective but few question its safety. If you go on to consult with your GP please advise him of ALL the supplements or oils you are using.

Please do NOT ingest any of the oils and do not use during pregnancy.

*Please note that I suggest possible complementary therapies – that means in addition to mainstream advice, not instead of.

 

General advice

·        Lastly – be kind to yourself. Rest and sleep as much as you need to.

·        Viruses don’t ask and are not invited to invade your body – so take on board that it is never good to go to work and endanger the health of others.

·        The effects of the flu don’t disappear overnight and it may be 2 or 3 weeks till you feel more like yourself – do NOT consider this a sign of weakness, your body takes time to regain its former energy levels.

 

Useful sites

http://www.holisticonline.com/remedies/flu/default.htm

http://www.bupa.co.uk/individuals/health-information/directory/s/flu

http://www.fluawareni.info/

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/natural-medicine/home-remedies/home-remedies-for-the-flu.htm

 

In the future

 

 

Once you’re ‘on the mend’ think about introducing some holistic therapies into your life on a regular basis. It’s possible to help yourself with foot and hand massage as well as do-it-yourself Indian Head Massage – I am always on hand to give you advice or the odd tip here and there.

I can also offer personalised aromatic blends for you to purchase and take home – contact me for details.

Think about reducing or almost banishing damaging stress from your life – it helps neither your immune system nor your general health.

 

**Mum’s chicken soup recipe (for flus, colds and general malaise)

 

4-6 chicken thighs

1-2 onions – halved, not chopped

2 cloves garlic crushed

2 carrots – halved or in chunks

2 celery sticks – in chunks

Boiling water

Salt

Chicken stock pot (optional)

Leeks (optional)

 

Graphic from wiki

Place all the ingredients together in a large saucepan and simmer gently for a couple of hours. Strain off the stock. Pick chicken of the bones and reserve. To serve, put slivers of chicken in the bottom of a bowl and add liquid. Garnish with a little chopped parsley.

NB Either discard or mash up the stock vegetable according to your personal preference.

 

 

 

Paraffin Wax Therapy

My paraffin wax kit

What is it?

It is a form of heat therapy - paraffin wax is melted in a special container and applied to the skin either by dipping, e.g. hand or foot into the liquid or using a brush e.g. on the back/shoulder/elbow. Several coats are needed for full benefits to be achieved.

 

 

 

Who needs it?

Paraffin Wax Therapy is used by various practitioners in health, beauty and spa industries. It is used widely to aid in the treatment of arthritis; fibromyalgia; overworked or fatigued muscles; stiff joints to name just a few. Paraffin Wax Therapy reduces pain and stiffness around joints while providing lubrication.

 

Why have Paraffin Wax Therapy?

For pain relief; reduction of oedema and inflammation; skin softening (useful for scleroderma; arthritis relief; moisturising of very dry skin; increased circulation.

It soothes and moisturises the skin, opens pores, increases circulation and promotes a sense of calm. It increases the blood supply to the area being treated and traps moisture resulting in rejuvenated and nourished skin.

 It’s a luxurious addition to a manicure or pedicure – when the wax is removed, it takes with it dead skin cells, leaving the skin smoother and fresher.

It is easy and doesn’t take long.

What is a treatment like?

Let’s say you have booked for a manicure and added on a paraffin wax treatment – after nail and cuticle work is done and your hands massaged with a blend of aromatherapy oils or rich emollient cream you are invited to dip each hand momentarily in the wax bath, then this is repeated twice.

Your hands are then wrapped in salon roll and encased in a polythene protector and then a towelling mitt. The wax is left in place for approximately 15 minutes to do its work then removed. A short moisturising massage finishes the paraffin wax treatment.

 

It is also possible to introduce wax to the back prior to massage and this is also available at The Studio.

If you have any queries, give me a call on 01779 476664.

I am based in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.

 

 

 

Relaxing Living Room Air Freshener

I thought that it was time to get back to my roots, and having given the living room a thorough clean, I decided to finish with a natural air freshener.
 
I filled a plastic spray bottle with 500mls of plain old tap water and added 8 drops of geranium essential oil, 5 drops of lemon and 3 drops each of clary-sage and bergamot. I screwed in the top, gave the bottle a quick shake and sprayed my living room liberally.
 
The smell is absolutely divine!

Afraid I can't take the credit for this beautiful blend; I consulted my very old copy of The Fragrant Pharmacy by Valerie Ann Worwood. The book is still in print and can be obtained from Amazon.
 
