A Massage By Karen

In Maine ... a beautiful autumn day down by the Presumpscot River, which flows from Sebago Lake through Westbrook on its way to Casco Bay. The river's name is an Abenaki word meaning "river of many falls." The Saccarappa Falls are located in the center of downtown Westbrook. (I posted a video of the falls last year - time to get another!)

Hey there friends! It's been some time since I last posted on this page. I'm working on recovering from long COVID. I think the worst is behind me. Here's my first post to a new beginning. Enjoy!

🌀 Totally Bizarre Spa Treatments Around the World 🌀

Snake Massage – Israel, Russia, Indonesia
🐍 Non-venomous snakes slither across your back to relieve muscle tension. Comforting or creepy? You decide!

Beer Bath – Czech Republic
🍺 Soak in a warm tub of hops, malt, and yeast while sipping a pint. Said to detox the skin and relax the soul.

Fire Therapy – China
🔥 Towels soaked in alcohol and herbal elixirs are set on fire - on your back! Practiced carefully, it’s believed to stimulate energy and combat cold ailments.

Cactus Massage – Mexico
🌵 Heated cactus paddles (minus the spines!) are used with a mix of nopal and pulque to soothe the skin and improve circulation.

Hay Bath – Italy (South Tyrol)
🌾 Get wrapped in freshly fermented Alpine hay. The treatment warms the body and is believed to boost the immune system.

Gold Facial – Dubai & Japan
✨ 24-karat gold leaf is applied to your skin to fight aging and add a radiant glow. Bling meets beauty!

Leech Therapy – Eastern Europe & Turkey
🩸 Medicinal leeches are placed on the skin to “detoxify” the blood. Ancient and still and a little icky.

Snail Facial – Japan & Thailand
🐌 Live snails glide over your face, leaving behind collagen-rich slime said to rejuvenate and hydrate.

Chocolate Body Wrap – Switzerland
🍫 Get wrapped head to toe in rich melted chocolate. It’s a sensory treat for skin and soul!

Crying Therapy – South Korea
😭 Release pent-up emotions in a guided crying session. It’s emotional exfoliation for the heart!

Sand Bath – Egypt (Siwa Oasis)
🏜 Get buried up to your neck in hot desert sand to draw out impurities and ease rheumatic pain.

Sound Bath – Global (esp. Bali & Sedona)
🔔 Lie down while gongs, singing bowls, and chimes wash over you with healing vibrations. Spa for your soul.

Cupping with Horns – Mongolia
🐂 Traditional cupping using animal horns and suction fire to draw toxins out of the body. Not for the faint-hearted!

Ice Chamber Cryotherapy – Scandinavia, USA
❄️ Step into a chamber cooled to -200°F for 2-3 minutes. Meant to reduce inflammation and boost endorphins.

Geisha Facial – Japan
💩 Made with nightingale droppings (yes, really), this ancient skincare secret is used to brighten and smooth the skin.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=122756850641922&id=100087228219494&mibextid=Nif5oz

What's on your Halloween 🎃 bucket list?

I am enjoying my retirement. It came on a few months earlier than initially planned. I will be retiring this page and creating a group page for alternative health education. Thank you for following me on this page.

5 Important Things for You to Know When Getting a Massage

1. Be on time. If you arrive in a frenzied, flustered state, it may take longer to relax. Plus, the massage therapist will end your session at the originally scheduled time to end, resulting in a shortened session for you.
2. Take off only as much clothing as you are comfortable removing. If you don’t want to remove your clothing, wear clothing that will be comfortable during the massage and will allow the massage therapist to touch and move the areas of your body you want or will need to be massaged.
3. Openly communicate with your massage therapist and give feedback during the massage. Report any discomfort, whether it’s from the massage or due to any problems or distractions related to the environment, e.g., room temperature, music volume, lighting, etc. If anything happens that you dislike or seems improper, you have the right to ask the massage therapist to stop. If necessary, you also have the right to end the session.
4. Remember to breathe normally. Breathing helps facilitate relaxation. People often stop or limit their breathing when they feel anxious or a sensitive area is massaged. I have jokingly stated to my patients that if I have to do their breathing, then we may have a problem.
5. Be prepared to schedule several additional massage sessions. Massage has its greatest benefits over time from several sessions. So the more often you get a massage, the better you will feel. You may need weekly, bimonthly, or monthly sessions. Your therapist will assist you in determining what schedule is best for you.

