Sleepless Nights ~ Exhausted Days
By · CommentsIs Insomnia Really A Health Concern?
It seems so! Doctors at the Mayo Clinic estimate that 10 to 15% of adults have chronic or repeated bouts of insomnia and most of them avoid treatment or resort to medications rather than considering a natural alternative to healing insomnia.
Do You Have Insomnia?
The Mayo Clinic defines insomnia as any kind of sleep problem where a person:
- Has trouble falling asleep;
- Wakes up in the middle of the night and are unable to fall back to sleep;
- Wakes up tired and not feeling refreshed.
Do you fit any of these categories on a regular basis? If so you may be experiencing the ill-effects of insomnia.
FACT ~ Did you know that Insomnia is a symptom not a stand-alone diagnosis or disease? It affects all age groups. Among adults women seem to be affected more than men.
What Causes Insomnia?
Studies have shown the causes of insomnia may be several different reasons:
- Stress
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Caffeine
- Medications
- Alcohol
- bedroom temperature/noise
- Pain
Negative Effects of Insomnia
Some of the negative effects caused by insomnia include:
- Poor concentration/focus
- Irritability
- Difficulty remembering things (reduced memory)
- Increased risk of car accidents (due to sleep-deprived drivers)
- Frustration / Anger
- Risk in physical health problems, heart disease, diabetes
- Lowered immune system leading to the inability to fight illness
NATURAL SOLUTIONS!
The good news is that there are some very effective natural solutions to healing insomnia symptoms. Often I recommend the following natural solutions to clients in lieu of medications when possible (as drugs may be unnecessary and can in some cases cause adverse symptoms and conditions with on-going use).
- Aromatherapy (essential oils) – Lavender is commonly used
- Massage
- Herbs
- Relaxation Techniques (i.e. meditation, visualization, and yoga)
- Avoid eating large meals before bedtime
- Avoid/limit caffeine and alcohol
- Exercise regularly (not before bedtime if it keeps you awake)
Insomnia can be long-lasting and debilitating, but can be easily treated with the right complimentary aids. There are many ways to treat insomnia without drugs, from changes in personal habits to the use of herbs, essential oils and massage.
The most proven and effective methods are the use of aromatherapy essential oils along with massage.
Scientific Support
Research is showing that essential oils and aromatherapy along with massage can indeed be helpful as treatments in treating sleepless nights.
A single blind study done in 2005 by, the University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom, has shown favor in using lavender in the treatment of mild insomnia. The results showed after a 4 week study that included ten volunteers (5 male and 5 female) Lavender created an improvement in (PSQI) Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Women and younger volunteers with milder insomnia improved more than others.
Another study done using Massage therapy and lavender through Prince Alice Hospice, Esher, Surrey, UK shows good evidence in improved sleep scores and reduction of anxiety for short periods.
Our health and well-being are important to a good night’s sleep and as you become aware of the different treatments in which to treat the causes and symptoms of troubled sleep and mild insomnia you may be amazed by the results. Sweet Dreams!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16131287
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/aromatherapy/healthprofessional
Suite101.com
A Special Gift from Soul2Soul
By · CommentsA Special GIFT From Soul2Soul
Does the holiday season have you or your loved one rushing about to get things done, feeling tired, and stressed?
Nurture yourself with a massage & receive a gift certificate* for your loved one!
(*Give the gift of a 30-minute relaxing massage free with the purchase of a 60-minute massage. Special offer good through December 15th.)
CONTACT Bernie to set up your appointment & receive their GIFT!
The Path To Self Healing ~ Tools for Healing
By · CommentsI often see clients in my practice who are challenged with chronic physical pain due to injury, anxiety, or stress. They come to me sometimes with fear, frustration or even feeling powerless on how to begin the healing process.
As a Healing Touch and Therapeutic Massage Practitioner I was challenged earlier in my life with my own healing practice and well-being. In fact, this is what inspired me so greatly to support others in their healing.