If you want to make this very quick and easy air freshener, I can obtain the oils for you or you can order them yourself. I can recommend Purple Flame Aromatherapy www.purpleflame.co.uk

By the way, you can make the blend in greater quantities and use a few drops at a time in a diffuser, either candle or the electric variety - absolutely beautiful aroma.

Some of you will have noticed that I have added ‘Toxin-releasing back therapy’ to my treatment menu, starting with dry skin brushing before massage with a detoxifying essential oil blend.

What are the benefits?

The skin is the biggest organ of the body and it eliminates approximately 25% of toxins from the body. Dead skin cells at the top dermal layer, accompanied with excreted waste (e.g. perspiration) as well as external pollution (e.g. heavy creams, dust etc.) can build up and clog pores, rendering the skin ineffective in getting rid of the body’s toxins.

Dry skin brushing is more than a beauty treatment – it is essential not only for beautiful skin but is also essential for  improved circulation, helps strengthen the immune and nervous systems, helps tone the musculature and aids digestion. In short:

·         Stimulates blood and lymph flow and strengthens the immune system

·         Dry skin brushing combined with exercise and massage helps speed the lymphatic system

·         Removes dry skin cells, improving skin texture and stimulating renewal of skin cells

·         May help reduce cellulite, though it takes some time to see results

·         A simple, more holistic approach to skin care

·         Skin brushing may well enhance your health significantly and increases your physical sense of wellbeing

This treatment is particularly beneficial for those of you who sit at a desk or computer screen all day long. You may have a sore neck and shoulders, thoracic and lower back pain. Dry skin brushing helps energise and invigorate both your body and mind.

Dry skin brushing is ideally carried out on a daily basis, before you have a shower or bath, so please keep it up – the benefits are many!

 

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Give yourself an Indian Head Massage

Feeling a little stressed and not quite at your best? I've worked out a short routine for you to give yourself a massage at any time - I would say anywhere, but if you did it on the bus the other passengers may think you a little odd! 

Choose somewhere private and warm where you can concentrate on yourself. Sit on any normal chair with your feet on the ground - take off your shoes if that makes you feel comfy. All you need is your hands, no oils, no towels. If you can dim the lights and have a candle burning, that's fine - depends on where you are!

Sit, shoulders back, eyes closed, hands loosely in your lap and just concentrate for a few seconds on your breath, breathing through your nose - imagine with each out breath that your worries are being breathed out and with each in breath you are taking in fresh clean energy as well as air. Then imagine that any tension is leaving your body - you have time to yourself for a few minutes - as it says in the ad 'You're worth it'. Imagine feeling warmth surround your body and relax the muscles in your face, you are already feeling the benefit of the relaxation and the tension is disappearing from your body.

 

• Using both hands, gently push your fingers through your hair and on to your scalp, gently rubbing your head with your fingers, using whatever pressure that feels good to you - do this all over your head 2 or 3 times.

• Next, take handfuls of your hair and very gently and slowly tug your hair - this will ease tension from your scalp.

• Go on to rub and squeeze your temples using the heels of your hands with your fingertips pointing up and on your head. Make slow circular movements.

• Move on to the back of your neck - if you have long hair hold it up out of the way with one hand and use the other to squeeze and roll the muscles in the back of your neck working from the top down - do this several times and then repeat with the other hand.

• Placing both hands on your head and both the thumbs at the base of your skull, work your thumb in little circles along the boney ridge that is called the occipital ridge. Use the pressure that suits you. You may want just to exert a little pressure with your thumbs along this ridge - do what feels best for you.

• Shoulders next: place one hand on the opposite shoulder and gently squeeze the muscle from the base of your neck out to the top of your shoulder then down the arm to your elbow, repeat on the same arm twice more then swap to the other side. Next, use your palm to gently stroke down or move in gentle largeish circles in the same area to sooth the the muscles. It wouldn't be unusual to feel quite a bit of 'sweet pain' on the arms - apply the pressure that is best for you.

• Finish the self massage by rubbing your hands through your hair from the front of your head to the base of your neck, pushing your hair back - you can also gently stroke your face at this point as well. Do this a couple of times and then relax.

As a final add on to this you could do some neck stretches - the way I do this is to imagine that I am drawing the biggest circles I can in the air with my nose as the focus and make this rotation 3 times and in opposite directions - I always feel my neck crunching! only extend the neck as far as you feel is comfortable.

Take a few seconds to breath and bring yourself back to where you are, opening your eyes when you are ready.

Hope that you're now relaxed and energised!

And if you really can't be bothered doing it for yourself - come to me and I'll do it for you!

New Therapy Room Opening Soon

The new therapy room will be decorated very soon... hoping I'll be up and running with a full programme later in the year. Looking forward to seeing you!