Mythic Kitchen

Weight Loss , Auburn CA : East Wind Quantum Wellness

Mercedes Sinclair — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 05:06:21 +0000

Customer Testimonials for Mercedes Sinclair who owns East Wind Quantum Wellness Centre in Auburn CA. Mercedes coaches her students on Weight Loss and also the ability of certain foods to detox your body. Video promoted by Sacramento Educational Workshops ( http://sacramentoeducationalworkshops… ) AFFORDABLE Training in Social Media!

My Great Flip Flop Adventure

Julie Cheng — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:11:19 +0000

Lost 12 pounds in 7 weeks,….so far
I visited Mercedes to give her my baby kombucha to share with all of you and we spoke about sharing our experiences on a blog. I told her I’d start to write, so here goes.
One thing I saw that was obvious in Flip Flop class is how like sponges, we were so eager to learn from each other. We not only wanted new information from Mercedes but we wanted to share each others experiences from our past week on the diet and learn any little secrets from each other to hopefully add to our next week regime. We also didn’t want the class to stop because the support, learning and sharing from each other gave us the motivation and commitment to continue towards our goal of learning to live a healthier lifestyle.
I’ll start by sharing my first week and each week in chapters…
Chapter 1, First week at Flip Flop class. After class I immediately went home and started cleaning out my pantry and refrigerator. Any food that was not in the diet, I gave to my neighbor, he was the happiest guy on the block because I had just made a Costco run and bought tons of food in bulk, and he was short on money and short on food, so it was a win win.
That night, I stayed most of the night reading the handouts from the Flip Flop class and the Nourishing Traditions book. I wanted to make sure I gained as much information so that I could go shopping the next day and buy all the food I needed to start the diet right away.
Luckily with Flip Flop class on Monday night, I remembered there is a Farmers Market at Whole Foods on Tuesday mornings, so picked up as much of the ingredients I could to start the diet from the market and Whole Foods that day.
Then stopped by Costco on the way home. Instead of buying food at Costco, I went there and bought glass containers to store food in and glass beverage containers to store the cran juice in. Also bought the Cuisanart food processor to make the sauerkraut. I stayed away from the food isles and of course very far from the wine isles.
Came home went online to order a kombucha mushroom, then continued to clean the pantry and refrigerator and started making my first batch of sauerkraut and chicken broth.
My secrets that helped me in the first week were:
1. Mix the cran water with Kombucha and half juice from lemon, drink every am.
2. Eat the ground flax with apple sauce, that helped to get it down.
3. Try to eat fermented food before or with every meal. I included sauerkraut, kim chi and also used kefir instead of yogurt to make sure I kept of the good bacteria for the gut.
4. I bought all my greens from the farmers market and cooked them with the coconut oil, yummy!
5. I went to Kmart to find the Ball Mason jars. I use the small ones to store items like sea salt, flax seeds in and I used the large ones to store and freeze extra amounts of chicken broth, and to ferment and store my sauerkraut in. I found chicken feet at a Chinese market. They sell a huge bag so boiled them all up one night and split the broth up into four small mason jars. I store the chicken feet broth in my freezer and add a jar to each batch of chicken broth I make.
6. For the chicken broth, I took out the chicken after about an hour or two, deboned it and threw the bones back in the allow it to simmer overnight. Then I had the chicken to use in my salads.
7. I made my chicken broth into a “Citrusy Chicken soup”. That way I could drink the soup for lunch and it was a complete meal for me. Mercedes has a copy of the recipe.
8. So far the only place I found that sells lacto fermented sauerkraut is Confluence Kitchen. I hear they also have chicken feet and kombucha mushroom available. I learned from the owner who is my neighbor that his recipes are taken directly from the Nourishing Traditions book. He uses chicken feet in his chicken stock which is the base for most of his foods so if you don’t like to cook, you can easily stay on the diet buying some of his pre-made meals.
9. I found the kombucha at Raley’s/Belair/Whole Foods and Sunrise Natural Foods near others bottle labels Synergy.
10. Be careful when you open the first bottle of kombucha. Be near a sink or outside and do not shake it! When you open it, it sometimes explodes and half you bottle of kombucha is gone before you know it!
11. I make a killer homemade salad dressing. For dinner I usually ate a salad with chicken or leftover fish in it with this dressing:
a. Julie’s garlic feta Caesar salad dressing
i. 1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar
ii. ½ cup olive oil
iii. 2-3 cloves roasted garlic
iv. 1 tablespoon flax oil
v. 2-3 anchovies
vi. 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
vii. Blend the above then add 1-2 T feta cheese at the very end
viii. Store in glass container, stays good for ~2 weeks
12. For items that you want fresh but only need small amounts, I use the food saver bags and freeze small amounts of herbs and other items in freezer bags. For example I roast large quantities of garlic and then freeze them in small amounts in bags. Then I have roasted garlic anytime a dish calls for it! I do this for fresh herbs, roasted garlic, anchovies (found at whole foods).
13. I almost forgot the most important thing. I completely got off coffee and alcohol. The first week was hard, I got headaches from detoxing and quitting coffee, but I just kept drinking lots of fluids bought a coffee substitute to help with the transition and got thru it. Also, socially, we meet with a group that drinks beer after a bike ride. Instead of beer, I bring my bottle of kombucha and I find that the kombucha is as or more satisfying than a beer, so now I know I can still be social and drink my kombucha and stay on track!
That was my first week. Its took about 3-4 days before my kitchen was ready and the broth and food made to be able to start the diet, but the preparation time is well worth it. Once your kitchen is ready and you have most of the ingredients prepared, it goes easier after that.
Good luck and to your health! Julie Cheng