In this article I wish to share some important components to a healthy life, which I have personally found to be helpful in the healing process, too. These have proven to support many of my clients during their healing.
The Healing Process
But first….as a society we have become dependent upon instant and immediate results in being healed. My experience has been that the healing process be allowed to take as much time as needed. The gentler we are with ourselves, the easier, the more receptive and the greater the healing.
The goal is to empower you with healing techniques to help you begin to repair and restore, increase energy, and create balance and harmony to your well-being. With any new program there will be challenges but I encourage you to be open and willing to trust the process of healing.
The Body
First make an assessment of your physical body and how you care for it. Do you sufficiently incorporate the following into your daily life? These are a necessary foundation for our body.
Rest – Everyone is different. Allow for 6-8 hours of sleep. Also, allow for down time in resting the body.
Nutrition – Fueling your body with wise and balanced nutritious food choices.
Breathing – What is your breath like? The breath is essential to living and it further indicates how we deal and face challenges. Are you breathing deeply and relaxed or shallow and holding your breath? This could be an indicator of fear and anxiety being held in the body.
Practice breathing in healing energy while visualizing a color- green, white, gold or pink. This can help break up old patterns and blockages being stored in the body. Breathing into an area of pain or blockage will usually break up the negative energy.
Movement – Daily movement and stretching is important to maintaining and keeping your bodies flexible.
Water – Keeping our bodies hydrated daily (everyone is different) to help protect our organs, joints and skin, also help transport nutrients and oxygen to the cells and eliminate toxins.
The Mind
In order to change your mental health for the better, make an assessment of changing your thought patterns your mind has created, the mind contains your attitudes and belief systems and is responsible for protecting you; it also interprets your feelings and emotions.
We are creatures of habit and what we have learned over time feels comfortable, even if it is not healthy. When you break old habits and patterns that have kept you chained to these negative patterns you create a new way of doing things.
To shift your thought patterns to a healthy space consider the following:
- Practice new ways of doing things
- Create new habits
- Recite affirmations/ listen to positive music and tapes
- Eliminate limiting words from your vocabulary such as “Can’t” or “Try”
- Be open to support from friends/family
- Participate in mental disciplines like reading, creating a project, studying
Emotions
Just as the body retains and absorbs chemicals it also stores unresolved memories and emotions which can become trapped within the cells of your body causing tension, stress and possibly disease.
In order to change your emotional health for the better, make an assessment of your old hurts and pain that may be associated with a trauma or emotion, what are the patterns, clear and release these patterns from the body’s cellular memory. Here are a few methods for clearing and releasing emotional patterns from the body:
- Writing/journaling
- Exercise
- Talking with friends or professionals
- Prayer/meditation
Spirit
In order to change your spiritual health for the better, make an assessment of any connection you may have with a higher source of strength (God, Spirit, Christ, Universe, etc.).
Here is the opportunity to connect with the One who loves you deeply and has given you grace. If the Creator can love you unconditionally and show you grace, then you can let go of fear and begin to love and show yourself grace, which allows you to freely love others. Here’s a few ways to connect to your source of strength:
- Meditation
- Reflection
- Prayer
- Intuition (an inner voice guiding you to your truth, strength, and purpose)
At first some of these practices may stretch you. I encourage you to view this as a challenge, committing to the opportunity towards your healing. As we move forward with this challenge, we ultimately take responsibility and control of our state of well-being.
Healing may not mean we are suddenly cured of a disease or physical ailment. It means the resolution of the imbalances that have been stored in our bodies; it is the discovery of awareness, commitment, courage, patience, with the ultimate goal of self acceptance.
Trust in the process, embrace what is (whether disease or ailment) and aim for the most important goal of healing – unconditional love and self acceptance with the resolution to be who we really are.
… Remember in most cases our pain did not occur over night, in a week or even a year so be patient in nurturing yourself through the healing process.
