June 6th, 2009,
Now that my spring semester is over I have more availability, my weekdays mornings now being open again. Starting this month I will be offering exciting monthly specials. Specials can be viewed underneath the"Monthly Specials " Tab.
~Make sure to drink an adequate amount of water in these summer months. A good rule of thumb: Cut your number of pounds in half. Take that number, and that many ounces is what you should be drinking daily.
Have a Fabulous day!
Febuary 14th, 2009,
"Let food be your medicine
and medicine be your food" -Hippocrates
From an online source:
Since Tiana and myself mentioned about "food pharmacy" rather than
alopathy, I though I would share just some of the food correspondences I
understand.
According to the Bereshit mythos, God first separated the salt water from
the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... all
before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were
born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw.
A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating
lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots g
reatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.
A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is
red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are
indeed pure heart and blood food.
Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grap e looks
like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also
profound heart and blood vitalizing food.
A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper
cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are
just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three
(3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.
Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they
look exactly like the human kidneys.
Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods
specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are
23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it
from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal
needs of the body.
Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb
and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's
research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances
hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And
how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado
from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000
photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods
(mo dern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).
Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the
mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to
overcome male sterility.
Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic
index of diabetics.
Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries
Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just l ike the mammary
glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the
movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.
Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear
waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which
wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also
helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.
~
This article was sent to me in an email not too long ago.
In 2003 I took a holistic consultant course at the Holistic Center on the
lake in Hamburg N.Y, and learned about these and other correlations. The
Doctrine of Signatures states that if an herb plant is similar in color and
shape to an organ, that organ it will nourish and strengthen when eaten.
Hawthorn berries are red and heart shaped, and are taken in herbal
medicine to strenthen one's cardiac system. St John's Wort flowers are
bright yellow with little holes in them to "bring the light into dark
places", and are used to treat depression.
Just a little bit of interesting and usefull information.
Also: I'm so happy to announce that I'm now accepting salon wish gift cards
as payment. Go to Spasalonwish.com for more details if you'd like. These
cards can be purchased online or at Walgreens and CVS, and at about 150
other locations.
Gift certificates can also be purchased through my website,
www.healingartsbypamela.com.
Happy Valentines day everyone, and have a blessed day!
-Pamela
January 14th, 2009
Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou everyone for choosing me as your therapist in 2008. I feel so honored and blessed by all my clients, and feel so lucky that this is what i do.
I look forward to seeing you all year in 2009, including the clients i have yet to meet.
May this be the year you fulfill your dreams,
lovingly supported by the universe!
Namaste
December 16th, 2008
Happy Holidays to all of you, may you recieve many blessings this season!
I have new business hours now that my semester is over. My schedule is more open and includes daytime appointments, and some thursday and tuesday nights. Also, after January 21st I'll have Every evening available and tuesday and thursday days.
Hot Stone Massage
Hot Stone massage is wonderful for the colder season. Basalt lava rocks are heated in water, then placed on your body and are used to massage oil into your skin. Hot stone massage feels very warming and grounding, and very soothing. Book one for yourself or a loved one, or give one as a gift. Hot Stone Massage is $100 and generally lasts 90 minutes or more.
Gift Certificates
I have a wonderful feature on my website where you can purchase a gift certificate online. You can then send it to your recipient through email, or i can mail it to them at no charge. Pick from many different designs and personalize with your own message. Very convenient for out of town relatives and loved ones who wish to give you a gift of massage!
Happy Holidays, everyone!
The most special moment of my lunch was meeting Dr. Andy Weil. He was there, eating lunch with his family. Our nice hostess introduced my friend and I to him. He is so pleasant and gracious. What an amazing person to meet.
Years ago when i started getting into holistic living Dr. Weil was my first guide. I read his books and recieved his newsletters and followed all of his advice. So this was a truly blessed day for me.
Also: Tomorrow i'll be at SWIHA's holistic health gathering offering toe reading. Swing on by, admission is free!
September 1st, 2008
Hello again, how has everyone's summer?
Mine was fabulous, i traveled to the east coast alot and had lots of fun.
