Traditional Chinese Foot Massage

I’m a huge fan of CBS’s Amazing Race- but last weeks episode made me a little uncomfortable.

The contestants first Roadblock was to endure a 10-minute Chinese traditional foot massage. Sounds great huh? Well take a look at some of their faces and try not to wince at just the thought…

Amazing Race Photos: Amazing Race 14 Episode 10 - CBS.com

So what is this painful “therapy” really all about? Apparently it’s some ancient Chinese tradition known as Tuina, a medical method using the arms, hands, fingers, elbows and knees as tools for treating diseases and illnesses. Tuina is also used to protect health and build up body immunity, so that disease can be stopped in its beginning acting as a preventative medical measure, without any side effects.

Tuina uses techniques and manipulations to stimulate acupuncture points or other parts of the body surface so as to correct physiological imbalances of the body and achieve curative effects. The effect of Tuina is to disperse and smooth obstructions whilst checking and restraining hyperfunction. Tuina is an important part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which also encompasses acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition and exercise to treat the whole body, mind and spirit.

In summary, Tuina rectifies anatomical anomalies, alters the inner energy state of the biological system and adjusts the bio-information of the body. For soft tissue injuries, Tuina relaxes muscles and tendons and promotes smooth passage of the channels. It also promotes blood circulation and removes blood stasis. (http://www.chisuk.org.uk)

Hopefully we’ll get some real insight into whether this method could possibly be worth the torture! Update to follow ASAP! In the meantime, here’s an example foot chart for you to use if you wanna give it a try at home…

The Ultimate Antioxidant

Negative hydrogen has been established as the “ultimate antioxidant.” Vegetables are loaded with specialized, unique antioxidants as well as negative hydrogen, the simplest. Negative hydrogen, simply stated, is the energy stored in vegetables. Therefore, those of us who do not eat the recommended portions of healthy vegetables would greatly benefit from the supplementation of negative hydrogen. Even if you eat enough of these vital foods, negative hydrogen can help the brain to function at even higher levels.

Source: The Journal of Neuroscience, October, 1998

Gorgeous Health Spa’s

HEALTHY Chocolate?

Have you ever heard such a thing?  Well, surprising or not, cocoa is actually a fruit- and one of the healthiest out there! Cornell University food scientists discovered that cocoa has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine, and up to three times the antioxidants found in green tea.

Additional research has shown a link between cocoa and cardiovascular health, with reduced risk of blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks. In fact, raw cocoa has the highest antioxidant value of all the natural foods in the world!!!
Cocoa also appears to have anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties. And cocoa is a good source of the minerals magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium, and manganese; plus some of the B Vitamins.

Furthermore, cocoa has a high content of the “beauty” mineral, sulfur. Sulfur helps build strong nails and hair, promotes healthy and beautiful skin, helps detoxify the liver, and supports healthy functioning of the pancreas.

So what are you witing for? Eat/drink up!