Natural Therapies - part 3

This Friday's therapy video shows what happens during an ear candling treatment.

Ear candles were used by native tribes in healing rituals and ceremonies to cleanse and harmonise energy fields as well as physical therapy. The treatment includes a relaxing massage of the face and neck to help drain the sinuses.

This treatment is available Thursday to Saturday, between 10am and 6pm and lasts 45 minutes. It cost £28.

Natural Therapies - part 2

Following on frm last Friday's video on crystal therapy, this week Linda will be discussing the benefits Reiki can have.

Reiki is an ancient system of hands-on healing designed to help the body's energies rebalance by working on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels.

Treatment is available Monday to Saturday, between 10am and 6pm.
30 minutes - £15
1 hour - £30

Also, for a limited period, 15 minute taster sessions are available for just £5!

Natural Therapies - part 1

Over the next few weeks, we thought we'd share some more information about our favourite therapies with you.

This week, Linda will be discussing the benefits that crystal therapy can have. Check out the video at the bottom of this post!

Crystal therapy uses the natural energy from crystals to draw out, transform and heal blockages within the layers of the aura.

The treatment is available by appointment instore Thursday, Friday and Saturday - choose from the following options:

• 15 minute aura cleanse - £10
• 30 minute chakra cleanse and balance - £18
• 1 hour full treatment - £30

Spring Cleaning - Detox Time

Most years, people choose to detox around New Year, which isn't really the best time for the body. The change of the seasons is a perfect time for detox. It's like a spring clean for your organs to help you feel clean, refreshed and centred.

Typical symptoms that might mean you need to detox include:

• feeling tired, fatigued, lacking in enthusiasm
• constipation, bloating, heartburn
• having bad breath, food intolerances
• poor digestion, a lack of appetite, slow to digest foods
• being overweight
• poor skin quality, acne, dry skin
• poor sleep, anxiety
• irritability, muscle tightness

We suggest using natural remedies to give you optimum health. If you have some of the above symptoms and are planning to detox, it is important to understand what a toxin is. Basically, a toxin is anything that shouldn't be there. A toxin is any unmetabolised waste in the digestive system, bloodstream or tissues. It is anything which has not been efficiently used by the body or mind; hence there can be mental toxins as well as physical. These toxins are removed from the body by using cleansing foods, herbs and massage.

A real detox will result in:

• feeling clear-headed and relaxed
• having easy digestion with a minimum of two bowel movements a day
• sound sleep and feeling refreshed on awakening
• vital energy and boundless enthusiasm

Treatment Ideas

Clean Greens from Pukka is a great product for long-term detoxification; it cleanses the blood and liver, and reduces organ inflammation. It is a nourishing, antioxidant blend of green plants to alkalise, oxygenate and boost the body's natural cleansing process.

For helping to move your bowels; a dose of Triphala Plus each night. The mix of seven herbs is famous for its ability to mildly but effectively detoxify and nourish the blood and bowels.

The liver often bears the brunt of our polluted environment, poor diet and stressed lives. Indian herbal combination Guduchi & Neem helps to regulate, cleanse and protect the liver.

For skin needing a detox, Neem & Sasparilla is great along with organic Aloe Vera juice.

If you need to clear heavy metals and pollutants out your system, Chlorella is brilliant for this, and helps to support the immune system. Renew Life also do a wonderful detox kit that helps with heavy metal toxins. Have a look at Sarah's blog post for more.

Drink delicious Pukka Detox tea - aniseed, fennel and cardamon to assist in flushing toxins from the kidneys, blood and digestive system; or a scrumptious Pukka Cleanse tea with nettle, fennel and aloe vera to purify the skin.

Massage

Massage and skin brushing during detox are great. They help to dilate the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) near the surface of your skin, clear toxins through the skin by helping congested lymph to return to the heart. These residual toxins will be excreted via the liver and kidneys.

It's best to massage yourself from foot to head every day with 100ml of warmed massage oil.

Dietary Suggestions

Eat the simplest diet that you can, with no processed foods, sugars, wheat, dairy or hydrogenated oils, coffee and alcohol. Drink lots of hot water throughout your detox. Hot water is a great detoxifier; like cleaning dirty dishes, hot water cleans your insides. Hot teas like spicy ginger or cinnamon & cardamon will help to relax your stomach.

Lifestyle Suggestions

• get lots of rest while detoxing
• don't over-exert yourself
• no strenuous sports during detox. Instead take slow, relaxing walks, or practise some gentle yoga to encourage good balance and breathing.
• visit a steam room to sweat the toxins out of your body

The Antipodes Facial

Over the last few months we've been changing some of the bodycare ranges and treatments we offer and we've started stocking Antipodes. Antipodes is a certified organic and natural skin care range featuring premium avocado oil and bioactive botanical ingredients from New Zealand. The company is also carbon neutral - they've even taken the footprint of global shipping into account!