I have some new changes for this fall: Because i'm in school full time my available hours are Monday, Wednesday, Fridays, and most weekends. Also, my starting hours will be at 4:00 pm during the week. Looking forward to seeing you all soon!
blessings!
June, 2008
Hello Friends, how are you? I hope you're doing fabulous and staying hydrated in this heat wave we're having!
Are you walking your destined Path?
I am now a registered Toe reader/ Sole Coach. I will be offering free readings at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts on July 11th, at 7:00. We store our life stories, thoughts and perceptions in our feet and toes. Toe Reading / Sole Coaching is a way of recognizing and honoring those. It's like getting a "report card" from Spirit. For more information go to www.toereadingonline.com
This months research ariticle is about Fibromyalgia.
I hear alot about fibromyalgia and know several people that suffer from this disorder. I'm glad to be able to offer some information how massage therapy can help.|
R E S E A R C H Massage Improves Sleep, Decreases Pain and Substance P in Fibromyalgia PatientsAfter receiving massage twice weekly for five weeks, fibromyalgia patients experienced improved mood and sleep, and their levels of substance P, a neurotransmitter in the pain fiber system, decreased, along with the number of tender spots throughout their bodies, according to recent research. The study, "Fibromyalgia Pain and Substance P Decrease and Sleep Improves After Massage Therapy," was conducted by Tiffany Field, Ph.D., Miguel Diego, Christy Cullen, Maria Hernandez-Reif, Ph.D., William Sunshine and Steven Douglas of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami. According to the American College of Rheumatology, fibromyalgia is defined as "widespread chronic musculoskeletal pain of unknown cause and multiple tender points." Levels of substance P are significantly higher in people with fibromyalgia. Twenty-four adults with this condition were randomly assigned to either a massage-therapy or relaxation group. Subjects in the massage group received 30-minute massages twice a week for five weeks. The sessions combined several types of bodywork, such as Swedish massage, shiatsu and Trager® work. The routine consisted of moderate pressure and stroking of the head, neck, shoulders, back, arms, hands, legs and feet. Participants in the relaxation-therapy group met for a half-hour twice weekly for five weeks and were given instructions on progressive muscle relaxation while lying quietly on the massage table. The State Trait Anxiety Inventory was used before and after sessions on the first and last days of the study to measure how subjects felt at that time. Both the massage and the relaxation group showed a decrease in anxiety and depressed mood immediately after sessions on the first and last days of this study. More long-term effects were also evaluated. The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale was used to measure depressive symptoms. Subjects wore a motion recorder at night to record activity during sleep and kept a log of the time they went to bed and awoke. A physician assessed participants' illness, medication use, tender points and pain; and saliva samples were taken before the first and last sessions to measure levels of substance P. The results revealed that, over the course of the study, the massage group, as compared with the relaxation group, experienced decreased depression; improved sleep; decreased pain, fatigue and stiffness; improved physician assessments; decreased tender points; and a reduced level of substance P. According to the study's authors, these findings "highlight the clinical significance of using massage therapy as a complementary treatment." - Source: Touch Research Institute. Authors: Tiffany Field, Ph.D., Miguel Diego, Christy Cullen, Maria Hernandez-Reif, Ph.D., William Sunshine and Steven Douglas. Originally published in the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, April 2002, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 72-76. |
April, 2008
R E S E A R C H
Reiki Induces Relaxation, Liminal State of AwarenessReiki reduces anxiety and blood pressure, and increases relaxation, according to recent research.
"Experience of a Reiki Session" was conducted by Joan Engebretson, R.N., Dr.Ph., and Diane Wind Wardell, R.N.C., Ph.D., certified holistic nurses and associate professors at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.
The study involved 23 participants, ages 29 to 55, each of whom received a standardized reiki treatment in a soundproof, windowless, softly lit room. A single reiki master provided Reiki Touch, a form of the Usui Reiki System.
According the Usui System of Reiki Healing's Web site, "The Usui System of Reiki Healing is a hands-on healing practice. Reiki - universal life energy - is channeled through the practitioner's hands for self-treatment or treatment of others."
