Home Spa Lady Tips Issue # 27 Natural Deodorants, Asparagus, Pretty Toenails

Home Spa Lady's Tips of the Week Issue # 27 - May 31, 2006 Publisher: Marilee Tolen RN mailto:marilee777@aol.com http://www.homespalady.com/ http://www.HomeSpaLady.com/blog (Blog) Home Spa Lady ™
Circulation: 542
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Make Every Day A Spa Day!
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Please forward this e-newsletter to anyone you know who isinterested in natural health, wellness, healing, and beauty basedon principles of energy, consciousness, spirituality, personalempowerment, delicious whole foods, cleansing and detoxificationof the body and mind, and having a heck of a good time!
================================ In This Issue================================
1. Natural Deodorants You Never Heard Of
2. Asparagus - One of the Healthiest Foods
3. Are Pretty Toenails Possible with Fungal Infections?
4. Recipe of the Week: Grilled Asparagus
5. HSL's Joke, or Cute Quote, of the Week
==============================================1. Natural Deodorants You Never Heard Of==============================================
Why the interest in natural deodorants?
Just like every other part of the body, the underarm area has apurpose. It allows the body to cleanse and detoxify itself alongwith helping to regulate the body's temperature. The sweat glandsunder the arm and the lymph nodes are part of the "excretorysystem" of the body which helps the body "excrete" the toxins.
Almost every antiperspirant on the market contains aluminum.Aluminum is a heavy metal and can stress the body.The body doesn't have a mechanism to easily rid itself of metals.
Why burden part of the excretory system with a heavy metal whenthere are natural alternatives that are often less expensive?
Here are some:
--Baking soda Keep a box at your bathroom sink and sprinkle on your palm and apply it under your arm like a powder
--Corn Starch Keep a box at your bathroom sink and apply under your arm
--Vinegar Dilute white vinegar with water and splash under arm
--Essential Oils Lavender, melaleuca(tea-tree), rosemary, thyme. Use only therapeutic-grade. Splash a few drops under your arm.
--Combine baking soda, corn starch, and your favorite essential oil in a container and use under your arm
--Natural Toothpaste Most natural toothpastes have baking soda, salts, and essential oils. (Don't use Tom's, it has propylene glycol). Put a dab on your finger and rub under your armpit. Just know the toothpastes with mint will be a bit more refreshing! The mint sensation will last just a few minutes.
It's best that you don't apply anything immediately aftershaving.
Commercially, a good alternative is crystal stone deodorants.
It you are feeling industrious and want to make your own soliddeodorant at home, here's a recipe:
1 1/2 tbs beeswax (yellow is best)1/2 tbs cocoa butter1 tablespoon coconut oil15 drops thyme essential oil15 drops rosemary essential oil25 drops lavender essential oil3 drops castor oil
Melt beeswax in a glass jar standing in hot water, add the cocoabutter, and when it has melted, add the oils. Stir to mixthoroughly, then pour into a clean, empty deodorant stickcase and leave to cool and set.
================================================================2. Asparagus - One of the Healthiest Foods================================================================
Asparagus belongs to the lily family. There are over 300 typesbut only 20 that are edible. For more than 2000 years asparagushas been used as a delicacy in dishes. Asparagus also has manymedicinal qualities.
Here are some of the health benefits of asparagus:
--Heart Health Folate is essential for cardiovascular health. Folate helps to reduce homocysteine levels (high homocysteine leads to arteriosclerosis). One serving of asparagus gives over 60% of the daily recommended intake of folate
--Keeps Excess Fluid off the Body Asparagus is a natural diuretic. Historically, asparagus has been used to treat problems involving swelling, such as arthritis and rheumatism, and may also be useful for PMS-related water retention.
--Helps To Establish Healthy Gut Flora Asparagus contains "inulin", which is a special type of carbohydrate that helps to promote good healthy bacteria for the gut, such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. When we eat more foods with inulin these friendly bacteria increase.
--Fights Birth Defects Folate deficiency is known to be the most common deficiency in the world. Many birth defects are associated with a deficiency of folate. The fetus' nervous system does not develop without folate. One cup of asparagus supplies approximately 263 mcg of folate.
For more detailed information on the nutrition and healthbenefits of asparagus go to: http://tinyurl.com/fwy42
See the Recipe Section below for Grilled Asparagus.
============================================================3. Are Pretty Toenails Possible with Fungal Nail Infections?============================================================
YUCK. It's an acronym for the common symptoms of nail infections,and also how we feel when we see our nails turning on us in frontof our eyes!
