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 In This Issue:
·Daily Oil Massage
·Upcoming Events
·Skin-Care Products!!!
·What To Do About High Cholesterol
November 2008
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Daily Oil Massage
This is the time of year, wintery and cold in most places, when daily application of oil is practically a necessity! Our skin gets so dry when exposed to cold weather and the effects of indoor heat. (In addition to using oil on your skin every day, be sure to drink more water and use a humidifier.)
It's no coincidence that the Sanskrit word sneha means both "oil" and "love". Daily self massage is a way of creating warmth, grounding, nurturance and the feeling of being loved. The oil, or liquid love, penetrates the layers of your skin and brings well being to every cell of your body.
Using the appropriate oil for your current state is very important. Medicated oils have the added benefit of helping to correct systemic imbalances. If you're overweight, depressed and lethargic, for example, you wouldn't choose a cooling oil (especially in freezing weather!) that exacerbates these conditions. A heating and stimulating oil would be the right choice to move excess kapha out of your system.
Traditional ayurvedic massage oils cook herbs into sesame-oil, coconut-oil, mustard-oil and other bases. They're effective but I don't always want to smell like food! I've broken with tradition and created KK Ayurveda massage oils containing the highest-grade essential oils mixed with base oils like grapeseed, sunflower and a form of coconut oil that is odorless and doesn't solidify. They're quicker to make than the traditional oils and they smell fantastic! See them here.
Heat the oil in a pan or by putting the bottle of oil in a sink of hot water. Either go full-on ayurvedic and douse yourself with warm oil--scalp to soles--before getting in a warm shower. (Don't wash the oil off your skin, it will be absorbed before you get out!) Or, use the warm oil instead of body lotion after bathing. It doesn't matter to me how you do it, just get the oil on yourself every day!
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Upcoming Events
Exhale Spa
I'll be doing a 90-minute Introduction To Ayurveda: What's A Dosha Anyway? workshop on Sunday, January 25 at 2:00 p.m. The cost is $25. Exhale Spa is located at 945 North State Street in Chicago. The phone number is 312.753.6500. You can reserve a place in advance by calling them or registering online. (Just follow the link below to the homepage and look for "workshops & events" under the "mind body classes" heading.)
Exhale Spa
lululemon
lululemon, if you don't already know it, is a great store for men's and women's athletic clothing and accessories. There are several in Chicago and many other cities. They love doing community events in their stores and we love them for this!
I'll have a table at two of their health-fair events in the Michigan Avenue store (900 North Michigan Avenue).
-The first has a "Love Your Body" theme and takes place on Saturday, February 14, 2009 from 1 pm to 3 pm.
-The second is a "Balance Your Environment" event that happens on Saturday, March 21, 2009 from 1 pm to 3 pm.
I'd love everyone to bring friends and come on over. I'll give you more details as I receive them!
lululemon athletica
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KK Ayurveda Skin-Care Products!
My quest to find products with ingredients that are organic when possible, use botanicals wisely and contain the minimum amount of chemical preservatives led me to much experimentation. I've now found some exceptional bases to which I've added therapeutic-grade essential oil blends for increased efficacy.
The packaging is plain, cute and portable. The labels are handwritten and lacking in information (all product ingredients, descriptions and directions are listed, in far too much detail for most people, on the website).
The products smell great and are multifunctional. The cleanser can double as an eye-makeup remover. The eye cream also makes a fabulous facial moisturizer. The toners (hydrosols) have so many uses they needed their own section. The rose facial cream can also be used as the most luxurious-smelling hand cream.
Take a look!
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Some Words About High Cholesterol
My annual physical yielded some interesting information: my (chronically high) total cholesterol dropped by 25 points! Even better, this drop is attributable to a tincture of dandelion root, hawthorn berries and bilberry that I made myself.
It also helps that I tend to eat an anti-inflammatory diet. Here's a link to a great article defining how to eat this way on Dr. Andrew Weil's site. The basic idea is to eat whole (unprocessed) foods, less meat, more fruits and vegetables and good-quality fats.
Earlier this month, an article published in The New England Journal of Medicine triggered news stories trumpeting the benefits of using statin drugs (Crestor, in particular) in cases where high cholesterol and/or heart disease wasn't present. These patients were tested for C-Reactive Protein (a simple blood test your doctor can give you) that measures systemic inflammation.
C-Reactive
Protein can be elevated for all sorts of reasons, including infection,
obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, excess estrogen, gum disease, omega-3 deficiency and allergies.
Guess what lowers C-Reactive Protein? An anti-inflammatory diet, lowering stress, good oral hygiene, weight loss, exercise and getting enough sleep!
Statin drugs are very powerful and help many people. Taking these drugs prophylactically, in my opinion, may not be a very good idea and it's well worth exploring natural options first. They can be less taxing to your liver and, something people don't talk about much, your brain.
There are, in addition to my tincture, some very good, natural alternatives to statin drugs. One of which, red yeast rice, is the active ingredient in Lovastatin. It's cheap, readily accessible, as effective as statins, has been used safely for thousands of years and better for you! (Shhhh! Don't tell the big drug companies, this sort of stuff makes them cranky.)
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Love,
Karen Klutznick
Ayurvedic Consultant & Educator
· KK@KKAyurveda.com · KK Ayurveda |
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