So far, we've tried most of the products, but the one we really, really like is the Hallelujah lime and patchouli cleanser. It has a gorgeously fragrant exotic smell, and the base of avocado oil gently removes impurities while carrot seed oil promotes skin that glows with good health.  It's made with super high quality essential oils of lime and patchouli which have an amazingly uplifting effect after use.

We're also loving the Aura Manuka honey mask. Manuka honey is a traditional remedy of the New Zealand Maori. It powerfully draws moisture to your skin, intensely hydrating it. The facial mask delivers a deep moisturizing, cleansing and anti-oxidizing treatment. Fragrances of vanilla pod and mandarin linger to bring peace and balance to your aura, meaning you're tending to both your skin and spirit.

Antipodes have a range of over 15 wonderful wonderful products and we're incorporating a lot of them in our facials now. The Antipodes facial lasts an hour and a half, includes a back, face and scalp massage and leaves you with naturally stunning skin.

Appointments are available Monday to Saturday, between 10am and 6pm. When you book an Antipodes facial, you wil receive a 25% discount voucher for Antipodes products.

Dr. Christy Fergusson

Christy works instore 2 days a week - Wednesdays and Sundays - and she's downright amazing. She's a nutritional therapist, NLP coach and practitioner and a chartered health psychologist. This is her lovely website.

"Eat yourself gorgeous, healthy and happy with the Food Psychologist."

What Christy can do for you:

• Nutritional Therapy
• Dietary Analysis
• Clinical Hypnotherapy
• NLP & Nutritional Coaching
• Food Allergy Testing
• Hormone Testing
• Health & Nutrition Workshops
• Food walks
• Weight Loss Programs

Here's what some of her clients have to say...

"Although I ate good quality, healthy food I was often hungry between meals. My wife would accuse me of hanging around the kitchen like a vulture waiting to be fed. Occasionally I would become dizzy and break out in a sweat. Within a week of changing my diet the dizziness and loss of concentration had gone. With Dr Christy’s help, I have now established a healthy eating pattern that prevents me from becoming too hungry. In addition I now feel more alert and energetic… not to mention the stone I have lost." James, Glasgow

“When you have given up hope of solving your digestive problems- then Christy is the person to see’ Brian, Glasgow.

Feeling Festive!

You might have noticed that it's that time of year again; snow's been falling, people are buying food like it's going out of style, there's lots of films on the telly and nobody dies in this week's Murder, She Wrote.

We'd like to wish you all a peacful and joy-filled Christmastime and a wonderful New Year!

Here's to 2011!

Tree hugging update

You might recall the post a couple of months back about the ConDem plans to auction off our national forests to private enterprises. This is, thankfully, still pending while they cut public services, state support for the vulnerable and the tax bills of certain retail groups and mobile phone service providers. The campaign to stop these plans from eventually going ahead, however, is not.

38 Degrees are still raising money for this campaign; they will be launching a media campaign to raise offline awareness. 80,000 (and more!) people have signed their petition and £15,000 has been raised for the campaign. Please, if you haven't already, consider signing the petition yourself. And then why not suggest it to two more people (or three or four or five?) and ask them to pass it on, too.

And while you're at the 38 Degrees site, have a look at their other campaigns. There's a lot going on, and will hopefully effect more change than chaning your Facebook profile picture.

Timely advice

"Been stuck indoors all week because of the snow?  Well, your body and brain are probably dehydrated with the wearing of forty layers of clothes and having the central heating on 24/7.


Here's a few ideas to help...

• Switch off all electrical equipment when you're not using it - don't leave it on standby.
• Put humidifiers on radiators. A wet towel will do!
• Drink at least one and a half litres of water a day.
• Create a mini-climate in your space with green plants (check that they're pet safe if that applies) or a mini humidifier or desktop air cleaner.
• Turn your central heating thermostat down by a degree (or two!) to reduce dehydration - and save energy and money too.
• Especially if you're working from home, don't eat your meals over your computer. If you can get out for a short break, a breath of fresh air will refresh you - and help you appreciate the warmth of indoors!

These - plus daily hemp oil internally and a good salt scrub once a week, followed by a good layer of body oil overnight to feed your skin - will help to allieviate the bleak mid-winter."

A call to action regarding Suppliment legislation

Do you take suppliments? A lot of people do, whether to boost their dietary intake or make up a deficiency, or for the health benefits.

If you do take suppliments, or indeed have ever taken or might yet take one, you will likely be interested to know that the EU is currently considering legislation that will affect food suppliments in myriad ways.

