Spa Articles
Roz is committed to providing as much information as she can when it comes to educating her clients. Not only does she actively research topic but also, she writes an article for the Merrickville Phoenix. Below are some of those articles. Should you have any questions for Roz, please do not hesitate to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
What is Ion Cleanse?
An Ion Cleanse draws waste from the body though a unit placed in water with a positive and negative electric current. How does it work? The ion cleanse is a powerful way to experience cellular detoxification.
The Ion Cleanse devise generates a stream of positive and negative ions (charged atoms) which attract and attach themselves to oppositely charged toxic particles. Through osmosis these toxins are drawn out of the body through the pores of your feet to cleanse and detoxify the body.
It is similar to walking in the sand along the beach only more powerful because your feet are in direct contact with the ions being made in the water.
What are the effects?
Because of poor diet and high stress, we tend to accumulate and store excessive quantities of waste products. During a 30 minute session, the ions enter your body and begin to neutralize these tissue acid wastes. The process is called reverse osmosis.
Why would I want to use the Ion Cleanse?
Used in combination with regular colonics, this is an excellent way to enhance your cleansing progress. It may be possible to reduce pain and other symptoms caused by a lifetime of toxic buildup in the body.
What else can I expect from an Ion Cleanse session?
Many colors and objects appear in the water during Ion Cleanse sessions. There is a reaction between the toxins and particles in the water, the salt added to the water, the metals in the array, and the acidity or alkalinity of the person being bathed. All of these combine to produce color, whether or not feet are in the water. The basic color produced by these reactions varies from one geographic area to another.
It is important to understand that the water will change color even if the unit is operating without feet in the water. The basic color change is a result of the reaction between all of the variables in the water and the array, as discussed above. This color change will vary in accordance with the toxic and chemical components of the water and air given a particular geographical area.
The toxins in our bodies will look the same as the toxins predominant in a specific area; however, there will be more toxic particles in the water with feet in it. You will also find that water-based toxins will not stick to the side of the bucket and array, whereas substances pulled from the body will form a sticky ring that must be removed with a detergent.
We have also found that a person's detoxification session will override the toxicity of the water. The following details shows what the colors in the water represent: yellow-green detoxifying from the kidney, bladder, urinary tract, female/prostate area; orange detoxifying from joints; brown detoxifying from liver, tobacco, cellular debris; black detoxifying from liver dark green detoxifying from gallbladder; white foam lymphatic system; white cheese-like particles yeast black flecks heavy metals; red flecks blood clot material.
After using the IonCleanse® most people immediately experience an increased sense of well being and more energy. Many children have reported greater mental clarity as a result of the foot bath; young couples planning families should do foot bath sessions prior to conception. Women seeking to maintain healthy breasts throughout their life will benefit from whole body purification. Middle aged men and women have reported increased energy and greater mental clarity.
Massage Therapy: Not A New Trend
The idea of Massage Therapist being a part of the health care team alongside Doctors, Chiropractors and Physiotherapists may be a new one, however Massage Therapy has been around for centuries.
Hippocrates, known as “the father of medicine” prescribed rubbing (massage) as part of the treatment for disease rehabilitation. In Canadian history, our WW1 nurses used Swedish massage as part of their treatment of injured soldiers.
Massage Therapists are currently one of twenty three regulated health care professions in the province (as are physicians, optometrists, etc.). Any practitioner with the title of “Massage Therapist” or “Registered Massage Therapist” is governed by, and a member of the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario. This College is a regulatory body (not a school) that insures public safety and high quality care from its members. This is achieved through examinations, continuing education requirements and a Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, which therapists must follow. The College also reviews complaints from the public and determines the discipline of its members.
If you receive a treatment from a Registered Massage Therapist, you will quickly discover how these standards make a massage about more than just touch. Before a treatment can begin, all new clients must fill out a Health History form. This provides the Massage Therapist with relevant personal and medical information. It helps to quickly identify any medical conditions which would make massage inadvisable, or which may require the therapist to use extra caution during the treatment. This information, and all information collected during the treatment is confidential.
Depending on the clients goals and needs, the therapist may then do an interview, an assessment, followed by the treatment, and a reassessment. Massage Therapists may also provide exercises to increase strength and flexibility, or suggest the use of hydrotherapy (hot and cold) to improve recovery. A Massage Therapist should ALWAYS obtain your informed consent. This involves informing you prior to the treatment of its purpose, the way you will be covered and uncovered, how much clothing you should (but are not required to) remove, and any possible side-effects of the treatment. They must also allow you to ask questions before the treatment, and inform you that you may request to stop the treatment or change the treatment plan at any time.
