Shea Butter

Ohhhh Shea Butter

For Your Complexion and More


Shea butter comes from the nut of the shea tree (pronounced shay) found in the tropics of Africa, primarily West Africa. It offers many benefits as a topical moisturizer for skin and hair, and improves other skin problems and appearance.

As well as providing relief from minor dermatological conditions like eczema, lesser burns, and acne, shea butter can be used as a natural sunscreen and for stretch-mark prevention during pregnancy.



Other benefits include the evening out of skin tone, reducing blemishes, and restoring skin elasticity. Shea butter easily penetrates the skin, allowing skin to breathe without clogging pores. It contains high concentrations of linoleic acid, which provide skin protection at a cellular level, as well as vitamins A, E, and F, which protect against premature wrinkles.

Vitamin F in shea butter also soothes rough, dry, or chapped skin. Healing though it may be, shea butter undergoes a rigorous path in its journey from overseas to the faces and bodies of your clients.

The fruit from the shea tree is cultivated, cracked, grilled, pounded, and boiled. The shea butter is then scooped out of the nut and left to cool. Properties of shea butter include unsaponifiables--substances that cannot decompose into acids, salts, or alcohol.

For that reason, shea butter is extremely absorbable, even more so than soybean and avocado oils. There are three types of shea butter extraction and just two of the three end products of these extractions should be used.

Unrefined shea butter in its pure form is yellow. Refined shea butter is processed but still contains many of its natural components. Either is fine to use. Highly refined shea butter may well have lost its healing properties and can include such solvents as hexane, which may cause nerve damage. It is pure white and should be avoided. Another note of caution: shea butter is not recommended for people with nut and latex allergies, and some experts also discourage its use by people with chocolate allergies.

compliments of ABMP and Shelley Burns, N.D.

Benefits of Massage

Taking time for you can be oh so beneficial...

Bodywork Goes Beyond Relaxation
As you lie on the table under crisp, fresh sheets, hushed music draws you into the moment. The smell of lavender fills the air and you hear the gentle sound of your therapist's hands warming the massage creme. Once the session gets underway, the daily stressors and aching muscles fade into an oblivious 90 minutes of relief, and all you can comprehend right now is not wanting it to end.

But what if that massage did more for you than just take the pressures of the day away?
What if that gentle, Swedish massage helped you combat cancer?
What if bodywork helped you recover from a strained hamstring in half the time?
What if your sleep, digestion, and mood all improved with massage and bodywork?
What if these weren't just "what if's"?

Evidence is showing that the more massage you can allow yourself, the better you'll feel.
Here's why:Massage as a healing tool has been around for thousands of years in many cultures. Touching is a natural human reaction to pain and stress, and for conveying compassion and support. When you bump your head or have a sore calf, the natural response is to rub it to feel better. The same was true of our earliest ancestors. Healers throughout time and throughout the world have instinctually and independently developed a wide range of therapeutic techniques using touch. Many are still in use today, and with good reason. We now have scientific proof of the benefits of massage -- benefits ranging from treating chronic diseases and injuries to alleviating the growing tensions of our modern lifestyles.

Having a massage does more than just relax your body and mind -- there are specific physiological and psychological changes that occur, and even more so when massage is utilized as a preventative, frequent therapy and not simply mere luxury. Massage not only feels good, but it can cure what ails you.

The Fallout of Stress
Experts estimate that 80 percent to 90 percent of disease is stress-related. Massage and bodywork is there to combat that frightening number by helping us remember what it means to relax. The physical changes massage brings to your body can have a positive effect in many areas of your life.
Besides increasing relaxation and decreasing anxiety, massage lowers blood pressure, increases circulation, improves injury recovery, encourages deep sleep, and increases concentration. It reduces fatigue and gives you more energy to handle stressful situations. Massage is a perfect elixir for good health, but it can also provide an integration of body and mind. By producing a meditative state or heightened awareness of the present moment, massage can provide emotional and spiritual balance, bringing with it true relaxation and peace.