Y Yellow discoloration of the nail bedU Under the nail bed, a buildup of skinC Cracking of the nailK Keratinization, or thickening of the nail
Summer is here, and we like our feet exposed. It's cooler, morecomfortable, and even a little sexier, unless what's showing arediscolored, disfigured, or cracked nails.
What can we do at home to get rid of these symptoms or preventthem from happening?
Systemically Speaking
If a fungus is on a toe, its highly likely that its presentsomewhere else in the body. If you've ever had yeast infections,athletes feet, or jock itch for example, you will be apt to getfungal infections on the nails.
Make sure the foods that you are eating are more alkaline tobalance the body so the unwanted fungus can't take up residence.More alkaline foods are fruits and vegetables. Stay away fromacid producing foods, such as sugar, refined carbohydrates,coffee and alcohol.
There are certain "anti-fungal" foods you can eat such as:--Avocado--Broccoli--Brussels--Sprouts--Cabbage--Cinnamon,--Cloves--Collards--Lemon--Garlic--Kale--Onions--Coconut
and "anti-fungal" supplements:--Grapefruit seed extract--Oregano essential oil--Ginger--Pau d'arco herb and tea
For local application. . .
. . .sure, there are over the counter topical creams. Often theyare full of chemicals you may want to shy away from. Morenatural topical applications would be oils: therapeutic essentialoils, vitamin E oil, castor oil, and Vicks VapoRub.
Some ways to use these:
Castor Oil: "Horny" Toe Nail is a common problem especially in the elderly. It's a toe nail that is large, angled, and difficult to trim. Soak feet in Epsom salts for 15 minutes every night, and then wrap toe in a castor oil soaked gauze. Put a sock on.
Therapeutic Essential Oils Use one of these directly on the affected toe: --Oregano --Melaleuca (Tea Tree) --Mix tea tree with lavender --Mix tea tree with mountain savory You can use about 5 drops of these oils. Use directly on the site, or dilute with Vitamin E oil. Use the Young Living Blends of Melrose, Thieves, and Purification.
Vicks VapoRub as a remedy? When Vicks hit the market decades ago, people were using it for everything, including fungal nail infections. The magic of Vicks is the eucalyptus! Vicks has essential oils in it. Essential oils are naturally anti-microbial and can get rid of any unwanted microbes in their environment, including fungus.
Now Make Them Pretty
Paint them anyway. But be sure to take off your nail polishregularly and reapply. It gives you the opportunity to follow itshealing course.
You have to pay more attention to your toenails when you areworking on getting rid of a fungus. Cleaning, soaks, oilapplications, and regularly taking off your polish andreapplying it will take time, stay with it, its worth it.
=====================================================4. Recipe of the Week: Grilled Asparagus=====================================================
Ingredients for 4 servings
--1 pound asparagus--3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar--2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice--1 tablespoon olive oil--1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce--1/8 teaspoon black pepper--Cooking spray
Directions
--Prepare grill.--Snap off tough ends of asparagus. Combine all ingredientsexcept cooking spray in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal andmarinate for 30 minutes. Remove asparagus from bag, and discardmarinade. Place asparagus on grill rack coated with cookingspray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until asparagus is done.
=========================================5. HSL's Joke, or Cute Quote, of the Week=========================================
A man absolutely hated his wife's cat and decided to get rid ofhim one day by driving him 20 blocks from his home and leavinghim at the park.
As he was getting home, the cat was walking up the driveway.The next day he decided to drive the cat 40 blocks away. He putthe beast out and headed home. Driving back up his driveway,there was the cat! He kept taking the cat further and further andthe cat would always beat him home. At last he decided to drive afew miles away, turn right, then left, past the bridge, thenright again and another right until he reached what he thoughtwas a safe distance from his home and left the cat there. Hourslater the man calls home to his wife: "Jen, is the cat there?""Yes," the wife answers, "why do you ask?"
Frustrated, the man answered, "Put that son of a ***** on thephone, I'm lost! and need directions!"
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Where to Meet, Hear, or Learn with Home Spa Lady:
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June 9: St. Paul, MN
American Holistic Nurses Association / American Holistic MedicalAssociation Joint Conference
"How To Turn The Internet Into Income For Your Holistic Practice"http://www.ahna.org/events/2006.html
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June 24/25: Marlton, NJ
Healing Touch Level 2Contact Marilee for further information 856-857-1799
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Sept 1-4, 2006 Breckenridge, COHealing Touch International Conference
"Using the Internet for Your Healing Touch Business Practice:You Have the Choice of Giving: Service for Free or Service for aFee"
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=======================================================Marilee Tolen RNa.k.a. Home Spa Ladymarilee777@aol.comPhone: 856-857-1799 (East Coast)