For this study, the practitioner's hands were lightly placed on the subject's face and abdomen for 15 minutes each.
Before and after each session, quantitative information was collected: Participants filled out questionnaires; salivary specimens were gathered; and biofeedback and blood-pressure data were recorded. "These were chosen as markers to explore a physiological relaxation response," state the study's authors.
The measurements all changed in the direction of relaxation. Participant anxiety and systolic blood pressure decreased significantly following the session, while skin temperature and salivary IgA levels rose after receiving reiki, which indicates a physiological relaxation response.
Interviews were conducted and recorded after each session by one of two investigators, who later transcribed and analyzed them for persistent patterns. Participants were asked to describe their experience and answer questions specific to the session. This falls into the category of qualitative data.
"Consistent with other touch studies, these recipients reported a holistic experience," state the study's authors. "Touch therapies appear to engage the recipient in an integrated experience that links body, mind and spirit in a unique manner that allows the recipient to experience paradox."
Subjects described a change in their state of awareness as liminal, or between two known states, such as sleeping and waking, floating and sinking, hot and cold, fear and safety.
"I knew my mind had thoughts, but didn't know what they were," said one participant. The word "threshold" was used by several subjects to describe the reiki experience as bordering on two different states of being.
"Liminal states of consciousness, by definition paradoxical, are frequently associated with profound religious experiences and have been linked to ritual healing practices across cultures," the authors reported.
Qualitative descriptions of the session as peaceful, soothing, quiet and gentle were consistent with the relaxation response indicated by the quantitative data.
However, besides this expected response, the authors of the study noted that the effects of reiki may be beyond the capacity of traditional research. "The narratives suggest that the experience of Reiki is dynamic and incorporates subtle fluctuations and variations; hence it may defy measurement."- Source: University of Texas Health Science Center. Authors: Joan Engebretson, R.N., Dr.Ph., and Diane Wind Wardell, R.N.C., Ph.D. Originally published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 2002, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 48-53
March 2008
Hello everyone, Happy Spring!
Spring is officially here on the march 20th, the equinox.
Spring is a time of new beginnings and births. As for myself, a new beginning for me that started March 1st was a new office space. I am now located at the Balanced Buddha, in sunny Tempe. I have many new specials and new prices, be sure to check them out!
Have a beautiful day,
Pamela Gangler, LMT
This months featured article is one on the use of crystals and gemstones in massage and other therapies.
Rock On: Add Sparkle to Your Sessions With Crystals and Gemstones
By Melinda Minton
Crystals and brightly colored gemstones - such as purple amethyst, pink rose quartz and onyx black as night - have recently made their way into the spa. Similar stones have adorned knights, lined cathedrals and persuaded young ladies into marriage. The powers of stones in sharp peaks, round baubles and a myriad of other geometric shapes have mesmerized cultures for centuries. Like old souls, gemstones continue to enchant.
The use of crystals as vehicles for healing and for use in massage is nothing new. Many cultures and religions have bestowed magical powers and reverence upon crystals and gemstones. They are seen as healing because they come from the earth and are infused with planetary energy. Each stone - unique in shape, color, size and derivation - is believed to carry its own energetic vibration.
Modern Times
The current trend of using crystals and gemstones during massage sessions was born of an earlier trend, that of using rocks and stones in massage, a technique which enjoyed explosive growth in the mid-1990s. Using rocks and stones for therapeutic purposes is also a practice that has been around for thousands of years. From a spa perspective, rocks, stones, gems and crystals offer a new spin on massage.
Mary Nelson-Hannigan, founder of La Stone Therapy in Tucson, Arizona, and perhaps the best-known proponent of stone massage in the spa and massage arenas, says that in the last few years interest in stone massage has been waning. Accordingly, La Stone has entered into the realm of crystals. "With the introduction of crystal massage we have had the same response that we did with the stone movement," she says.
From a spa viewpoint, it seems logical that as massage and spa became more popular, mainstream and accepted, therapists and facilities started to search for more interesting ways to perform the same old services.