A receipt is provided to you for each massage treatment. Check with your employer to see what insurance you are covered for through your benefits at work,
or through your pension. Most plans include from $300 to $600 per year, and some are unlimited.
Hormones and Their Function in the Body
The Physiological Benefits of Topical Phyto-Hormones in Skin Care
Our body is a well organized system; one that operates smoothly and efficiently if we are healthy and take good care of ourselves. To maintain our complex biological network, millions of messages are sent out every second to billions of cells to keep up with the demands of our ever-changing bodies.
Most messages travel with an incredible speed via electrical impulse from our nerve system to specific parts of our body. For more generic messages, affecting a broader spectrum of our being, the body uses chemicals called hormones. Hormones can increase or decrease the performance of particular organs or organ systems. Hormonal stimulation regulates both our mental or physical performance and can enable our bodies to do incredible things. For example, it has been documented that the human body can perform amazing feats under severe stress such as lifting heavy objects or solving complex problems that would normally not be possible. On the other hand, hormones can regulate our bodies to be calm and operate with minimal output of energy. An example of this would be the hibernation of mammals, such as bears, in the wild.
Hormones travel at a much slower pace than electrical impulses but they are more persistent. These chemicals also keep our bodies in a fine balance and are responsible for our internal pre-set clock, in other words, hormones are responsible for our ageing. As time goes by, certain hormones reduce in production and slowly begin to affect our organs and tissues by slowing down the reproductive cycle of their cells. As a result, the body begins to regenerate at a slower pace and at a less perfect state than before. This explains why we do not look or feel the same at age forty as we did at age twenty.
To explore the aging phenomenon more closely we must consider the two most dominant hormones that rule the body: estrogen - the female hormone and testosterone - the male hormone. These hormones are both present in the male and female body, one being more dominant than the other to give specific gender characteristics. There exists a finely tuned balance between the two; if the balance is not homeostatic it will show by over stimulating certain organs and/or tissues or under stimulating others. These imperfections will in time affect our largest organ - the skin.
Lack of Estrogen and Ageing of the Skin
Estrogen in the human body is essential for the reproduction of collagen fibers. Collagen, in turn, is responsible for maintaining the elasticity of our skin and other tissues. As the time progresses (from about our mid-twenties) our estrogen level begins to gradually reduce and continues to decline year by year. Parallel to the reduction of estrogen in the body the estrogen level of the skin decreases and causes collagen production to minimize. The results of this deterioration are obvious: the skin begins to sag, the eyelids start to droop, the jaw line loses its firmness and wrinkles begin to form.
By our mid-forties this slow gradual loss of estrogen shifts gears and results in a sudden drastic loss. We know this change in women as menopause. Through menopause, the skin loses the most dramatic amount of estrogen and with that elasticity of the skin structure; this sudden lack of estrogen results in an increase in the opposite hormone testosterone; a hormonal upset that can affect us both mentally and physically.
Lack of Estrogen or Testosterone and Acne Breakouts
When the body lacks estrogen, it loses its fine balance of hormones and testosterone becomes more dominant in the body and skin. This type of unbalance can occur during several events in our lives such as the teen years, menstrual cycles, menopause, high stress situation or illness. Testosterone plays an important role in the survival of humans and in our evolution. Testosterone makes us alert, increases physical performance and can make us more aggressive. However, the most important side effect of testosterone is its capability of increasing oil gland production in the skin.
The moment our estrogen level drops our testosterone level begins to rise resulting in an increase in oil gland production. This partially explains why our skin break-outs during high stress situations, menopause or during menstrual cycles.
Conclusion
To counteract the effects of hormonal imbalances, the topical application of natural phyto-estrogens (from plant sources) help slow down the ageing of the skin by keeping up the collagen production. Additionally, these natural phyto-oestrogens normalize oil gland production and regulate hormonal break outs.
Eminence Organic Skin Care Products Containing Natural Phyto-estrogens
8 Greens Phyto Masque (extra strength estrogen)
Contains eight plants selected for their naturally high content of phyto-oestrogen hormones. A superb application recommended for all skin types to slow the signs of ageing and to reduce break outs. For monthly hormonal break-outs it is recommended to begin use a few days before the expected break-out as a preventative measure.
Lime Stimulating Masque (extra strength stimulation)
Contains a form of estrogen rich algae combined with lime and hot Hungarian paprika. Recommended to all skins types except rosacea to slow the signs of aging, reduce break- outs and to lift and refresh the complexion.
Eminence Moisturizers
All Eminence moisturizers contain volcanic spring water that is high in natural phyto-estrogens. These waters created hundreds of years ago are known for their rejuvenating and healing properties.