Seattle 100 Ride for the Cure

A good friend of mine, a motorcycle enthusiast and artist, is participating in a fund raiser for research to find a cure for Nephrotic Syndrome. Kidney dysfunction and disease runs in my family so I am happy to support her fund raising efforts. She has a modest goal of $500. If you can afford even $5, please click on the link below and lend your money to the cause.

Here is the email she sent out.

As most of you know I love riding my motorcycle on the track. The Seattle 100 is an opportunity to put my passion to good use by raising funds to find a cure for Nephrotic Syndrome. This condition occurs when kidney filters malfunction and protein needed by the body is instead lost though urine. Swelling occurs throughout the body, especially around the eyes and limbs, cholesterol soars, and hospitalization is generally required. Long-term effects of Nephrotic Syndrome can cause Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), kidney scarring that can require daily dialysis, or a kidney transplant.

On Saturday, July 25th, I will be in a group of one hundred motorcycle enthusiasts who will attempt to circle Pacific Raceway’s road course as many times as we can with the sole purpose of raising money towards kidney disease research. Each and every rider in the Seattle 100 is raising money through friends and family, with proceeds of the event going directly to The NephCure Foundation - the only organization in the world dedicated specifically to the cure of glomerular kidney disease. Riders raise funds through per lap pledges or fixed contributions, and contributions are tax-deductible.

Prior year’s events have raised over $125,000. This year, one hundred riders are expected to participate, and the fundraising goal for this year’s 2009 Seattle 100 is to exceed $150,000.

Donations:

To donate, please go to www.active.com/donate/seattle1002009/kerig and follow the instructions there.

Please feel free to forward to friends, family, and colleagues.

Thank you so much for your help!

Keri

Dolphin Swim - Or Contact Dance under water.

Jens, who holds an incredible dance and movement class called Soul Motion, recently told me about an experience he had that combined dance and water.

A group of people set the intention of moving with each other in a small pool. Everyone had nose plugs and was prepared for full immersion, as well as a lot of body contact. The rules were simple: move slowly and gently and in ways that feel good to your body, keep hands open and relaxed, (no grabbing) eyes closed, come up for air any time you want/need to. They started with a breathing exercise to settle everyone. After everyone was relaxed, the facilitator urged them to start moving around the pool with heads above water before diving underneath the surface. His descriptions were luscious and interesting. We set a date to try it out in the Little Red Day Spa.

We followed the formula above and I was blown away. There were only four of us in the hot tub, and we could have fit 4 more in there! We tended to whirl and curl around each other. Amazingly enough, even with eyes closed, none of us bumped into anything other than each other, and that really felt more like sliding and caressing. After about twenty minutes, I was tired and winded from holding my breath so much, as I found that I preferred to stay under water. Jens said with larger groups of people, you occasionally end up on top of the pile and that gives you a chance to catch your breath. Since there were so few of us, we didn't make enough of a pile to end up out of the water by chance movement.

I am currently trying to figure out how this could be done at the spa. It reminded me a little of ecstatic dance in that it was a fluid coming together of bodies without agenda or plan. Just pure movement and joy in engaging in that movement. I am guessing that it would work best as a group session. 6-8 people could move around quite nicely in the tub. Maybe it could be spa night, where there would be more people allowed than can fit in the tub, knowing that people would not be in the tub the whole time.

Lots to think about. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please email me, Sophia@HengstStudio.com and I will put you on the list of people who would like to be my testers! Experimenting can be fun.

Creative Movement Workshop

Cody, one of the practitioners from when we first started the spa, came in last week to teach the Spa's current practitioners how facilitate a Creative Movement Spa Session. We spent the time doing floor work and the next session will revolve around incorporating movement into watsu.

It was a profound experience for me. This work can be deeply moving, in the emotional sense, even though the movements your body makes can be subtle and gentle. Perhaps that is exactly why it was such an emotional experience for me. Movement unlocks more than just physical tensions and Cody gave space for emotions to come out and encouraged us to let whatever was there have expression. I had been hit with 2 days of bad news so I had grief. Others were giggly, another was languid and sleepy. Cody made equal room for all reactions and expressions.

