color therapy

About 6 months ago, my family and I found out that my grandfather has terminally ill cancer. It began behind his ear and has now spread throughout his body, rendering him in hospice care and without the strength to do so as much as eat or stand up on his own.

As a result, we have tried many different forms of healing therapies. Yesterday, as I visited him at his home on the east side, he was complaining to me that the living room had too much light. So, I went outside and hung a yellow towel over the glass door, to block out some of the light.

Much to my surprise, he seemed to perk up a bit. I think the fact that there was less light contributed to his happiness, but his response to the new color got me thinking about something I had recently read about: color therapy. http://www.colourtherapyhealing.com/

Based on the research I have done using this and other Web sites and some of the color therapy experiments I have tried with my grandfather, I can tell you with absolute certainty that colors affect us.

Have you ever tried on a shirt and felt the color was off? Worn a shirt all day and ended up feeling drab? Colors are everywhere, and whether conciously or unconciously, we notice them.

In color therapy, each of the seven chakras (or energy points) in the body respond to various colors.

For example, yellow correlates directly to the chakra associated with the solar plexus, situated directly under the ribs. http://www.colourtherapyhealing.com/application/colour_therapy.php

In color therapy, yellow relates to self-worth and how we feel about ourselves. It is also often thought of as a color useful for studying or concentration. Since my grandfather, once a very proud and dignified man, has undergone chemotherapy and has watched his appearance change (after 80 years of the same face) he has battled with self-worth and appearance questions. Therefore, it makes sense to me that he would respond well to the color yellow, which is warm and inviting and conjures positive images of self-worth.

My favorite color has been red since I was a little girl.

In color therapy, red is a color that represents courage, confidence and energy, but also self-pity, fear and resent. Therefore, it is important that I know where I stand, emotionally, before intentionally picking out a red T-shirt. Too much red could leave me feeling worn-down.

Similarly, I have had asthma for my entire life, an ailment which coordinates with the throat chakra and responds well to the color blue, which is known for its calming and relaxing properties.

To find out some of the negative and positive aspects of your favorite color, I recommend playing this fun game with Flash multimedia: http://www.colourtherapyhealing.com/colour_fun/aspects_of_colour.php

While making some phone calls to try to find a color therapist who could comment for this blog, I spoke with a woman from Energy Way, a company with alternative medicine practitioners, who told me the best way to help treat my grandfather was to alternate the use and incorporations such as green, orange and yellow, with rubbing his feet and waving my hands over his body to dissipate negative energy. Tomorrow I will be visiting him again (and everyday until he loses his battle) and I will let you know how the new techniques work!

Love and light...

Drop the meds... natural ways to prepare for Flu Season

Cough, cough...

Ut-oh. The weather is slowly starting to change in Tucson and that means one thing: flu season is on the prowl.

But before you break out the Advil and the cough medicine, there are very simple and effective ways to holistically prepare for flu season to ensure that you never catch the bug.

One of the most enjoyable and beneficial ways to prepare your body for flu season is to recieve regular massages.

Barbara Lacinski, a licenced massage therapist for 18 years, said massage has the ability to reduce the levels of toxicity in your body.

"The stronger your immune system is, the less likely it is that you will catch something," she said. "Massage helps to flush your body of its toxicities and cleanses your lymph nodes and your muscles."

Massage also helps to rid the body of any calcium build ups it may be harboring.

Through massage, exercise and a healthy diet, Lacinski, 68, said that she has never once had to use her Medicare.

"I'm going on 70 and I still work 50 to 60 hours a week," she said, with a laugh. "I could whip a 30-year-old's butt at just about anything."

The number one thing to help prepare your body for the flu season is diet, Lacinski added.

Reducing the amount of unnatural sugars found in most foods and reading labels to beware of high fructose corn syrup, soy bean oils and chemicals will help keep your body functioning smoothly.

"Everything is important," Lacinski said. "Diet, exercise and stress levels are probably the biggest factors."

Also, Lacinski said, chiropractic doctors can often be useful in helping to allign your body and ward off unnecessary pain that can weaken your immune system.

For Lacinksi, who is in practice with her husband, a holistic doctor, keeping your immune system up and intact is similar to balancing weight loads on camels.

"I equate it to a camel," she said. "You can only carry so much, so you have to pick your load. The less stresses you put on the camel, the more you can handle."

Other popular ways to prepare your body for flu season naturally are by taking vitamin supplements, especially Vitamin A and C, according to an about.com post by Mary Shomon, which referenced holistic medicine specialist Andrew Weil. Read it here at http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/flu.htm

My roommate swears by Emer-gen-C, a mixture of vitamins which are poured into a glass of water and can be found at any drug store.

Whether you choose to get a massage, visit a chiropractor, or create your own mixture of tea and vitamins, preventative measures taken NOW, before flu season, can greatly reduce your risk of getting sick.

detox time!

Okay, it's official: I have bogged down my body with crappy foods for far too long.


Partially prompted by the fact that I can't fit into my favorite pants, I have decided to go on a 7-day detox diet to clear my body of its addiction to sugar and wheat. Also, I am still reeling in the fun that my body had at Burning Man, and think it's about time to clean myself up.


There are literally hundreds of detox diets out there, but I am sticking to organic foods and drink. For sugar, I will eat fruit, and everything else will revolve around whole grain foods, dark meat and vegetables.


Last night I managed to find some really neat sites that give details about detox diets.


One of the most comprehensive, found at about.com, goes into the principles of Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, and details the foods that are most compatible with your Ayurvedic type.


From taking this fun little quiz: http://altmedicine.about.com/library/quiz/bl_quiz_ayurveda.htm, I found out that my body type is Kapha.


Basically, this means that the types of foods that I love to eat (long-since a sugar addict) are actually working against the tune of my body. So long, ice cream and sugary fruits like bananas.


The cool thing about detoxing is that it gives you a chance to know what your body is really wanting. Instead of eating pizza because I do every Friday at noon, I will let my body tell me what it actually wants.


As I sit here eating a peach and rice dream smoothie, I know that my body is sending me secret messages to go grab a pop-tart, but in the long run, it's worth it to be healthy.


Detox diets are not for everyone, however.


If you have questions as to whether or not it is for you, consult a physician and take this fun quiz from about.com.


http://altmedicine.about.com/library/weekly/bl_quiz_detox_test.htm

I just got back from my first-ever Burning Man experience and it was one that I will never forget.

Since the theme of this year's event was the "green man," everyone seemed to be doing their best to ensure that the event was as green as possible by providing their own compost heaps and helping one another out to reuse anything that could be saved.

In the center of the desert which housed the event, a giant recycling center took items that could be recycled, and a large wood basket collected excess wood to be donated to Habitat for Humanity to make houses for the needy.

All over the event, signs could be seen which read "leave no trace," to remind us to pick up everything that we brought in.

Friends of mine even brought in film canisters which they were passing out to Burners to place cigarette butts and the like in, just to make sure that no one littered.

At many of the events, beverages were served only to individuals who brought their own cups, thus everyone carried one cup that was reusable instead of taking plastic or paper cups that could easily be strewn on the ground.

I have collected audio and taken photos of the event, which I will be posting as soon as technology and time permit. For more details on the event, be sure to check out my article on thecatscan.com.