About Me
- Donna
- The HC Wellness Center offers both traditional and alternative therapies to assist clients in achieving optimal health, wellness and balance. Featuring as its principle service Colon Hydrotherapy, formerly seen only at fine spas and destination resorts, HC Wellness Center & Spa is one of the first to offer this valuable wellness service to the Charlotte Metropolitan and surrounding areas. HC Wellness Center & Spa is a premier North Carolina spa providing the most luxurious, and beneficial wellness and beauty services available to the Charlotte Metropolitan and surrounding areas. Established in 2004 with the vision of combining traditional spa treatments, that promote relaxation and well being, with the most advanced skin, body and wellness services. The HC Spa supplies a moment of luxury for your body, mind and spirit. Here nature and science meet harmoniously as the finest massage, skin care and spa treatments await you.
Showing posts with label detox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label detox. Show all posts
Friday, May 30, 2014
FAR-Infrared Technology - Health Benefits
Detoxification Thousands of environmental toxins saturate every aspect of our living environment. These toxins are unavoidable and are often absorb into our bodies. Since humans are bio-accumulators, the large quantities and numerous types of toxins we are exposed to overwhelm our bodies’ ability to metabolize and get rid of them naturally and thereby accumulate in our bodies. In time, the poison from toxins may result in immune symptom problems, such as chronic pain syndromes, multiple chemical sensitivity, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, migraines, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer So, how can you best get rid of these harmful toxins? Body detoxification through sweat in a Vital Sauna! Our revolutionary Vital Rays Far Infrared Carbon Technology coupled with the Magnetic Flux Therapy System is the perfect solution for helping your body get rid of the environmental toxic chemicals (pesticides, heavy metals, alcohol, nicotine, sodium, sulfuric acid and hydrocarbon residues). The infrared heat energy deeply penetrates tissues triggering mobilization of chemicals from fat storage and directly into sweat and the magnetic therapy promotes metabolic processing of toxins to help your body expel them. Your body is your temple…it is vital that you take care of it!
Weight Loss
Weight loss is one of the great benefits of using our Vital Saunas every day. A single therapeutic sauna session will burn as much as 300-600 calories.
Another problematic and difficult to get rid of waste is cellulite, a gel-like substance made up of fat, water and wastes that are trapped in pockets below the skin. The infrared heat can assist this condition, as profuse sweating helps clear this form of unwanted debris from the body. Magnetic therapy can facilitate the metabolism process and thereby speeds up the removal of these wastes.
Cardiovascular Health
A heating effect deep in the muscular tissues and internal organs is caused by the infrared rays generated by our Vital Rays Far Infrared Carbon Technology. Our bodies respond to this deep heating effect via a hypothalamic-induced increase in heart volume and rate. This heart stress is beneficial because it leads to a cardiovascular training and conditioning effect. Medical research confirms that the use of a sauna provides cardiovascular conditioning as the body works to cool itself and involves substantial increases in heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic, while diastolic blood pressure drops, for improved overall cardiovascular fitness.
Your heart is your most vital organ, take good care of it!
Pain Relief
It has been proven that heat reduces pain sensation by direct action on both free-nerve endings in tissues and on peripheral nerves. The Vital Rays penetrate heat deep into the skin, over 1 ½ inches into the muscle tissue, and alleviates symptoms such as back pain, sprains, strains, joint stiffness, muscle spasms and headaches as well as pains due to conditions such as Fibromyalgia, Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Magnetic therapy can assist in relieving the pain by blocking pain sensations. It improves blood flow and oxygen to enhance the body’s natural healing process. The improved blood flow and fluid exchange to the injured tissue helps reduce pain and inflammation.
Heal your body with Vital Saunas!
Skin Beautification
Vital Saunas are excellent for increasing blood circulation to the skin, which is essential for beautiful, youthful, glowing skin! This increased blood flow brings important nutrients to subcutaneous and surface tissue, promoting cellular activity and growth. By freeing your skin from accumulated dirt and dry skin cells you will experience a new inner glow. The Vital Rays help firm and improve skin tone and elasticity. Infrared heat has been noted to reduce acne, eczema, psoriasis, burns and any skin lesions or cuts. Additionally, open wounds can heal quicker with reduced scarring. Magnetic therapy has been known to positively influence conditions of aging.