References:
Healing Mind Healing Body; Debbie Shapiro
The Healing Energy of your Hands; Michael Bradford
Empowering Clients with Wellness Tools, Anne L. Day BSN, MA, HNB-BC, CHTP/I
Water: Is Drinking Water Really That Important?
By · CommentsAfter a client session the other day, I suggested drinking plenty of water to help rid the toxins that were released from the tissues as waste into her body.
She asked, “why is drinking water so important?”
She continued to say that she has often been told by several massage therapists to drink water, but despite the common answers that the body needs fluid to function or it gets dehydrated, she still finds herself unmotivated to hydrate.
It was clear she was looking for something deeper to inspire her that directly spoke to her healing process.
This article is a result of this experience as it became clear I needed to share with others, too, why I suggest drinking water is important after energy and massage sessions and also in daily life.
Client Scenario
While working with this client she presented a history of physical injuries, chronic pain, emotional and physical, who was in the process of making shifts towards releasing patterns at the cellular level. In our session I applied stretching and Myofascial Release and she was able to explore and release tension and pain held in her muscles, allowing her body to make shifts in clearing the patterns held in her tissues.
As she was leaving, I made a point to reinforce the importance of drinking plenty of water after our session. I went on to explain that water is important to healing the body because during a therapeutic session the muscles are stimulated moving fluids in the tissues (toxins) which are released around the interstitial spaces of the muscles and carried through the body as waste. The benefit of consuming water, allows the kidneys and organs to process this waste moving and eliminating it through the body which may help reduce muscle aches and soreness.
- Toxins released during massage require water to be carried out of the body as waste;
- Without a vehicle for release, the kidneys and organs cannot eliminate waste; and
- Failure to eliminate toxins released during massage can result in muscle aches, soreness, and perpetuation existing pain due to continual toxicity and energy blocks in muscles and tissues
Water After A Massage (or Healing Touch)
In working with clients, the goal of Healing Touch and Therapeutic Massage is to empower clients to take care of body, mind and spirit (through energy or condition specific massage) to address chronic pain and injuries. Also, emotional patterns of trauma can get stored in the cellular memory throughout the body and show up as pain.
From my experience, when the body does not receive enough water after a therapeutic massage it becomes dehydrated and the waste products that were stimulated are not eliminated from the bloodstream. They return to body which may lead to additional soreness, queasiness, tightness, fatigue, and even cramping. It’s like a garden, if you do not water it becomes dry and nothing grows, if we do not nourish our bodies with water we become dehydrated and this affects all of our tissues and organs.
Soreness
Queasiness
Tightness
Fatigue
Cramping
Perpetuated Condition (i.e. pain, symptoms, energy blocks, toxicity)
What Role Does Water Play In The Body
Just as a car cannot function without oil, our bodies cannot function without water. After oxygen, H2O is the most important component of the body, responsible for 65-70 percent of its composition. And of this, 80 percent is dedicated to the skin.
Blood is mostly water, and your muscles, lungs, and brain all contain a lot of water. You need water to regulate body temperature and to provide the means for nutrients to travel to your organs and tissues. Water also transports oxygen to your cells, removes waste, and protects your joints and organs.
In order for our bodies to function like a well watered garden, it must receive water daily; It is also important to note… in order to perpetuate our body’s vital requirement for water, we must consider this elixir’s benefits.
Every cell in your body needs water from head to toe. That is why it is so important to drink enough fluid. Take for example, brain consists of 90% of water, if you do not supply enough water to your body, your brain cannot function well, and you will get headache or migraine. Hence, next time, if you feel fatigue and headache, it may be the sign of dehydration.
Water is the medium for various enzymatic and chemical reactions in the body. It moves nutrients, hormones, antibodies, and oxygen through the blood and lymphatic systems, and it also helps form the matrix of the skin. Devoid of water, the skin becomes dehydrated, resulting in a dry, dull tone.