Why Kettlebells?

Mercedes Sinclair — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:58:21 +0000

Kettlebells deliver extreme all-round fitness. No single other tool does it better. Here is a short list of hardware the Russian kettlebell replaces:

barbells,
dumbbells,
belts for weighted pullups and dips,
thick bars,
lever bars,
medicine balls,
grip devices, and
cardio equipment.

Vinogradov & Lukyanov found a very high correlation between the results posted in a kettlebell lifting competition and a great range of dissimilar tests: strength, measured with the three powerlifts and grip strength; strength endurance, measured with pullups and parallel bar dips; general endurance, determined by a 1000 meter run; work capacity and balance, measured with special tests.

Voropayev tested two groups of subjects in pullups, a standing broad jump, a 100m sprint, and a 1k run. He put the control group on a program that emphasized the above tests; the experimental group lifted kettlebells. In spite of the lack of practice on the tested exercises, the kettlebell group scored better in every one of them! This is what we call the “what the hell effect”.

If you are overweight, you will lean out. If you are skinny, you will get built up. According to Voropayev who studied top Russian gireviks, 21.2% increased their bodyweight since taking up kettlebelling and 21.2% (the exact same percentage, not a typo), mostly heavyweights, decreased it. The Russian kettlebell is a powerful tool for fixing your body comp, whichever way it needs fixing.

Kettlebells forge doers’ physiques along the lines of antique statues: broad shoulders with just a hint of pecs, back muscles standing out in bold relief, wiry arms, rugged forearms, a cut-up midsection, and strong legs without a hint of squatter’s chafing.

Liberating and aggressive as medieval swordplay, kettlebell training is highly addictive. What other piece of exercise equipment can boast that its owners name it? Paint it? Get tattoos of it? Our Russian kettlebell is the Harley-Davidson of strength hardware.

The Bemer 3000, Vitality through Pulse Electromagnetic Waves

Mercedes Sinclair — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:56:26 +0000

Recently when I attended a Biophysics Conference, I was enlightened to the necessity for Pulse Electromagnetic Wave therapy in our health.

We need food (earth), water (water) ,oxygen (air) to survive and need a full spectrum sunlight (fire) . That makes FOUR critical elements , EARTH/FOOD, WATER, FIRE/SUNLIGHT and AIR/OXYGEN.

Another element that is vital and necessary for human life is Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields. Just as all the elements come from the Aether/Ether, so does all matter arise out of pulsed electromagnetic energy.

This is why we added the Bemer 3000 to our tool bag. The Bemer 3000 is adapted to the laws of nature and sets new standards in pulsed electromagnic wave therapy.

You can think of matter as pulsed electromagnetic waves with a VERY high frequency. This is simplified but the point is that matter is nothing but condensed energy and the four elements of matter (solid, liquid, gas and plasma) corresponding to the four elements in the Western and Eastern philosophies, arise out of their source which is PURE ENERGY.

In Yuri Gagarin’s historic flight into space, he returned in near critical condition after only one hour and forty eight minutes in space. Clearly there was some vital element missing in space that we receive on earth. Well Yuri had plenty of food, he had water, and also oxygen and since the flight was less than 2 hours he really only needed oxygen. So what’s missing? Well you may say gravity and yes you would be correct, but we can survive in near weightless environments here on earth (in water for example) for just a couple hours. The critical missing element is Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields.