Keeping your skin healthy is a vital part of maintaining a healthy body!
Body Flexibility
Studies show that tissues heated to 130° and then stretched have exhibited an elastic elongation that persists long after the stretch is removed. A Vital Saunas’ infrared heat is a therapeutic haven for athletes looking for a pre-workout to warm up muscles for range of motion and increase flexibility to help prevent injury. It is also ideal for pre-warm-up for physical therapy and massage therapy, or for a relaxing your muscles after a long workout.
Magnetic therapy has been noted to help increase athletic endurance and performance, as well as promote the healing process of body aches and inflammation reduction
Improving your body’s flexibility is vital to living a healthier life!
Relax & Rejuvenate
Perhaps the most immediate relief you will get from basking in a Vital Sauna is simple relaxation, as it melts away the stresses and tensions of the fast-paced life, leaving you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated! Infrared heat will give your body an overall massaging effect, soothing jangled nerves and knotted muscles.
Magnetic therapy can help reduce stress and enhance your body’s energy supply!
Lower Blood Pressure
Studies show that repeated far infrared sauna treatments improve impaired blood vessel functions in patients with high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. This suggests a preventative role for infrared sauna use for arteriosclerosis.
Blood Circulation
Heating of muscles with infrared heat produces an increased blood flow level similar to that seen during exercise. Body temperature elevation also produces an increase in blood flow. As your body produces sweat to cool itself, your heart works at a higher rate to pump blood, increasing your overall circulation. At the same time the increased work load from your cardiovascular system helps free up harmful molecules in your blood vessels, allowing your body to flush them out through your sweat glands. Strong evidence suggests that magnetic therapy may help to increase blood circulation.
Cancer Therapy
Some researchers believe that infrared therapy can help stimulate the body’s immune system by elevating body temperature. The infrared sauna’s deep heat penetration raises your body temperature, inducing an artificial fever. As it works to combat the “fever,” the body’s immune system is strengthened. The intense heat also stimulates production of white blood cells and therefore helping to target tumor cells. Studies have shown that extreme heat protects healthy cells and makes tumor cells more susceptible to radiation. This makes infrared heat a useful addition to cancer therapy treatment as it enables the use of lower doses of radiation. Other studies have shown that breast cancer was less prevalent among women who frequently use infrared saunas.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Healthy Spring Cleaning (Inside and Out)
Harmonize Your Health with The Tiao He Cleanse
The Tiao He Cleanse is one of the best basic cleansing programs in the marketplace. It gets its name from the Chinese herbal formula Tiao He, sold under the trade name Chinese Liver Balance. Tiao He means to "mediate harmony," referring to the formula's ability to harmonize the function of internal organs by helping to ease congestion in the liver.
Besides the Chinese Liver Balance (or Tiao He) formula, the cleanse contains All Cell Detox, a general cleansing formula, the stimulant laxative formula LBS II and Psyllium Hulls, a dietary fiber. Two single herbs, Burdock Root and Black Walnut Hulls ATC Concentrate, complete the program.
This 14-day cleanse is even more effective if you add more fiber. Take 1-2 heaping teaspoons of a fiber blend like Psyllium Hulls Combination or Everybody's Fiber first thing in the morning along with a large glass of water. Taking an enzyme formula like Proactazyme Plus between meals will also enhance the action of this or any other cleanse. And, remember to drink plenty of water during the cleanse, at least 1/2 ounce per pound of body weight per day.
Any cleansing program is also more effective when you go on a mild food diet while on the cleanse. Most people in our society aren't healthy enough to fast, bur they can do a semi-fast by refraining from "junk food" while on the cleanse. Avoid refined sugar, white flour products, heavy meats and dairy and stick to a diet principally composed of whole grains and legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables. This makes the cleanse even more effective.
When NOT to Cleanse
Cleansing isn't for everyone. First of all, it's never a good idea for pregnant women or nursing mothers to
go on a cleanse. Cleansing programs like the Tiao He Cleanse and CleanStart are also too strong for children. People who suffer from inflammatory bowel disorders, autoimmune diseases or who are very weak or elderly should approach cleansing slowly as cleansing can make them feel very sick and may make their conditions worse.