You will note that the proponents of modern stone and crystal massage are all massage therapists, not estheticians or spa directors. And most of them found their way to using gems and crystals through reading, research, blending complementary modalities or pure accident. Nelson-Hannigan, for example, started using stones primarily for their hot and cold effects in her massages. Carole Anne Crighton of Stone Temple Emporium in Essex, Connecticut, which sells stone sets, was inspired by the smooth stones sent to her by a friend who found them walking on the beach. I suspect that many therapists have experimented with dousing wands and sage bundles, have placed crystals around their massage tables, and have dabbled in other New-Age practices to personalize their massage sessions.
This entire grass-roots movement was picked up by the spa community and marketed as a new treatment. Understand that spas are continually hungry for new ways to set their facilities and treatments apart from the hundreds of other spas in the country. The result? Like many trends, what is old became new again.
Healing Properties
Although scientific studies have not yet been conducted on crystals and gemstones, and the mainstream medical community is far from embracing them, therapists, clients and physicians attest to their healing properties.
Ada Gonzalez, a naturopathic physician who conducts gemstone workshops, says that crystal and gemstone work is far more powerful than the health-care and wellness industries realize.
"It’s medicine," Gonzalez says. "Stones can be used in a number of different ways to energetically alter the body."
Pauline Crouch, a naturopathic physician and co-owner of Gemisphere, a company that sells therapeutic gemstones, offers trainings on gemstone use and publishes books on gemstones, believes that gemstones offer "energetic nutrition." More, however, isn’t always better. For example, if an individual wishes to wear therapeutic stones in the form of jewelry, Crouch says, the individual should start out with a small amount, and wear one or two types of stones for a sufficient amount of time for the stones to affect the body.
According to Gemisphere’s teachings, living things are a continuous flow of life force. In the natural course of living, this energy, which comprises our essence, can become blocked. Blockages cause physical, mental and emotional distress. Through individual frequencies, gemstones neutralize negativity and open up blockages.
"Only the highest quality of gemstones are truly healing," Gonzalez says. "An infinite number of gradations exist between gemstones, but among the qualities that deem a stone therapeutic are color, clarity, contaminants or inclusions and cut."
Patrick Weber, M.D., a pediatrician in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, wears necklaces made of gemstones that carry particular qualities that he believes help guide his practice and his personal life. One necklace he wears includes lapiz lazuli and lavender, which he says improves communication between the heart and mind. Another includes indigo, to improve intuition.
Although he doesn’t actively use gemstones with his patients, Weber says that his personal use of the stones helps his medical practice by sharpening his judgment.
"That’s where the greatest benefit is, not for a specific health program - though they can be used there as well - but for helping intuition and for the calming and enlightening qualities," Weber says.
According to Michael Katz, author of the book Gemisphere Luminary, "Only therapeutic-quality gemstones allow the full range of a gemstone’s healing properties to be expressed. Therapeutic quality gemstones are those which meet high standards for physical purity and quality. For every gemstone there is a different set of criteria, which makes that gem therapeutic."
Gemisphere teaches that each gemstone has a unique purpose. For instance, dark green aventurine is used to cleanse discordant energies from the body’s weakest organ. The effects of the stone, however, will vary from person to person depending on individual need.
Andrew Pacholyk, a massage therapist and metaphysical consultant practicing in New York City, says that crystals are manifestations of our planet. Infused with the energy of air, fire, soil and water, they possess strong healing and nurturing powers, he says.
Pacholyk also believes that crystals work to reconnect the chakra points by energizing and balancing the energy centers.
"Each chakra in the body is seen as a focal point of life energy," he says. "Chakras are stations along the central axis of the body, which correlate to the ethereal energy of our being. Each one is a point at which energy can be expressed in a certain set of actions, attitudes and emotions."
"The various chakras are a map of the soul, which you can check in with in order to maintain good health and balance," Pacholyk continues. "These points represent our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual growth. They are openings through which our attitudes and belief systems enter into and create our body/mind structure. The energy created from our emotional and mental attitudes run through each chakra. This energy is then distributed to all aspects of our bodies."