Not only is water important for skin health, it can also play a key role in the prevention of disease. Drinking eight glasses of water a day can decrease the risk of colon cancer, bladder cancer, and potentially even breast cancer
Health Benefits of Water
Transports nutrients and oxygen into cells
Moisturizes the air in lungs
Helps with metabolism
Protects our vital organ
Helps our organs to absorb nutrients better
Regulates body temperature
Detoxifies
Protects and moisturizes our joints
Healthy skin
Supports healthy weight loss
Daily Water Recommendations
It’s likely that the moment a person feels thirsty, mild dehydration has already set in. To keep the complexion looking smooth and blemish-free, drink water upon waking and continue drinking it throughout the day at one- to two-hour intervals. At least six 8-oz. glasses of water should be consumed daily and more if you are exercising, perspiring, and/or in hot weather. Ideally, intake should be between ten and twelve 8-oz. glasses of water a day. One note: Don’t increase water intake all at once, as the kidneys and digestive system need time to adjust. Add one 8-oz. glass every day or every second day.
What counts toward your daily water intake? Just the basics: water and herbal tea. Caffeinated beverages and alcoholic drinks are diuretics that can contribute to dehydration, requiring even more hydration after drinking.
Reference: http://www.mangosteen-natural-remedies.com/
In August of 2010, I injured my left medial meniscus and was told by the Orthopedic Surgeon, that I had two choices, to live with it or have surgery. I chose to live with it thinking it would heal on its own, but by the end of the year I had to do something because I continued with pain and swelling.
I knew of this procedure called PRP Platelet Rich Plasma, because I worked in an Oral Surgery office for many years, and we used this procedure to enhance and promote bone growth in the jaw for dentures and implants. In the years I worked with the Surgeon we saw incredible positive results. So I researched PRP and how it might benefit me in the healing and strengthening of my knee injury. What I found was very encouraging, so I pursued PRP treatment and found a Dr. who was experienced in using PRP Therapy in his practice and had performed over 100 treatments.
Do you have any of the following and “living with the pain” or surgery are not an option?
Arthritis in any joint
Tear in a tendon (including rotator cuff)
Biceps tennis or golfers elbow
Tendinitis in wrist hand or hip
Cartilage meniscus or labrum tears in shoulder
Wrist, hip and knee muscle tears, trigger points, or scar tissue
Spine and disc injuries
If so, I would recommend you research and consult a Dr. who performs PRP to see if you too could benefit from this therapy.
What is Platelet rich Plasma (PRP)
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy for ligament, tendon, muscle and bone has been utilized since the 1990’s to promote bone and soft tissue healing.
The use of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) has shown promising results for its healing properties due to the primary components: platelets and white blood cells, plasma, and red blood cells that may enhance the healing process on a cellular level.
In recent years, there have been many famous athletes who have been treated with PRP to help accelerate healing. Hinds Ward of the Pittsburg Stealers, Carlos Beltran Mets center fielder, and former Dodger pitcher Takashi Saito, as well as players on the Galaxy and Chivas soccer teams.
How does PRP work?
My blood was drawn, placed in a centrifuge which then separates the Platelet Rich Plasma from the rest of the blood; it was then injected into the area of injury in my knee. It then goes to work by initiating a high concentration of platelets to the injured site, accelerating tissue repair and regeneration which then increases blood supply stimulating the healing process faster and more effectively.
I had two injections of PRP to my knee and each time a healing period of 6 weeks. Initially there is some slight soreness, discomfort and swelling. Ice and Tylenol were recommended, I experienced no down time. After 12 weeks I had healed 90% no swelling or pain. My goal was to help my body heal itself without surgery and with PRP’s and its benefits, it allowed just that.
How will PRP help me?
Increases Collagen
Increases production of new blood cells
Decreases Inflammation
Decreases Pain
Increases tendon, ligament and soft tissue regeneration
Is PRP safe?