Since that first flight, pulsed magnetic devices have been used in every space suit and space station.

Further studies have been done on earth (zero field studies) with both laboratory animals and human subjects. What was found is that just in a matter of hours of NO exposure to healthy Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields, cell metabolism begins to break down causing bone loss, muscle weakness, depressed metabolism, disorientation and depression.

Research has conclusively proven that Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields is a necessary and required element of health just as is food, water, oxygen and to some extent sunlight.

Join us upstairs at East Wind Quantum Wellness for a free 20 minute session on the Bemer 3000.

Eat Real Food

Mercedes Sinclair — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:54:06 +0000

Mercedes Sinclair/Nutritionist

If the conflicting information on nutrition has left you baffled, it means you’ve been paying attention. I became a nutritionist to unravel the mass of conflicting information about food. I wanted that one eureka moment when I would become the all-knowing expert on what to eat. I delved into the blood type diet hoping to find redemption from the confusion. I looked into into the metabolic diet for some clarification. I read the literature from the best of the best of today’s nutritionists only to learn that they’re equally confused.

Though elements of truth seeped through all the data I consumed, I wanted to hang my star on something that reflected my intuition about food and nutrition. Food and eating should be simple and straightforward. Nothing I researched even came close.

A friend of mine invited me to a three-day workshop on nutrition and health conducted by Sally Fallon and Dr. Tom Cowan. A simple yet profound mantra was repeated over the three-day workshop. It fell in harmony with my intuitive sense about food. The mantra was “Eat Real Food.” My eureka moment had arrived.

Now, like Johnny Appleseed, I am spreading the seeds of an uncomplicated message, “Eat Real Food.” At first pass, the idea is rather intimidating. We have wrapped ourselves around the paradigm that eating real food is too inconvenient. If the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, why would we veer to the right or to the left for the inconvenience of finding and making real food.
La Rochefoucauld is quoted saying, “To eat is a necessity but to eat intelligently is an art.” The art of intelligent eating bypasses our need for convenience.

Alice Waters, the owner of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, calls it “delicious revolution.” “It’s adhering to these principles: Getting people to make the right decisions about big issues relating to our environment, eating food that’s delicious, buying at the farmers market and buying what is in season, supporting farmers who take care of the land, slow-food values rather than fast-food values, taking the time to appreciate family and friends and appreciating the change of seasons.”

Eating real food closes the gap from pleasure in eating to getting nutritional value in what we eat. In Sally Fallon’s book, Nourishing Traditions, she writes, “The first modern research to take a look at health and eating habits and eating habits of isolated traditional societies was a dentist, Dr. Weston A. Price. Dr. Price traveled the world in the 1930s to observe population groups untouched by civilization, living entirely on local foods. While the diets of these people differed in ways, they contained several factors in common. Almost without exception, the groups he studied ate liberally of seafood or other animal protein and fat in the form of organ meats and dairy products; they valued animal fat as absolutely necessary to good health, and they ate fats, meats, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains in their whole, unrefined state.”

Dr. Price found fourteen groups—from isolated Irish and Swedish, from Eskimos to Africans—in which almost every member of the tribe or village enjoyed superb health. They were free of chronic disease, dental decay and mental illness. They were strong, sturdy and attractive, and they produced healthy children with ease, generation after generation.

We attach much of our good or bad health to genetics, but genetics doesn’t tell the whole story of our well-being. Professor William Garfield of the University of Washington states that nobody has ever proven that a single gene causes a single human behavioral trait. Even hair color and height are not simple traits fixed by genes.

He goes on to say that though Europeans and the Japanese have grown an inch every decade, Americans haven’t grown at all in this period. They’ve shrunk, possibly because of poor prenatal care and junk food diets.

In Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, he writes, “One of the most important, yet unnoticed changes to the human diet in modern times, has been in the ratio between omega-3 and omega-6, the other essential fatty acid in our food. “ He goes on to say that problems arise when they fall out of balance. There is research to suggest that the ratio of these fats in our diet may be more important than the amounts. An imbalanced ratio of omega-6 to 3 can contribute to diabetes, heart disease, obesity, learning and behavioral problems in children and depression in adults.

As our diet and the diet of the animals we eat shifted from one based on green plants to one based on grain, from grass to corn, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 has gone from roughly one to one, the diet of hunter gathers, to more than ten to one. The process of hydrogenating oil also eliminates omega-3s. We may one day see this shift as the most deleterious dietary change wrought by the industrialization of our food chain.