Another therapist who addresses the chakra system is Pat Burkitt, a gemstone-therapy practitioner in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She uses crystals and precious stones, such as emeralds, diamonds and sapphires, to work on the chakras to access layers of physical and emotional blockage to facilitate healing.
"The blending of crystals with precious stones is a synergistic mix that is very powerful," Burkitt says. "I like my clients to carry or wear stones as reinforcement to the healing work that I have done on them."
Rocking A Session
How crystals and gemstones are actually used in sessions varies with each therapist. Some therapists use a crystal as a massage tool. Others may lay a gemstone or crystal directly on the client’s body, to effect healing in that area. Still others place crystals or gemstones in specific areas of their session room, to open up energy.
According to Sonia Alexandra, founder of a stone-massage products and education business in Boca Raton, Florida, one stone or a few stones may be used on the chakra points during massage. Crystals may also be used during the masking portion of a facial in tandem with cold stones on the eyes to reduce inflammation and soreness. She also says that stones can be used intuitively as the practitioner sees fit.
"In my six years of educating licensed professionals in stone and crystal work, I have seen a lot of creativity put to use on ways to use the stones," Alexandra says. "You can either use [an established] methodology point by point, or take some of those methods and add your own creative, intuitive, personal style to the work. Either way, the effects of the stones are very powerful."
Joni Gorchoff experienced her first crystal chakra massage a little over a year ago. A regular massage client, she sought relief from a neck and shoulder injury and from chronic neuropathy in her legs.
"It was like nothing I have ever experienced before," she says. "The combination of the warmed stones mixed with the chakra work was just amazing. The energy from the stones was immediately noticeable. The only way that I can describe the sensation is a sort of release - an immediate letting go and opening up. I experienced immediate relief from tension and pain. Even days later I felt like a million bucks."
Celia Harnley, of Hudson, Minnesota, uses gemstones not only to affect her physical well-being in her massage sessions, but also to help her clients’ emotional well-being.
"Sometimes I will have a client hold crystals that are significant to their particular healing in each hand," Harnley says. "For example, I recently gave a client a rose quartz to heal some trauma that she had incurred in a relationship breakup. She held amethyst in her other hand to help her stop the addiction of smoking."
Among a variety of stones, Harnley routinely uses citrine. "I have several pieces of citrine that are of various shapes. The yellow ray in citrine helps the body to process energy work and actually supports the functions of the spine," she says.
Harley also uses crystals as massage tools. "I might use a knobby piece for deep muscle work and a rounder-shaped piece for more delicate massage strokes," she says.
Client Feedback
Laurie West, an aesthetics instructor at the Florida College of Natural Healing, in Davie, experienced a crystal massage at THStone in Boca Raton. "I was having mid- and lower-back pain and heard about the crystal modality," she says. "Not only did I notice a feeling of relief as the warmed crystals were being used during the massage session, I also felt a significant improvement days after the massage."
West believes that crystal massage is one of the most deeply relaxing types of massage that she has encountered. ?There is something about the combination of the chakra work in tandem with the healing energies of the crystals used that just really makes a difference in the quality of healing and the effect that the work has on the body," she says. "I’m sold."
Client Glen Christiansen, an Olympic swimmer from Hamburg, Germany, says, "One of the strongest contributions to my eight world records has been the green tourmaline gemstones that I have been wearing."
And at Applewood Wellness & Beauty Sanctuary in Weston, Florida, owner Vicky Diaz says that clients welcomed crystals added to massage sessions. "Our clients just ate it up; they loved it," she says.
Applewood offers an $85, one-hour crystal massage to balance the chakras and rejuvenate the mind and body.
"We do crystal-based facials also," Diaz says. "We also use the crystals and stones in body treatments."
"Once a client comes in for one treatment," Diaz adds, "they’re hooked."
Melinda Minton, L.M.T., is an esthetician, cosmetologist and former spa owner. She currently works as a spa and salon consultant, E-business expert and free-lance writer. She calls Fort Collins, Colorado, home.
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