Spring is a Great Time for Cleaning (Inside and Out)
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Are you troubled by: Crohn's? Colitis? Celiac? Irritable Bowel?
Are you troubled by:
Crohn's? Colitis? Celiac?
Irritable Bowel?
Millions of Americans
suffer from inflammatory bowel diseases (lBDs) like Crohn's and ulcerative colitis.
Millions more suffer from Celiac disease
and irritable bowel
syndrome (lBS). If you're one of those millions, this newsletter will provide
you with practical tips to help ease your gastrointestinal distress and find
lasting relief.
Inflammatory
Bowel Disease
Finding Lasting
Relief from Gastrointestinal Inflammation
The term Inflammatory
Bowel Disease (IBD) is a broad term referring to any disease characterized by
inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. The two most
common types of these diseases are Crohn's and ulcerative
colitis. Both of these conditions can make your life miserable with
symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, rectal
bleeding, fever, joint pain, loss of appetite and fatigue, not to mention
fistulas and complications that can require surgery to remove part or all of
the colon. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that about 1.4
million Americans suffer from IBD, and 10% of those are
children.
The main
difference between Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis is the location and nature of the inflammation.
Crohn's can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, from mouth to anus, although
most cases start in the ileum. Ulcerative
colitis is restricted to the colon and the rectum. Microscopically, ulcerative
colitis is restricted to the epithelial lining of
the gut, while Crohn's disease affects the entire wall of the
bowel.
Celiac
Disease and Gluten Intolerance
A closely
related problem is Celiac disease. This is also a
condition involving gut inflammation, but is an
autoimmune disorder involving an intolerance to gluten. Gluten is
the protein in wheat (and other grains like rye and barley) that
makes dough elastic. Celiac disease tends to run in families (suggesting genetic
origins) and, like other autoimmune conditions, can be triggered by a
physical stress such as surgery, pregnancy, childbirth and viral infection. Sometimes, severe
emotional stress can set it in motion.
In Celiac disease the
immune system damages the microvilli, the tiny protrusions
in the small intestines necessary for proper absorption of
nutrients. This can lead to malnutrition in spite of the nutrients one is
consuming in food. Symptoms of Celiac disease include
recurring abdominal bloating and pain, chronic
diarrhea, foul-smelling, greasy or discolored stool, weight loss, anemia, bone pain, fatigue,
delayed growth and failure to thrive in children and infants.
People who do not have
Celiac disease may still have an intolerance to gluten, causing intestinal
inflammation and immune system problems. This is called gluten sensitivity
and probably plays a role in IBD, which is why we
are including information about Celiac disease in this
newsletter, even though it is not considered an IBD.
Leaky
Gut Syndrome
Diseases involving
inflammation of the intestines damage intestinal membranes and increase their
permeability, allowing partially digested proteins, fats and
waste, not normally absorbed, to leak from the intestines into the blood stream. This
condition is known as leaky gut syndrome. This is why IBD and
Celiac disease can be the root causes of other
autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis and rheumatoid
arthritis. They may also contribute to allergies, asthma, depression, irritability and even "mental" illness.
Incidentally, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are quite different. Unlike IBD, IBS does
not cause inflammation, ulcers or other
damage to the bowel. In IBS, the digestive system looks normal
but doesn't work as it should. Symptoms of IBS, once referred to as "spastic
colon," include painful cramping, bloating, gas, mucus in the stool,
diarrhea and constipation. However, IBS can have similar root causes to IBD, so some of the
natural remedies discussed inside may be helpful for IBS as well.
Healing the Gastrointestinal
Tract
Even though lBD (ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease), Celiac disease and IES
are different, they have common root causes and natural therapies. So, we're
going to discuss all of them in this newsletter. However, in
working with these conditions, especially lBD and Celiac, it is important
to get a proper medical diagnosis and to have medical supervision, as these
illnesses can cause life-threatening health problems.
To understand how to work with
these conditions naturally we need to understand what causes them, as natural healing is all about
fixing causes rather than treating effects. Even
though medical science has not fully understood the causes, we
can extrapolate some of the causes by looking at
risk factors.