One of the skills I pride myself on is giving my attention my guest and focusing on creating a nurturing atmosphere. I learned that sometimes letting the atmosphere drift until all participants settle where they need to be, emotionally and physically, is better than having a strict agenda of what happens when. It was a good lesson in fluidity.

I am happy to say that there are now multiple practitioners who can do this session now. The Creative Movement session is now much more avilable than it was before.

CTS study reults

I found an article on the Massage Therapy Foundation's site about a Carpel Tunnel Syndrome study.

In the study they compared general massage with a focused treatment regime. To my mind, it was a boring and predictable study, but I am very excited that there were statistically relevant results. I have long held the opinion that massage therapists are health care professionals, not just someone who rubs you and makes you feel good. (Though compassionate touch is a very important thing. Sometimes more important to receive than therapeutic techniques.) There are many states in America that have little or no requirements when it comes to massage therapy. Which sometimes leads people to eschew attending a school such as the UCMT Massage Therapy School* because they don't legally have to in order to obtain a license to practice massage.

Studies like this highlight the importance of a strong anatomy and physiology based education so that massage therapists can thoughtfully prepare treatment plans for people who come to see them with physical ailments or difficulties.

*The UMTC has schools in states with lax schooling requirements. I have no affiliation with them other than auditing 2 of their schools in Colorado and Arizona. During those audits, I was highly impressed with their educational curriculum. I also am impressed that they choose to have schools in the states they do because it gives their graduates an incredible advantage over graduates of other massage schools in those states.

Ladies' Night is going to be smelly!

Well, not is a bad way. I am working on an art installation utilizing aromas. I am hoping that while I work on making different blends, I can get feedback about each one. I also want to try out a system for delivering the scent so that only the person doing the smelling gets a whiff. I am hoping that I can keep the "smell noise" down to a minimum so that it can be used in public where chemical or smell sensitive people can be in the same room as the installation.

Ladies' Spa Night - Every Monday!
Drop In: 6-9pm
Cost: $15
Little Red Day Spa
1506 Franklin Ave. E. Seattle

Please leave the parking spots in the lot for those with mobility difficulties. Thank you!

Enjoying the Sun.

Today the sun was wonderful and warm. I took advantage of the extra hour before the start of Ladies' Spa Night to go once around Green Lake and sit in the park eating ice cream.

Just want to put my two cents in to remind everyone to take care of their skin in the sunnier weather. Start out with small doses of sunshine to give your skin a chance to produce melanin, your body's natural sunscreen. My tactic for protecting my skin at the beginning of the summer is to go without sunscreen lotion for the first 15-30 minutes and then apply liberally if I stay out in the sun. That way my body builds it's own resistance to UV rays without burning. Now, my skin is olive toned, and I have rarely endured a sunburn, as I tan easily and quickly. If you have paler skin, then this routine probably will not work for you at all.

Another factor to be aware of is whether you are taking any medications that affect your skin's reaction to UV exposure. There are some medications that can make your skin more sensitive to the sun. Make sure to do a quick check of any herbs or other supplements you are taking, too. A great reference guide (besides MedicalNet.com)is the book Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis Balch.

Remember to have fun!

Anti-Stress Essential Oils

There is a treasure trove of information on the interweb about anything you can think of. However, when it comes to the web, just because someone wrote it, doesn't mean they have a lot of experience with said subject. For example, while searching for studies linking cancer treatments and essential oils, I found the Cancer Blog.

Over all, it has good information, though some of it is incomplete and therefore misleading. Such as:

Bergamot elevates the mood and is good for alleviating anxiety and depression. The fragrance has a refreshing citrus aroma. Reported to increase white blood cell count. White blood cells fight foreign invaders in the body. Also reported to relax brain waves when inhaled.

Being in the citrus family, Bergamot can be phototoxic. Meaning that exposure to sunlight results in irritation after application. This oil is best saved for evening baths or application of lotions/oils, or in winter.

Chamomile relaxes both the mind and the body with a sense of inner peace and is good for headaches and insomnia. The fragrance might remind you of apples, as it did the Greeks who called the chamomile flowers earth apples. Chamomile leaves are said to bring peaceful dreams during sleep.

Chamomile is also very expensive, $25 and up for a 5 mL bottle.

Rose Geranium brings the mind and emotions back into balance. It is said to be able to stabilize blood pressure, although I don't know if this is based on any scientific studies. The fragrance is a combination of citrus and rose.