Yes, eating real food is inconvenient, so is ill health. As P.D. Ouspensky writes in his book New Model of the Universe, “It is easier to disregard a healthy body, whereas a sick body subjects man to itself, makes him think too much of it, demands too much attention to itself.”

The road to eating real food is a journey of the soul. You’ll find passionate people on the path to finding the where, when, why and how of real food. Unsurpassed in the silent movement is the hope of giving to the next generation an attitude about food that is centered on ideas that really matter. To this generation it offers the promise of a healthy life.

The Cauldron Is Always Simmering on Aeolia Drive

Mercedes Sinclair — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:20:07 +0000

Mercedes Sinclair/Nutritionist

The weather is delicious and the cauldron is simmering on Aeolia Drive. Mozart wafts in and out in synch with the aroma of Thick Eggplant and Onion Soup.

Tracy brought me eggplants, lots of them. Trent, her husband, grows acres of foods. One day she brought me three bags of vegetables; zucchini, eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes and tomatoes and tomatoes.

Eggplant attached to its greenery aligns the gourmand’s palate as canvas to the painter, bronze to the sculptor, and satin slippers to the ballerina. A delight of the senses. So I made soup, eggplant soup? After all, I do have a cauldron and lots of eggplant.

I found the recipe in Farmer John’s Cookbook. I changed the recipe here and there as I expect you will too. Let me know how your soup turns out.

2 tablespoons butter

2 medium onions, thinly sliced (about 1 ½ cups)

5 cups homemade chicken stock (store bought chicken broth just won’t do)

1 medium eggplant, peeled, chopped (about 4 cups)

1 small zucchini

¼ cup tomato paste (I used the tomatoes that Tracy gave me – no canned paste for me)

¼ dry red wine or whatever red wine appears before you

1 clove garlic, minced (about ½ teaspoon)

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon real sea salt (celtic sea salt is great)

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ cups uncooked orzo or other small pasta (I couldn’t find orzo at Raleys or the nutrition store on Lincoln Way) Hummmmmmmmm so I reluctantly used pasta.

3 tablespoons fresh basil

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Melt the butter in a large pot (cauldron) over medium-high heat. Add the onions; cook until tender but not brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
Pour the stock into the pot. Add the eggplant, zucchini, tomato paste, wine, garlic, and sugar. Bring the ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the salt and pepper. Simmer until the vegetables are almost tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Add the orzo and continue to simmer just until the pasta is tender, about 7 minutes. Remove the pot from heat; stir in the basil. Let stand for about 5 minutes to allow the flavors develop.
Ladle into bowls. Top with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Detoxification: The perfect strategy for optimal health

Mercede Sinclair — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:31:08 +0000

I became educated as a nutritionist for myself. I wanted to understand the hype versus the truth about food, nutrients, supplements etc. I wanted the information to unfold in front of me like a well orchestrated symphony. It didn’t happen. My instructors weren’t much more in tune with the pitch, yaw and roll of their information than a beginner pilot.

By the time my education was rounding the bend to receiving a handsome frame able credential, I felt like a nutrition fraud. My expertise swirled and tumbled out of control as I amassed more useless information.

Then one fine day I learned of a dentist who traveled the world studying indigenous cultures. He was searching for perfect teeth and faces that could carry them. He found them. Perfect teeth, perfect health, and happy brains without SSRI’s.

The dentist, Weston A. Price, wrote a book, people saw the wisdom in it and started a movement. It was the beginning of my real education into nutrition.

At East Wind Quantum Wellness our quest is to find the people and the processes that lead us to real health without an underlying bias that taints the truth.

In that quest we’ve found two simple and basic foundational concepts to being and staying healthy. First, look to the times and the diseases of the times and define health in terms of what isn’t working and then look to what is working.

The first premise states that we live in a world that has mixed up convenience with poisons so our convenience is sprinkled with toxins. They’re everywhere. In air, soil, food, water and in the very thoughts we think. Negative thoughts are a toxin.

Our body has a system for excreting toxins but if the burden gets too heavy, the strategy loses its edge and we sink into dis…ease.

An environmental health specialist at Stirling University in Scotland, Baillie-Hamilton details how toxins may be linked to dozens of serious health problems, including immune system diseases, neurological disorders, digestive disorders, hormonal imbalances, cardio-vascular diseases, cancer, hyper-sensitivity, obesity, musculoskeletal disorders and childhood health problems. “These chemicals are simply not going to go away,” Institute reports “pesticides are a likely cause of immune suppression for millions of people throughout the world” and that 25% of the chemicals in the environment are neurotoxins linked to increased incidence of brain disease.