Instead of parroting what Consumers for Health Choice say, I will instead direct you to their website pages regarding the two parts of their campaign (Vitamins & Minerals; Nutrition & Health Claims), and hope that you will consider signing their petition.

Finally, we also hope that you might take the time to send the letter that CHC have suggested, to underline the point of the campaign.

This far and no further

The Independent ran a front-page story on Saturday, about something else the ConDem Coalition are up to. Understandably, welfare reform and the massive changes to the benefits system have thousands and thousands up in arms because so many of us can foresee a not-too-distant future in which the homeless charities are over-stretched (and entirely staffed by enforced volunteers, probably).However, this is not all that Cameron, Clegg, et al. are attempting to force upon us.

Animal welfare reforms, due to come into effect in mere weeks, have been scrapped. The Minister of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Jim Paice, also just happens to have a vested interest in keeping things the way they are; he part-owns a farm in Cambridgeshire.

Perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised that the Coalition put the interests of agri-business before the welfare of animals; when you only answer to bottom-line profit, everything else pales into insignificance. I can't help but wonder how long until meat production industry here in the UK becomes the same of that in the United States, especially as UK Health Policy has apparently been turned over to fast food companies.

Keep December 4th clear if you can!

Food for thought (sorry)

Set aside as far as possible a special time and place for eating, surround yourself with colour, pleasant sounds and good conversation.
Avoid eating if you are angry, worried, too hot or too cold, or before having a bath. These activities turn both your stomach and food to stone and so you are unable to digest.
Eating is a time to receive offerings in the form of food to nurture and revitalize your body and soul. Consider your vibration towards both the food, those in your  company and the work involved in bringing the food to you.
Choose the majority of your foods from local growers. This helps not only your local economy but also the environment, by using fewer resources for shipping and refrigeration.

- Louise

Louise's Top Tip

Now that it's winter and everyone's got at least a runny nose, this couldn't be more timely!

Feeling the cold coming on? As well as taking either echinacea or resistance support, have yourself a sweat bath to warm up the body and kill those nasty bugs.
Take a bath as warm as you can without burning yourself, putting in Epsom or bath salts along with black pepper and eucalyptus. Put a cold compress on your head (this is very important - you want your body to heat up, not your brain!). Stay in the bath for 20 minutes and then head to a warm bed with a good book or Radio 4 and a cup of ginger tea. You will sweat a lot but awaken feeling refreshed and alive once more.

The sanctity of an individual's private beliefs should be respected.

It's World Vegan Day!

If you're vegan, then you're probably well-versed in the ways that others might challenge your decision. If you aren't and are thinking about maybe making that transition, what have you got to lose? (Hint: not that much, really!)

Food-wise, today hasn't been especially different for me. I started the day with a (large) cup of fresh coffee, made with soya milk. Soya has a tendency to curdle in coffee, but there are a few brands available that are non-curdle. Because I was feeling a little lazy, I had a Nakd apple tart bar as a mid-morning snack. I don't eat much in the mornings, even though I know it's not the healthiest way to be. I'm vegan, not a saint! Lunch was lentil and apricot soup, with a small helping of roasted beetroot and squash salad, with a can of Whole Earth sparkling Elderflower. There was a second cup of coffee a little while ago, with some Sesame Snaps, just to ensure that I get through the rest of the afternoon and home again, without feeling the need to snack.

Dinner will be a tofu sandwich. The person who gave me that final push to veganism showed me how to make this, and it is as simple and easy as falling off a log, yet much more satisfying.

You will need: firm tofu, about half an avocado, two slices of bread, egg-free mayo, wholegrain mustard, whatever seasoning you like on your tofu.

• Cut the tofu so you have a thick slice. Given the usual size of blocks of tofu, your slice will be neatly sandwich-sized!
• Season the tofu, then grill or fry it, depending on how healthy you're feeling. The George Forman grill I bought years ago, and never used, turned out to be perfect for grilling tofu quickly.
• While the tofu is cooking, toast your bread, but only on one side, my dear.
• When the bread is toasted, spread a thin layer of  mayo on on untoasted side, and the wholegrain mustard on the other.
• Your tofu should be ready, so transfer it to one of the waiting slices of bread. Add the avocado, and then salt and pepper to taste.
• Close the sandwich.
• Eat. And enjoy!

I'm far from the world's greatest cook, vegan or otherwise, but there's few things better than a nice tofu sandwich. If you want something perhaps more adventurous, try the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.

Gosh, I've made myself really quite hungry now...