Although it is well established that
intolerance to gluten (which may have genetic roots) is the direct cause of the symptoms of Celiac disease, the
intolerance to gluten often appears to lie dormant until something
triggers it. Furthermore, many of the same factors that trigger Celiac disease also
trigger lBD, which include diet, the use of certain drug medications
and emotional stress. Here are some of the triggers.
Risk
Factors for Intestinal
Inflammation
People who live in Western countries have a
higher risk for developing lBD than people in other
countries. However, as countries industrialize and adopt Western diets and lifestyles, lBD increases. So, there is
definitely a lifestyle cause.
Smokers are at higher
risk of developing Crohns disease, whereas they are at lower risk of developing ulcerative colitis. Research has linked
long-term oral contraceptive use to a higher risk of both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's. Other drugs, such as isotretinoin (Accutane),
could also play a role. Pain-relieving NSAIDs (like ibuprofen) can worsen lBD symptoms
but are not thought to increase the risk of
getting the disease initially.
One Japanese
study reported an increased risk of Crohn's disease for
women who consume a lot of animal and milk
proteins. Other studies report a possible link to overconsumption of foods
high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which suggests a lack
of omega-3 essential fatty acids may be involved.
A big factor may
be the balance of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. Healthy intestines contain trillions of good bacteria or friendly flora.
These organisms play a role in digesting certain foods
(especially dairy), protecting the body from infection and regulating the immune responses.
Antibiotics and other drugs can disrupt the
balance of these intestinal bacterial, as can infections with
harmful bacteria such as salmonella and campylobacter. Both of these bacteria have been associated with lBD.
They are ingested in contaminated food and are responsible for thousands of cases of
food poisoning each year.
Since stress can trigger
these bowel disorders, it's possible they may have emotional triggers, too. Adrenal fatigue results in lower levels of
cortisol, which controls inflammation. Also, stress can be a factor in the regulation of
the immune system, which may aggravate the autoimmune factor in intestinal inflammation.
Strategies
for Healing the Intestines
The following measures have shown to help bring Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis under control. Many of these same strategies will help Celiac disease.
Adopt a Paleo Diet
Just a few thousand years ago, practically all human
beings lived on what has been called the hunter-gatherer or paleo diet. These
people simply collected the foods nature provided, which
means they ate wild game and fish, raw milk and wild plant foods. Grain was not a significant part of
this diet, and what grains and seeds were consumed were typically soaked and/or fermented before consumption. In addition,
foods were not sterilized, so people had a wider range of gut microflora (probiotics)
than people do today.
As mankind learned to
farm, diets changed. Today, we consume a large amount of grain and simple
sugars. The meat and dairy products
we consume are also raised on grain instead of grass. Dairy products are no longer whole and raw. Naturally fermented
foods and other foods containing probiotics are not consumed. These changes in diet are probably the underlying cause of all of
these diseases of the intestines.
The place to start is to avoid
all gluten-bearing grains,
which include wheat (including bulgur, durum flour, farina, graham
flour, semolina), barley (including malt, malt flavoring and malt vinegar), rye, triticale, spelt and kamut. This is an absolute necessity when working with Celiac disease, but it can also be helpful
for lBD.
Usually rice, corn,
amaranth, buckwheat, millet and quinoa will be OK because they don't
contain gluten. However, some people have found that in the beginning stages of therapy, it can be helpful to
avoid all grains to give the intestines a better chance to heal. Many people
also find it's a good idea to avoid all legumes (beans, soy products, lentils
and peas) as well.
It may also be necessary to avoid all dairy products. Some people will do all right with
cultured dairy like yogurt and cheese, but many people have to eliminate all dairy foods. It is also important to avoid
eating refined sugars of all kinds and may even be helpful to eliminate honey, maple syrup and sugary fruits. In addition, people with lBD
and IBS should avoid products sweetened with manitol, sorbitol and xylitol.
Ideally, the diet should
include servings of meat from grass-fed animals, eggs from pasture-raised
chickens, wild-caught fish and game, and lots of vegetables, particularly non-starchy ones like zucchini, greens (such as mustard greens, beet greens, Swiss chard and kale), broccoli, cauliflower and
cabbage. Good fats, like butter from grass-fed cows, coconut oil and avocados are also acceptable.
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