Michelle Alpert, D.O -. “The world we’re living in today is a toxic minefield —from vaccines to pesticides to antibiotic-laden foods to mercury-poisoned fish to pollution both indoors and outdoors. It’s no wonder so many people are suffering from fatigue and chronic illness, as well as chronic infections with viruses, bacteria and fungi.

It is estimated that about 20 million pounds of mercury flows into the sea each year, about half from industrial and half from natural sources. 250,000 pounds per year are used by dentists in the United States alone. Mercury is very poisonous in all forms. Cadmium is now everywhere: In the air, in water, in our food.

Every day we consume about 20 micro grams into our body. The symptoms of chronic cadmium intoxication are: high blood pressure, sore joints, back pain, osteoporoses, anemia, and decreased fertility. As early as 1974 in Florence, Italy, at the Congress of the World Health Organization, attention was drawn to the fact that 60-80% of the environmental toxins, which includes heavy metals, contribute to many diseases like neuro-dermitis, autoimmune disorders, allergies etc. Research in Switzerland has shown that chelate-assisted elimination of lead may reduce the occurrence of certain cancers by as much as 90%.

To maximize your health for your next decade the two best choices you can make lie in four words, TOXINS OUT NUTRIENTS IN. It is that simple.

At East Wind Quantum Wellness, we nurture that simple concept. Every program we’ve designed focuses on getting the toxins out and preaching, teaching and cajoling you to eat a nutrient dense diet.

Our program for eliminating toxics starts with the The Quantum Circuit, a 90 minutes program that increases oxygenation, circulation and detoxification. Then we take you for a 30 minute foot detox bath followed by 30 minutes in the Far Infrared Sauna. The process takes 3 hours. It is the perfect way to open up your body on many levels and start the detoxification process.

We aptly named it ME DAY. It’s the perfect way to start detoxifying.

Next Week’s Article: Taking Detoxification to the Next Level

Fall Regime To Restore Sun Damaged Skin

jfriend84 — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:02:29 +0000

by Kim Evans/Medical Esthetician

When that sporty suntan you’ve enjoyed each summer starts to get uneven and brown spots start to appear it usually corresponds to the cumulative effect of sun exposure. The sprinkled dark patches and enlarged freckles many people refer to as age spots is the result of damage done to your skin on a cellular level by ultraviolet rays from the sun.

While this may sound a little scary – your cells have been damaged – the good news is that it’s possible to repair them. However, to bring your skin back to normal, you need to fade the spots with a skin lightener, and find a way to restore the healthy function of your skin cells from that oxidative ultraviolet damage.

A Skin Lightening Agent to Avoid

Many conventional skin bleaching products on the market contain an active ingredient called Hydroquinone. This chemical will lighten your skin, however, according to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for Sciencelab.com hydroquinone is: “…toxic to lungs, the nervous system, mucous membranes. The FDA has banned any products containing over 2% Hydroquinone. Is it healthy solution for treating sun damage? .. Repeated or prolonged exposure of the substance can produce target organs (sic) damage. While the MSDS states that the potential long term health effects of using Hydroquinone are not available it is clear to me that since the FDA has banned Hydroquionine, I would stay clear of it.

What to Use Instead

Instead of using toxic chemicals to lighten your skin, I suggest using a transdermal product (one that penetrates the skin and can be absorbed into skin cells) with fruit enzymes and natural acids on dark spots to reduce discolorations without intoxicating the skin. If you were to ask your grandmothers what they used to diminish their pigment spots, traditional remedies included lemon juice, parsnip, licorice root and dandelion root taken from their backyards and then rubbed on the skin. Make sure you apply lightening treatment at nighttime only. Any skin bleaching product will make you photosensitive and more vulnerable to sun damage during the day light.

How Sun Damage Spreads and What to Do

Our skin constantly regenerates, but once disturbed by the sun, it will continue to reproduce damaged “baby cells.” That’s why after few months your pigment spots will come back together with other skin imperfections like wrinkles and de-pigmented patches (hypo-pigmentation).

To remedy this, as a holistic skin care practitioner, I believe in taking a whole body natural healing approach. I recommend that my clients increase their dietary antioxidant intake to help repair cells from oxidation damage.