It is safe because the platelets are derived from the patient’s own blood. There is no risk of reaction or rejection.
What is the cost of PRP Injection?
$650 per injection and some insurance will cover.
Celebrate Our New Location and Special Offer
By · CommentsI am pleased and excited to announce that I have transitioned from RISE and have relocated Soul2Soul HTM (Healing Touch Ministry). You can find me now at Acu-Care Health Center 4514 Bonita Rd. Bonita, CA 91902 (2 miles E. of I-805) and still reach me at 949~887~2919.
Soul2Soul HTM will continue to empower you to restore, repair wholeness, balance and harmony to your well-being.
Soul2Soul HTM’s client is one whose journey has been exhausted with traditional western medicine in your healing and seeking a complimentary alternative from physical and emotional pain, by repairing and restoring wholeness to your body, balance and harmony to their well-being, resulting in grace, acceptance and empowerment.
At Soul2Soul HTM I will continue to provide:
Therapeutic Massage
Healing Touch
Aromatherapy
Raindrop Therapy
Pure Essential Oils
Our focus is empowering you to take care of your body, mind and spirit, reducing stress and tension, increasing and bringing balance and harmony to your well-being.
Soul2Soul believes…in making Body therapies affordable for everyone. In addition to individual sessions, in my effort to support you to repair and restore wholeness, I will offer a special health and wellness membership and program designed for longer term and proactive wellness.
The R&R Health and Wholeness Membership and Health Wellness program are offered at a substantial saving from individual session rates.
SPECIAL OFFER
To celebrate my move to the Acu-Care Health Center and give you an opportunity to experience the new location, I am offering a special rate for all individual service through the month of October.
Sign up by October 31st. That’s right, only $45 for a 60-minute session!
Don’t miss out ~ I can only offer this through October!
Full of Gratitude…I greatly appreciated your confidence support while at RISE and I look forward to being able to support you even more at my new location!
In gratitude,
Bernadette Sakiyama, CHTP, HHP, CMT
“To keep our lamp burning we have to keep putting oil in it.” Mother Teresa
What is Aromatherapy
By · Comments
Aromatherapy is the application of essential oils to promote the health and wellbeing of an individual. Essential oils have very specific aromas which have been used since the times of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Essential oils have numerous important qualities – they can be soothing, relaxing, stimulating, healing – all pure essential oils impart oxygen and many are antibiotic, anti-viral, antiseptic, anti-fungal and much more!
Essential oils have been used in perfumery and in healing for many thousands of years, even before the ancient Egyptian times. The art of embalming was dependent upon essential oils, and Greek warriors are known to have anointed themselves with oils before going into battle.
In the 1920’s, a French chemist named Gattefosse was working in his laboratory when he incurred a severe burn on his arm. He plunged his arm into what he thought was water, but it was instead a vat of pure lavender oil. To his amazement, the burning slowly decreased and within a few moments, it stopped. Over a period of time, with the continued application of lavender oil, it healed completely without a trace of a scar. He became very excited and began to study the healing properties of the oils. Gattefosse coined the term “aromatherapy” and is today credited with rediscovering the art of using pure essential oils from plants.
Essential oils can enter the body through the air via the nose and bronchial passages (inhalation) or can be absorbed through the skin directly into the bloodstream using massage (absorption).
Aromatherapy makes use of both inhalation and absorption. The power of smell is a very powerful trigger to the human nervous system. Some aromas, such as newly cut grass, baking bread, the air after a rainstorm – have evocative smells so powerful that simply reading the word can remind us of the aroma. An aroma usually has an immediate effect, which is why smelling salts can instantly revive someone. The nose contains tiny hair-like extensions of the brain which detect scent. The brain very rapidly interprets aromas that are inhaled.