Enjoy getting to know your massage therapist and travel well on your journey to wellness.

I have been asked this question many times, "What are knots?" Simply put, knots are usually a type of spasm that causes a small portion of a muscle to tense up. This tension can often be painful. ‌Muscle knots usually happen because a muscle has been irritated by a repetitive motion or held in a prolonged static position. I personally don't like the word knots because most who hear it envision their muscles tied up like shoes laces. The muscles fibers have not knotted into pretty little bows, but are more accurately described as areas of hyper-contraction - shortened muscle fibers.

Here are a few suggestions in handling these areas that are hyper-contracted:
1. Rest the area that is tight.
2. Stretch very slow and controlled. Gentle stretching elongates your muscles which help you to release the hyper-contraction in your body.
3. Hot and cold therapy. Try hot showers or warm Epsom salt soaks, as well as cold packs.
4. Get a massage. Focus on the area that is hyper-contracted and any areas that may be compensating.

If all the above suggestions fail to give you relief then you may wish to consider checking your vitamin and mineral levels.

"Knots are not pretty bows. They are muscle fibers in need of a good lengthening."

Incredible plants on our lovely little blue planet in this ginormous universe.

Here's one plant we all should know about: artemisia annua L.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

This post is not about massage. It is for educational purposes only.

Over 15 years ago I started drinking magnetic water. No, I'm not selling any special water dispensing gadget.

Magnetic water has powerful healing properties. It's not a one size fits all against health ailments, but let me tell you what it has done for me...and my fur-babies.

The research supports what I am about to give in a testimonial. To begin, I became interested in finding a solution to the dental health of my animals. I didn't want to put them through my brushing of their teeth with toxic chemicals, and most certainly I did not want to put them under anesthesia to have their teeth cleaned. The research led me to magnetic water. I, along with my fur-babies, began drinking only water that had been treated with a magnetic field. The changes became noticeable within a short amount of time. The periodontal conditions were the first change I noticed. The gum line of my animals improved and the plaque/tartar/calculus began to disappear.

My dentist and hygienist are in disbelief for I have had no plaque, tartar or calculus for the 15 years I have been drinking magnetic water.

My cardiologist is in disbelief - I have ZERO plaque in my arteries. (Considering that I am currently overweight this is astounding.)

My resting heart rate is 59. (Again, I'm obese, and it doesn't fit.)

My BP is 112/64. (Okay, it doesn't fit with my weight.)

My blood oxygen levels are consistently 98 to 100%.

You have nothing to lose but much to gain by researching magnetic water. (Now, if I can find an easy solution to weightloss. No, it's not about eating less. I consume less than 1200 calories per day.

Enjoy discovering what it may do for you. There's more data than what I have linked here.

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C10&as_vis=1&q=magnetized+water+reduction+in+plaque+periodontal+disease&btnG= =gs_qabs&u=%23p%3DE9l0AqC_CfYJ

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0,10&as_vis=1&q=the+use+of+magnetized+water+for+animals+to+reduce+plaque =gs_qabs&u=%23p%3D7KoUsIDny8cJ

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224411002408

You can get magnets from Home Depot or Harbor Freight that you can sterilize, and then place in your water containers. Plus, I got magnetic sheets from Michael's craft store which I use under each of my water containers, including my pet's water bowl.

This is good data. Watermelon is extremely beneficial for many reasons, and now one more!!

Men who consumed at least 82 grams daily of watermelon had a stunning 74% less risk for prostate cancer according to an observational study from China. But this shouldn’t be surprising. Watermelon contains 76% more lycopene than tomatoes (4532 vs. 2573 micrograms per 100 grams) according to the USDA. And this delicious melon has an extra bonus not found in tomato: cucurbitacin E. A separate lab has found cucurbitacin E highly toxic to cells, killing up to 43% of them in a test tube by disrupting what researchers call the mTOR pathway. So this summer, don’t be shy with the ! A 100-gram serving only has 30 calories and 6 grams of natural sugars.
These studies can be found at Pubmed under 15514967 and 28599494