Excellent sources of antioxidants include: organic blueberries, pomegranate, black currant, grapes, peppers, rose hips, and green tea. Organic produce is better because it is free of harmful pesticides, herbicides, and nitrates. Additionally, I suggest using a metabolic cream high in antioxidants called Oxicell. It provided glutathione and superoxide dismutase which are considered to be the most important antioxidants known to the human species.

To fade brown spots I recommend Botanical Pigment Spot Treatment from the elite Elina skin care line. It contains Vitamin C Palmitate, Kojic Acid, and Wheat Germ Extract with a blend of herbs and enzymes inhibit production of melanin. It fades freckles and pigment spots. The combination of oil and water-soluble extracts of licorice root and other herbs gently brightens the skin.

As your skin becomes more sensitive to the sun I suggest using Sun Shelter Makeup Moisturizer. It provides excellent moisturizing and nourishing, and promotes an even-looking tone. I recommend using this product in the evening. Exfoliate the affected area with Organic Scrub, then apply the treatment product, and follow with your regular evening moisturizer.

Light Waves /IPL Treatments

Light-based treatments like Light-emitting diodes (LED) and cold lasers can also help reverse the effects of sun damage. These techniques work like sunshine on flowers by bringing light energy to cells deep in the skin, encouraging them to grow strong again.

You will likely see the quickest results, however, with a light-based treatment called Intense Pulsed Light (IPL). IPL treatments help pull excess pigment from the skin. This light-based technology works by actually injuring skin cells, which prompts them to generate a healing response. The result? The stimulation of healthy collagen and skin cell growth – as well as the lightening of dark spots.

This method will also visibly firm and improve the appearance of wrinkles, deep lines and provide overall tightening of the facial muscles. This multi-factorial quantum treatment improves the nutrition of the facial skin, allowing correction of problem areas. It helps to reduce capillaries as well as improve problem skin. I use this non-invasive quantum technology as part of my 90 minutes holistic facial.

Protection is Important!

Please do not forget to protect your skin daily with a natural zinc oxide based sun block. Sometimes 15 minutes out in a sunny day with unprotected skin is enough to throw your hard work out the window. I add powered zinc oxide to my custom blend mineral makeup line.

In summary: use your natural lightening lotion at night only. Nourish your skin with antioxidant enriched transdermal cream twice a day. Don’t forget to protect your skin with zinc oxide based sunblock. Eat a wide variety of organic food rich in antioxidants like fruits and vegetables. Stay healthy. Stay happy!

To schedule a Customized Holistic Facial call Jennifer at 916-218-8165 East Wind Quantum Wellness, 922 Lincoln Way, Auburn, CA 95603.

Prenatal Massage

Kt.jayne.b — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:10:20 +0000

by Katie Brownell, Certified Massage Therapist

Many people can be wary of receiving massage while they are pregnant and do not realize the many extreme benefits. Prenatal massage shares many of the goals of regular massage — to relax tense muscles, ease sore spots, improve circulation and mobility, and just make you feel good. But it’s also tailored specifically to the needs of pregnant women and their changing bodies, and therapists who are trained in prenatal massage adjust their techniques accordingly.

Carrying a baby inside you changes your center of gravity and puts a lot of stress on your back, neck, abdominal muscles, and shoulders. Pregnancy also relaxes your ligaments, so that your pelvic joints are less stable, and changes your posture, pulling your pelvis forward. Add to that the extra weight you’re carrying and you’ve got yourself an aching lower back.

I am currently 35 weeks pregnant and have been receiving regular massages for the entirety of my pregnancy. I cannot imagine the state my body would be without these massages. One of the main benefits that I have experienced is not retaining as much fluid. Massage encourages regular lymph flow through its manipulation of tissue. It also eases many of my aches and pains and has helped me to remain moderately active and flexible.

One of the challenges I have faced during pregnancy has been fatigue. I feel tired a lot of the time and this is unfortunately compounded by the fact that my expanding belly does not always afford me the most comfortable, restful sleep. The days I receive massage, I not only experience deep relaxation during my appointment, but I inevitably sleep better that night. My skin has benefited enormously as well. All that moisturizing lotion and toning has contributed to keeping my body stretch-mark free.

I can’t imagine going through this pregnancy without my massage therapist, I would even go so far as to say that my massages have been as critical to my healthy pregnancy as my prenatal vitamins and a balanced diet. I would encourage all expectant mothers to take care of themselves and their unborn babies in this way.

To schedule a massage, call me at (530)852-2614. I look forward to meeting you and encouraging you on your journey to health.