We can use essential oils to treat a surprising number of ailments. Although serious conditions should always be treated by a qualified practitioner or by a physician, many common ailments can be relieved safely and effectively at home with aromatherapy. You may, in fact, soon come to regard essential oils as a vital part of your home first aid kit.
For self help, essential oils are most commonly used to relieve aches and pains, for relaxation and stress reductions, and for skin and hair care, but they also have much wider possibilities.
Many essential oils have constituents which allow them to be used as first aid and as an ongoing treatment for cuts, burns, insect bites and bruises. Other oils are anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and antiseptic. Some can be used as an aid in the overall management of more serious conditions such as candida, arthritis and rheumatism.
Essential oils are lipid soluble and can immediately penetrate the cell wall to bring in oxygen and nutrients. Jean Claude LaPraz’ studies showed that the application of essential oils to the skin raised the availability of oxygen to the cell by up to 21%.
In addition, since the oils work through the brain to act on the emotions, they are very useful too, not only for stress relief, but for anxiety, overwork, stage fright, etc. Emotional trauma is held in the amygdala gland in the brain, and it has been proven that the only way to access that area is through the sense of smell. Therefore, many different kinds of emotional blocks can be removed using essential oils – allowing people to move forward and succeed in whatever they want to do.
Young Living essential oils are wonderful. They take the chaos out of life!
Step 9: Devote the necessary time to meditate on the Spirit within as the source of your success and abundance.
There’s no substitute for the practice of meditation. This is particularly relevant with abundance. You must have an understanding that your consciousness of the presentis your supply. By repeating the sound that is in the name of God as a Mantra, you’re using a technique for manifesting as ancient as recorded history.to the I am particularly drawn to the form of meditation called Japa. I know it works.
Step 10: Develop an attitude of gratitude for all that manifests into your life.
Be thankful and filled with awe and appreciation, even if what you desire hasn’t arrived yet. Even the darkest days of your life are to be looked on with gratitude. Everything coming from Source is on purpose. Be thankful while empowering your reconnection to that form from which you and everything else originated.
“God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance.” Tune into God’s frequency, and you will know it beyond any and all doubt!
Step 7: Monitor your emotions as a guidance system for your connection to the universal mind of intention. Strong emotions such as passion and bliss are indications that you’re connected to Spirit, or inspired, if you will. When you’re inspired, you activate dormant forces, and the abundance you seek in any form comes streaming into your life. When you’re experiencing low-energy emotions of rage, anger hatred, anxiety, despair, and the like, that’s a clue that while your desires may be strong, they’re completely out of sync with the field of intention. Remind yourself in these moments that you want to feel good, and see if you can activate a thought that supports your feeling good.
Step 8: Become as generous to the world with your abundance as the field of intention is to you.
Don’t stop the flow of abundant energy by hoarding or owning what you receive. Keep it moving. Use your prosperity in the service of others, and for causes greater than your ego. The more you practice detachment, the more you’ll stay in vibratory harmony with all-giving Source of everything.
Step 5: Initiate actions that support your feelings of abundance and success.
Here, the key word is actions. I’ve been calling this acting as if
or thinking from the end and acting that way. Put your body into gear that pushes you toward abundance and feeling successful. Act on those passionate emotions as if the abundance and success you seek is already ere. Speak to strangers with passion in your voice. Answer the telephone in an inspired way. Do a job interview from the place of confidence and joy. Read the books that mysteriously show up, and pay close attention to conversation that seem to indicate you’re being called to something new.
Step 6: Remember that your prosperity and success will benefit others, and that no one lacks abundance because you’ve opted for it. The supply is unlimited. The more you partake of the universal generosity, the more you’ll have to share with others. In writing this book, wonderful abundance has flowed into my life in many ways. But even more significantly, the book editors and graphic designers, the truck driver who deliever the book. the auto workers who build the trucks, the farmers who feed the auto workers, and the bookstore clerks. All reveive abundance because I’ve followed my bliss and have written this book.
