Bring on the Heat!

Bring on the Heat!

Sometimes the simplest things are right before our very eyes, and still we do not see them.  I love and respect the power of heat.  In my teen years, I was told by both my mother and my modeling instructor that the key to a healthy, non-oily looking face was to wash my face with hot water to open and clean out the pores, and then rinse with cold water to close up the pores.  In later years, the physics logic did not add up in my mind.  When something is pressed hard against a barrier, it rushes out with intensity when the barrier is removed.  After experimenting, I found that by only exposing my face to warm to hot water, oiliness lessened significantly.  Twice I developed chalazions on my lower eye lid but have not had any since I began using only hot or warm water on my face.  My pores and ducts are now free to remain "open" and breathing instead of closed and becoming clogged and possibly infected.

So often with injuries, ice packs are recommended for the first few hours to curtail swelling, but then heat is recommended for healing.  It is a wonderful muscle and tension relaxer.  Devices that create currents and/or heat which in turn stimulate cellular and molecular activity have proven very effective in a variety of ailments and therapies.  Combine warm water with Epsom, sea or table salt, and even more benefit can be had because of the salt's ability to draw out contaminates.  One summer day a friend of mine, who was a nurse suffering with a horrible cold, and I sat outside in the sun for the old home remedy of letting its warmth open the nasal passages and allow the sinuses to drain.  Most people are aware of the benefit of gargling with warm (not hot) salt water for a sore throat.  I have found that gargling with a handful of warm water in the morning does wonders for my voice to start out the day.  I do the same at night believing it is a soothing technique after a full day of use.  Look at how many massaging devices have a heat option included in them.  Most of us can attest that the not-so-attractive heating pad and hot water bottle can provide much-needed relief.

In high enough degrees, it cooks our food to a safe level for consumption and sterilizes utensils and fabrics used in medical facilities and elsewhere.  When a person's body is exposed to the cold, blood vessels in the extremities (hands, feet, the arms and legs) constrict to provide more blood and warmth closer to our trunk where the essential life-giving organs are placed.  We shiver as a way for the body to stimulate activity and friction to provide needed heat.

When attention is given to the value heat provides, it becomes more and more automatic to use it and reap the benefits!  When going through the day, keep in mind the abilities of heat, and determine if adding a little heat to your projects or routines might make them even more effective -- and bring it on!

Maeke Ermarth ©September 17, 2012

            Ocean City, MD

Improve Yourself with "MOVE"

MOVE, in this case, stands for "management of vital exercise."  Time and again I experience, and hear other people's experiences with, a variety of health conditions.  One essential component for good health is our physical need for oxygen, and we have a lot of control on how well it is distributed.  Breathing alone does not insure that oxygen is getting everywhere it is needed.  Here is where it is up to us to manage our own individual program of vital exercise to insure that it does!  It is "vital" because if different areas do not receive adequate oxygen, the result is any number of heath issues:  back pain, leg pain, numbness, "death" of a toe or finger and gangrene, brain disorders, and more.

An acupuncturist was able to explain to me how the tightening of muscles can block blood flow.  Blood carries oxygen.  If the flow is blocked, an essential amount of oxygen is not getting to the muscles and organs.  With just a few simple exercises a day combined with cognizant breathing techniques, so many pains and disorders can be lessened or eliminated.

For years, I heard that a low pulse rate was good for keeping the heart from being overtaxed.  However, there is a boundary for a heart being exercised too much or too little.  Even when breathing slowly, I periodically monitor myself to be sure I am keeping a constant breathing rhythm going.  Be mindful of holding in the lower part of the abdomen as this relieves stress on avenues that could weaken or block air flow.  The goal is to keep all avenues open as much as possible.

I have a tendency to flex (tighten) the muscles in my left flank and leg more so than my right, and it is the left side that suffers pain as a result.  Even just standing, I can feel the tension in my left leg when I am consciously focusing on which muscles are not relaxed.  When doing simple twist motions, I hear and feel "pops" in my spine, neck and joints.  At that point, tension is being released, and relaxation is enhanced if I concentrate on not letting them tighten up again.  Important, too, is my timing for inhaling and exhaling.  It is best to inhale at the start and then exhale while making the exercise motion, ever thinking to relax.

For me, being instructed on the right techniques to use has, over a two-month period, eliminated debilitating pain in my back and left side of my hip, thigh, knee, and half of my calf.  For a few years, I had hardly any feeling at all in the tip of my left big toe.  After three months of correct exercise, partial feeling has returned.  There is no doubt in my mind this has avoided a lot of unnecessary drug prescriptions and possibly even surgery.  In addition, if parts of our bodies are oxygen deprived, might it be possible that our brains and other organs might also be deprived?  We now know this can mean premature dementia and even Alzheimer's disease when the brain is deprived.

We owe it to ourselves to consider less invasive yet effective options to our medical situations.  Being involved and pro-active has emotional and psychological benefits, too.  Consultation with acupuncture, chiropractic and yoga specialists is worth the time spent, the knowledge obtained, and (if chosen) treatment received.  If there is even a 60% improvement, that can mean a lot in terms of our quality of life.  For me, the improvement is 98%.  Sometimes my pain will slightly begin to re-occur when I neglect doing my exercises daily or when I've overexerted myself; but I know now how to eliminate it within five minutes.  Indeed, become a devout supporter and practitioner of MOVE, and feel better soon!