Feet First Massage | Blog

Argan Oil

Argan oil is legendary in its ability to remove wrinkles, stretchmarks and scars.

It is exceptionally rich in natural tocopherols (vitamin E), rich in phenols and phenolic acid, rich in carotenes, rich in squalene, rich in essential fatty acids, 80% unsaturated fatty acids^{[4][unreliable source?]} and depending on extraction method more resistant to oxidation than olive oil.

Argan oil is an oil produced from the kernels of the argan tree, endemic to Morocco, that is valued for its nutritive, cosmetic and numerous medicinal properties.

Of special interest: All argan sold today is produced by a women’s cooperative that shares the profits among the local women of the Berber tribe. The cooperative has established an ecosystem reforestation project so that the supply of argan oil will not run out and the income that is currently supporting the women will not disappear. The money is providing health care and education to the local women, and supporting the entire community as a whole.^[5]

(wikipedia)

Anthopogon

Perhaps anthopogon’s most important characteristic in the physical realm is on the immune system. It has been used in Nepal for various types of blood disorders and systemic infections for a very long time. The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Padova in Italy has done extensive research as well as gas chromatography and mass spectrometry on this essential oil. Their results, published in a renowned scholarly scientific journal which targets important new discoveries, claim that anthopogon essential oil reduced cancer cell growth in all types of cells tested, using varying treatment protocols and varying concentrations of essential oil. The cancers anthopogon was tested against were ovarian, cervical, and colon—certainly three of the deadliest and fastest moving cancers known. The research team speculated that the high pinene content was responsible, at least in part, for this action. This is truly important new research! Anthopogon was also shown effective against candida, e-coli, and several other strains of bacteria. Anthopogon is a stimulant essential oil, with a particular affinity for the liver and digestive system. It can stimulate appetite during illness or convalescence. This oil is useful for gouty arthritic conditions. It is strongly anti-inflammatory when applied to fibrous tissues, ligaments, and joints. In Nepal, where anthopogon has been used for many years, it is considered a symbol of balance in the fire meridian. Anthopogon’s therapeutic properties certainly indicate that it affects this meridian in all of its aspects; physically, mentally, and emotionally. It relieves headaches, backaches, and joint and muscle pains that were brought about by excesses of some kind (over-the-top activity or consumption of food and drink). This oil is of great benefit to people whose illnesses are aggravated by windy or stormy conditions.

Anthopogon has a unique and very appealing fragrance which hangs in the air, becoming softer and more lovely as time passes. It is described as being fresh, green and balsamic with undertones of vanilla and conifers. I would simply describe it as delightful. It creates a feeling of openness, love, and connection, especially to family members and old friends.

(butterfly expressions)

I got yet another email today from yet another bulk marketing site. You know, GroupOn? SaleOn? Deal of the Day? Living Social? They are predators, they are worse than predators, they are PARASITES.

Okay here’s the deal on these deals. Small struggling companies offer their services for 50% retail price. Groupon (or whatever they call themselves) gets HALF of that. Not even CREDIT CARD COMPANIES get that big a margin!

The other part of this bad deal is that the provider (me) becomes so over-booked that their regulars can’t get in, and so move on to another like business.

The therapist becomes too exhausted to perform a good massage because remember they have to do four times as much work as they did before to make the same income.

These predators are doing to small business what Walmart did to the independents back in the 80s. I urge you all to block them from your mail.

Your stress is very much a part of your physical condition, as much so as is your heart rate or blood pressure. It relates directly to your nervous systems, Most immediately, the sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for the management of your body’s systems when under stress.

In fact, your parasympathetic nervous system – whose responsibility it is to maintain the body through digestion of food, production of cells, etc, is suspended when you are under stress so that the body can give all its resources over to the sympathetic nervous system, for the sake of handling the emergency. And what happens? The body falls into decline, you get sick, your stress grows, and the parasympathetic nervous system is further suspended.

Laundry piles up.

I relate this to a pain cycle, in which you feel pain, ouch ouch ouch until you do something to break the cycle – like rubbing the hurt. Rational mind knows that when you’re angry, stressed, whatever, the best thing to do is to take a break. Rest. But sometimes we don’t let ourselves do that, or stress actually makes it impossible to do by keeping us up all night. You get a monkey mind that won’t stop chattering and you’re up all night studying all the “what-ifs” and now you’re tired, and stressed.

We break the stress cycle, same way that we break the pain cycle. We rub it. We cool it. We warm it. This is how we suspend the negative emotion – or the stress. Once we suspend it, positive emotions are possible. Rest is possible. The mind can become quiet, and reasonable thoughts are possible. With reasonable thoughts, come reasonable solutions.

Some ideas for disabling your stress:

Massage – calms the nervous system, stimulates venous flow, exchange of energy.

A hot soak – soothes muscles, relaxes the body. Soaking feet in warm water lowers blood pressure especially in the head. (good for headaches)

A cool towel – draws heat away from tired muscles, also good for headaches.

Aromatherapy – a soothing pleasant scent works on stress through the gate theory, breaking the cycle. pleasure / pain. A few oils are especially useful and versatile.

Exercise, yoga, or meditation.

Reflexology – foot or hand massage that uses pressure points to trigger a response elsewhere in the body. While the pressure can be intense – the massage itself is very relaxing. Benefits of reflexology are that you can trigger glands and areas of the body to produce hormones, such as adrenals to produce cortisone for pain, or epinephrine for allergies.

Aromatherapy – possibly the original form of pharmacology? Plants produce chemicals that are held in their oils that have therapeutic benefit for people. These benefits can be physical or emotional in nature.

What makes good massage?

Absolutely, the only element that is essential to a good massage: Intention.

A teacher once told me “All technique is nothing more than a vehicle for intention”, and he was right. If healing is your intention, then rest assured you will pick a good tool. You will feel the tight band, you will sense that the muscle has reached its limit.