Soapbox certified by the FSC

If you know anything about us at Grassroots, you'll have a notion that we care about things. Things like sustainability, fairness and a better future for everyone, rich and poor. (It might not be overstating it to say we care a shade more about a better future for the worlds' poor than the rich; they seem to be more than capable of getting the things they want, irrespective of cost to others, but that particular soapbox is not the one I intend to get on right now. Maybe another day, if you're lucky!)

The Coalition government have, since May, been courting controversy and criticism with just about every single new idea they announce as policy, and not entirely from the hardcore left-wing. I would like to take a moment to highlight a particular one that will, if they continue unhindered, have a far-reaching impact on the landscape; the sale of over half our national forests.

If this goes ahead, we could lose acres of our natural heritage and biodiversity. Forever. Once those trees are cut down, they're gone. And forgive my cynicism, but I'm not that confident that the incumbent government would be overly discerning when it comes to who to sell to. Environmental organisations may not have the same financial reach as private developers, and the government have indicated often enough that they see private enterprise as the defining feature of their ideal world.

However, all is far from lost! These plans are just that; plans. We, the people, can still voice our dissent. And it's not that hard, you'll be delighted to learn - just sign the petition at 38 Degrees. There is, of course, more that you can do, such as writing to your MP, but we all have to pick our battles or we'd get nothing else done, so please at least sign the petition. Thanks.

Squash-tacular

So there's no arguing that it's autumn now. The leaves are falling, the air is distinctly crisper, the sun (when it actually shines) has little trace of the warmth that has us all in short sleeves and light clothes in July. The clocks are going back next weekend (on October 31st - an extra hour in bed to recover from the Hallow e'en parties!) which marks the official end of British Summer Time. It's hard to not feel wistful for the sunshine and laughter of summer, and to not feel like the upcoming few months are best not thought about because of the seemingly endless cold and dark. Maybe that's just me though? But autumn is easily the most beautiful season; the colours of the leaves as they turn, unexpected warm days when the wind blows from... well, anywhere but the North, ruddy cheeks glowing from the cold, the sparkle of lights twinkling in the gathering dark around 5pm. The excitement of being on the way home, where it's hopefully warm and cozy, glowing enticingly in your mind's eye as you once again just miss the Underground train...

 

It's probably safe to say that, all things being equal, it's a season of comfort. It's also the season of squashes!

 

And there's so much more to squash than pumpkin pie; you can saute, roast, grill, bake or stuff squash; use it in soup, make a dip... there are easily as many possibilities as there are types of squash.

 

In the shop, as I type, there are red onion squash...

... harlequin squash...

 

... as well as blue ballet (the taste is reminiscent of chestnut), spaghetti (the flesh resembles the pasta, it's not just a clever name!), butternut and courgettes (yes, they are a type of squash!)

 

The kitchen have been making good use of the squashes too, as these stuffed squash will attest...

 

If all this talk of autumn and food has whetted your appetite, why not try this fairly simple recipe for Ginger Orange Butternut Squash?

 

Ingredients

• About 1 kilo Butternut Squash
• 2 tablespoons frozen orange juice
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter (or butter substitute)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

 Preparation

1. Puncture holes in the squash several times with a knife or fork.
2. Place the squash on a microwave-safe plate and cook on high for 6 minutes.
3. Cut the squash into 4 even pieces.
4. Take out the seeds and pulp.
5. Return the pieces to the plate, cut side down, and cover with waxed paper.
6. Microwave on high for 8 minutes.
7. Turnover and microwave on high for 6-8 minutes or until soft. Scoop out squash and place in bowl; add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Enjoy!

Beauty and Therapy Treatments

Super Collagen & Hibisculent Facial

A luxury facial that delivers results!

For the immediate reduction of expression and age wrinkles.

Hibisculent+ has a regenerating effect on the overall facial muscles while it also has a regenerating effect on the cells.

The skin becomes smoother and more radiant while youthful elasticity increases. With regular treatments fine lines will disappear within a few weeks while deeper lines will be reduced visibly.

Hibisculent+ has the effect of Botox injections, but is much more natural and mild, also compared with Botox injections Hibisculent+ has a long term regenerating effect.

1 treatment £35

Course of 5 treatments £150

(Paid for in advance)

*****

 

Crystal Therapy

Uses natural energy from crystals to draw out, transform and heal blockages within the layers of the aura. Most people experience a very deep meditative state of relaxation during a session.

Negative energies lingering from past experiences can be gently brought to the surface and dissolved, leaving you feeling, clearer, lighter and happier.

After a treatment it is likely you will have experienced some change in your physical, mental, emotional or spiritual condition.

Pain relief, uplift, relaxation and feelings of wellbeing are all expected outcomes.

1 hour Full Treatment £30

*****

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½ LEG, BIKINI & U/ARM

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