Actually, there have been scientific studies done on the effects of essential oils on blood pressure. Here is one published by the Touch Research Institute. Rose Geranium was not one of the oils in this study, and none of my reference books say anything about it's effects on blood pressure. It's fabulous for balancing the adrenals and reducing anxiety states through a sedative effect, though.

Jasmine sedates the nervous system while stimulating the brain and can relax tense muscles caused by tension, relieve headaches, and elevate the mood. According to one study, computer operators made fewer mistakes because of the scent of jasmine. Stress will lead to more mistakes, as will the mental distraction of stress.

Pure essential oil of Jasmine is almost impossible to find, and if you do, it's extremely expensive ($24 for 1 mL) due to the demand by the perfume industry. Absolutes are a step down from essential oils in refinement and more affordable.

Lavender is possibly the most common and widely-known as a stress reducer able to bring relaxation to the user and it is attributed in a long list of ability to promote calm. The fragrance is sweet and floral. Lavender is known to relieve muscle pain, ease headaches, fight inflammation, and supports the immune system. Research has proven lavender is the number one essential oil in relaxing brain waves and reducing stress.

Lavender is also known to amplify the effects of other essential oils so that the sum of a blend is greater than its parts. High altitude Lavenders from France or Italy are generally considered higher medicinal quality. Lavender is also one of the essential oils that has the widest variety of scents based on where it was grown, so if you don't much care for the smell, sniff around, you might be surprised. I personally dislike the smell of all Lavenders, except for the Italian High Altitude Lavender.

Sandalwood relaxes brain waves and is very calming for the nerves, lessening irritability, anxiety and tension. It is also an oil reported to increase white blood cell count. White blood cells fight foreign invaders in the body.

Sandalwood is incredible for nervous tension and stress related complaints. It has documented bactericidal and antiseptic properties. It is very small step in logic to say that when something is antiseptic, for example when you inhale Sandalwood, it increases white blood cells. I can understand the author not wanting to go out on a limb. After all, Sandalwood is famous for its effects on the respiratory system specifically.

If you are interested in more information, I recommend the The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils by Julia Lawless and the Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy. I prefer to buy my oils from their associated company, Original Swiss Aromatics.

TRI study on aromatherapy and stress.

The Touch Research Institute in Miami, FL has been conducting scientific studies on the effects of touch and massage since 1992. When I was in massage school in 1994, everyone was hanging on every word of every press release, reveling in the facts that proved why becoming a massage therapist was so important.

During a periodic revisit of their website, I noticed that they had abstracts on Aromatherapy studies. This one linking the inhalation of two specific essential oils to decreased cortisol levels was especially pleasing to me, since Lavender and Rosemary are the scents I employ most often in spa treatments.

From TRI's Abstracts page:
Atsumi, T. & Tonosaki, K. (2007). Smelling lavender and rosemary increases free radical scavenging activity and decreases cortisol levels in saliva. Psychiatry Research, 150, 89-96.


METHOD: Free radicals/reactive oxygen species are related to many biological phenomena such as inflammation, aging, and carcinogenesis. The body possesses various antioxidative systems (free radical scavenging activity, FRSA) for preventing oxidative stress, and saliva contains such activity. In the present study, we measured the total salivary FRSA induced after the smelling of lavender and rosemary essential oils that are widely used in aromatherapy. Various physiologically active substances in saliva such as cortisol, secretory IgA, and alpha-amylase activity were found to be correlated with aroma-induced FRSA. The subjects (22 healthy volunteers) sniffed aroma for 5 min, and each subject's saliva was collected immediately.

RESULTS: The FRSA values were increased by stimulation with low concentrations (1000 times dilution) of lavender or by high-concentrations (10 times dilution) of rosemary. In contrast, both lavender and rosemary stimulations decreased cortisol levels. A significant inverse correlation was observed between the FRSA values and the cortisol levels with each concentration of rosemary stimulation. No significant changes were noted in sIgA or alpha-amylase. These findings clarify that lavender and rosemary enhance FRSA and decrease the stress hormone, cortisol, which protects the body from oxidative stress.

I feel like I want to stand with my hands on my hips and proudly say, "I've known that for years." It's nice to have impartial research to back up my experiences and training.