The incredible benefits of massage are doubly powerful if taken in regular "doses." Researchers from the Touch Research Institute (TRI) at the University of Miami, found that recipients of massage can benefit even in small doses (15-30 minutes of chair massage). They also note that receiving bodywork two to three times a week is even more beneficial. While this may not be feasible, it's nice to know that this "medicine" only gets better with frequency.

What It Does
In an age of technical and, at times, impersonal medicine, massage offers a drug-free, non-invasive, and humanistic approach based on the body's natural ability to heal itself. Following is a brief list of the many known, research-based benefits of massage and bodywork:- Increases circulation, allowing the body to pump more oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs,- Stimulates the flow of lymph, the body's natural defense system, against toxic invaders.

For example, in breast cancer patients, massage has been shown to increase the cells that fight cancer. Furthermore, increased circulation of blood and lymph systems improves the condition of the body's largest organ -- the skin,
- Relaxes and softens injured and overused muscles,

- Reduces spasms and cramping,- Increases joint flexibility,

- Reduces recovery time and helps prepare the body for strenuous workouts, reducing subsequent muscle pain of athletes at any level,

- Releases endorphins -- the body's natural painkiller -- and is proving very beneficial in patients with chronic illness, injury, and post-op pain,

- Reduces post-surgery adhesions and edema and can be used to reduce and realign scar tissue after healing has occurred, - Improves range-of-motion and decreases discomfort for patients with low back pain,

- Relieves pain for migraine sufferers and decreases the need for medication,

- Provides exercise and stretching for atrophied muscles and reduces shortening of the muscles for those with restricted range of motion,

- Assists with shorter labor for expectant mothers, as well as reduces the need for medication, eases postpartum depression and anxiety, and contributes to a shorter hospital stay.The benefits of massage are diverse. No matter how great it feels, massage isn't just a luxury, it's a health necessity.

Compliments of ABMP

December Special

Holiday Stress

Tips to Stay On Top

The leaves have fallen, school is well underway and the sweltering days of July have been replaced with the cool, crisp days of October, followed by scattered flurries and the slow take over of Christmas tunes. Just when things seem to have regained control again in our lives, lurking around the corner "it" comes -- holiday stress.

Millions of us have made the empty promise to ourselves to start early on holiday shopping. And it only gets crazier from here. Choir practice for the kids, family gatherings at every turn, office parties, treks to the mall, baking...you know where this is headed. So what can you do about it? You may not be able to control the chaos of the season, but there are some steps to make sure you survive it unscathed.

1.Take time for yourself. YES, get a massage. Soak in an aromatherapy bath. Listen to the silence of a snowfall. Even if there seems no possible moment you can claim as your own, close your eyes, breathe deep from your belly several times, exhaling the air loudly from your mouth. Do this whenever you need a "moment."

2. Utilize catalog/online shopping. Don't fight the crowds. From the convenience of your home or during an office lunch hour, catalog and online shopping can eliminate the headache of holiday stress tenfold.

3. Eat right. Some of the best goodies come out this time of year. While you shouldn't deny yourself the opportunity to have a piece of grandma's pumpkin pie, don't overdo it. Remember to eat plenty of veggies and fruits to help stave off the winter's bombardment of colds.

4. Give yourself the advantage. Consumption of alcohol, nicotine, drugs and caffeine elicit the body's stress reaction. Remember moderation, you'll be happier and calmer in the long run.

5. Don't skimp on the exercise...but allow yourself to be excused from the routine when need be. Exercise helps melt the stress away and can provide that moment of clarity in a hectic day.

6. Don't try to be Martha Stuart. It's easy to get caught up in the spirit of the holidays with new decorating ideas, fancy dinners and the whim to make all your gifts this year. Be realistic and honest with yourself. Don't set yourself up for failure. Hire a caterer. Have friends help by having a craft day. Forgo making the gift wreath and give a gift you'll know they'll appreciate -- a massage.

7. Remember the spirit. When it's all said and done, no one will remember that the turkey was a little dry, that the sweater didn't fit, or that you were a few minutes late for rehearsal. What do they remember? The precious moments with family and friends.
Thanks.

Massage and Bodywork Magazine

~Cheryl Adams


.~The Relaxation Spot
http://www.therelaxationspot.com/
http://www.OurLemongrassSpa.com/RelaxationSpot