Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Spring Has Sprung! It's Time to Detox, Not Botox!

Spring has sprung and we couldn't be more glad! Now that Winter has gone and the urge to shore up and be cozy has given way to longer days we are packing up our bulky sweaters and heading outside. In Ayurveda (the ancient system of Indian diet and healing) as well as in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Spring is a season of new beginnings.
Just as we do a thorough Spring Cleaning in our homes (out with the old and in with the fresh, clean, new!) so should we assist our skin and bodies with detoxification and releasing what isn't needed anymore.

For many of us, all those months of cold weather have led to a stagnant way of being- perhaps we are holding a bit more weight than we'd like. Maybe our skin is breaking out, or bumpy, red and itchy. These are all signs of inflammation, aggravated by artificial heating and cooling and a diet too high in sugars simple carbs. (Bad news, party people. Alcohol = sugar to your body.)

We all know how detoxifying skincare can help get you clear, soft skin. But did you know that massage can actually help you lose weight? Reduced stress means a reduced cortisol levels. Excess Cortisol, the stress hormone, has a direct relationship to excess belly fat. And we know conclusively that massage therapy reduces stress. So it seems that stress-reducing bodywork can help you achieve your weight loss goals.
Besides that, taking care or yourself in a nurturing way can make the difference between a grab-and-go lifestyle (that leads to too much snacking, poor food choices, and not enough sleep-- also linked to excess weight) and really slowing down, living our goals and taking good care of ourselves.

Yoga is also an excellent aid to detoxifying the skin and body since it (like massage) helps circulation and lymphatic movement. Yoga can't be beat for stress relief, and is also good for the sort of mental "spring cleaning" that comes from mindful movement and, again, slowing down to breathe.
All that sounds better than a horrid week breaking your metabolism by doing the dangerous, starvation-inducing
Master Cleanse, doesn't it?

Kick-start your Spring get-healthy program with our seasonal Detox Not Botox package. What you get:


  • One 60-minute detox facial treatment with lymphatic drainage facial massage

  • One 45-minute skincare for the back treatment with our amazing new detox mask, le Swamp Thang, featuring Pacific coast seaweed, French green clay and an amazing blend of essential oils sure to banish back acne and get your skin glowing for Spring.

  • One 70 -minute massage for stress relief or Integrated/ deep tissue massage with full-body dry brushing

  • Two private yoga sessions

  • Our own delicious herbal tisane, custom-blended for the season and made from the highest quality organic nutritive herbs, for you to take home.

Regular price: $470. Package price: $423. Buy this package before April 30th for the reduced rate of $399!


Go to our secure booking page and select Detox Not Botox from the package drop down menu. Happy Spring!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Dads and Doulas in the Huffington Post


". . .if you're a dad-to-be and you are hesitant to rescind your position as the only advocate for the delivery of your child, consider the percentage of caesarian births in this country and how those statistics might change with an experienced doula by your side, giving you and your partner the support you deserve during one of the most challenging and meaningful days of your life."

Commercial Sunscreens Linked to Cancer

So many of my clients have come in with terrible congested pores and sensitive, rosacea-like skin from using greasy, cheap over-the-counter sunscreens. Ugh. As if preservatives, petrochemicals and pore-blocking additives weren't bad enough, a large study was recently published that proves what we who approach skincare from a holistic perspective have suspected for a long time: chemical sunscreens are not only ineffective- they can be downright toxic.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG)—said, in its fourth annual Sunscreen Guide, that it had evaluated an astounding 500 sunscreens, only finding minimal eight percent to be “acceptable.” A great majority of those common brands found in drug stores and department stores contain an ingredient called Retinyl Palmitate. We already knew this Vitamin A-derivative can sensitize skin. Now the FDA's National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP) have conducted studies that found potential links between RA and skin cancer.

That's right- SKIN CANCER. From sunscreen.

In the past, RA was in all sorts of sunscreen products and there were no really viable alternatives. Now we have excellent manual - mineral - sunscreens that do the job of protecting skin from UV rays. Without additives, without chemicals. Choose a professional grade mineral sunscreen and see the benefit in beautiful aging and in helping sensitive skin feel cool and healthy. Please remember that whatever you use needs to be applied in an adequate amount, and reapplied every two hours. Even in the fog, San Franciscans.

That and a hat will keep you looking dang fine all summer. Now go out and have fun.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Blog Archive: The Past is Past

It seems we've been doing this a long time. Past entries from 2005 and 2006 are all here:

http://westwindhealing.blogspot.com/

Monday, December 28, 2009

Where we're giving this morning. Tell Apotheca and win a beautiful organic lavender eye pillow (shipped anywhere in the US):

Where are you giving?



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Khaled in Lebanon (Activity: Retail) You Loaned:$100.00 View loan
profile at:
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=161146&_te=ty
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Efua in Ghana (Activity: Cereals) You Loaned:$100.00 View loan profile
at:
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=164454&_te=ty
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Jorge Luis Sáenz Medrano in Nicaragua (Activity: Personal Housing
Expenses) You Loaned:$100.00 View loan profile at:
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=164135&_te=ty
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Zee in Ghana (Activity: Used Clothing) You Loaned:$100.00 View loan
profile at:
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=164409&_te=ty
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Walter Enrique Rodas Galo in Nicaragua (Activity: Personal Housing
Expenses) You Loaned:$100.00 View loan profile at:
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=164134&_te=ty
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Christiana in Ghana (Activity: Food Production/Sales) You Loaned:$100.00
View loan profile at:
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=164446&_te=ty
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Crecer Con Libertad Group in Chile (Activity: Retail) You Loaned:$200.00
View loan profile at:
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=165009&_te=ty

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