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
