Breast Cancer awareness month

October used to be a difficult month for me.  The promotion of Breast Cancer Awareness Month was a constant reminder of a painful and a scary experience for me.  However time (and counselling) has helped alleviate those raw feelings and allow me the hindsight to embrace Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Therefore this month’s blog post is a list of some of the active, holistic steps I’m taking to hopefully prevent the cancer returning.

 I have made daily life-style changes to boost my immunity.  I no longer take my health for granted and aim to eat healthily with a balanced, nutritional diet.  Exercise is a key part of staying healthy and following chemotherapy I struggled to be strong enough to walk the 5 mile Race for Life.  10 years later I’ve completed a triathlon and ran the Race for Life this year. 

Stress can be an immunity zapper and I did tend to worry and fret about anything and everything.  Using Reiki as a spiritual practice has allowed me to stop, take a breath and ‘see the bigger picture’.  I also use crystals, meditation, aromatherapy oils, massage and EFT to ensure I stay calm and relaxed wherever possible. 

Counselling was a life changer.  Admitting I wasn’t coping with constant, niggling worries of the cancer returning prevented my new life from evolving.  I contacted my Breast Cancer nurse who referred me to the local Hospice for counselling.  

One of the most important elements in the prevention of breast cancer is regularly checking your breasts! If you find a lump or thickening (or any of the symptoms in the picture below), pop to your GP and have it checked out.

Finally, I try to reduce the number of toxic products in my environment.  I use eco-friendly household cleaners (some home-made with essential oils).  The products I place on my body (as our skin absorbs a vast percentage of what we place on it) are based on organic, natural, and ethical health and beauty products.  I’ve found the Neal’s Yard Remedies range so amazing I am now a stockist of their products and use their products in my treatments.  You can find these products here:- https://uk.nyrorganic.com/shop/HeatherWinterton

As always, thank you for reading and I hope this advice helps someone lead a healthier, holistic life.  Any questions, please ask me in the comments below.

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Quick disclaimer; I am not a medical practitioner so therefore I’m not prescribing.  All of my blog posts are based on complementary therapies and not as a replacement for conventional medicine. 

Blue Calcite

Following on from my last blog post, my crystal super heroes certainly earned their stripes.  What could have been a negative, energy sapping and disturbing weekend become a weekend of peace, harmony and forgiveness.  As a quick recap, I used black tourmaline and smoky quartz to ‘repel’ negativity, rose quartz to promote peace and harmony and clear quartz to amplify.  I carried around a small ‘blessing bag’ of stones , I created a crystal elixir which I sipped at regular intervals and also created a crystal grid and programmed appropriately.  For more information on crystal grids, I recommend visiting the wonderful http://hibiscusmooncrystalacademy.com/ who has written an e-book on the subject.

This week I would like to explore the crystal calcite, specifically blue calcite.  One of my clients is currently experiencing an unpleasant few months and is feeling anxious, irritable and tearful.  Their GP has put them on anti-depressants but they would like to also like to complement this with a more holistic approach.  I’m therefore in the process of creating them a holistic action plan combining several complementary practices such as Reiki, mindfulness, aromatherapy with a ‘take-home’ crystal blessing bag.  This is where I think blue calcite will excel. 

Blue calcite has been using for healing purposes for thousands of years and is derived from the Greek word choix, meaning lime.  It is an excellent stone for reducing stress, negativity and anxiety.  Blue calcite is fantastic for calming emotions and allowing one to be more optimistic.  When used near the throat chakra, it aids clear communication, helping you to speak calmly and tactfully. 

I can’t wait to put this action plan into practice and hopefully provide some comfort.

As always, thanks for reading and any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you below.

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Quick disclaimer; I am not a medical practitioner so therefore I’m not prescribing.  All of my blog posts are based on complementary therapies and not as a replacement for conventional medicine.  

At home facials

Treating yourself to an ‘at home facial’ is easy and you can often use products you already have at home.

Start by creating yourself a day spa atmosphere. You will need candles, relaxing music, slippers and something to keep your hair off your face.

Start by cleansing your skin. Using your usual cleanser, cleanse your eyes and lips first and then remove. Next cleanse the remainder of your face working from your neck upwards.

* TOP TIP * rather than using disposable cotton pads to remove cleanser, buy some muslin cloths. The grainy texture gently exfoliates and leaves your complexion soft and glowing.

Buff away dead skin cells using your exfoliater. If you haven’t got an exfoliater to hand, you can make your own using a mashed banana, oatmeal and honey. Work gently into your skin using circular motions but keep away from your eyes and lips. Rinse and remove using warm water.

Bill out your skin by massaging your facial oil into your face. Start at the neck and gently massage into your face using upward, stroking motions. Don’t use more than necessary and again keep away from the eyes. If you don’t have facial oil, organic sunflower or olive oil is an acceptable alternative. (Remember Sophia Loren claims the secret of her youthful looks is down to regular use of olive oil). Allow the oils to absorb into your skin whilst you spend 2 minutes concentrating on deep, relaxing breaths.

Now for the lovely mask. Apply to your skin following the instructions; again keep away from the eyes. For a home-made mask, mix half a ripe avocado with a couple of tablespoons of natural yogurt and blend together. You could always add a little honey. Leave on your face for approximately 10 minutes. Then rinse to remove.

Finally massage your usual moisturiser into your face using sweeping, upward motions.

Of course, if you prefer to have someone else give you a facial whilst you relax and enjoy yourself, arrange an appointment with me. I will complete a skin analysis prior to using only organic, aromatherapy products. These products smell divine and leave your skin feel soft, fresh and plump.

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Christmas Preparation, Part Two

So the planning part is complete, now we need to actually get things done.

First of all, even though you are going to be busy, don’t forget to put yourself first. Ensure, even if it’s only for 5 minutes per day, you spend sometime relaxing (see http://heatherholistics.blogspot.com/2011/09/starting-out-in-holistic-health.html for further advice). This doesn’t mean you can’t multi-task. Why not spend those 5 minutes relaxing in the shower whilst applying a body scrub? This will ensure you skin is party dress ready at the same time.

When purchasing gifts, try and support your local, smaller companies rather than the large, impersonal corporations. Visit your local salon, village shops or parent based websites. As a company, Heather Holistics purchases products locally wherever possible. Our range of organic, aromatherapy products are made here in the Midlands.

Heather Holistics has some very December special offers to tempt you http://www.heather-holistics.co.uk/Special_Offers.asp These make ideal Christmas presents for everyone in your family. There are some gorgeous crystal jewellery, fantastic skin, hair and body care products suitable for all (including sensitive skin) and crystal tea-light holders for those people you just don’t know what to buy. All at amazing value prices.

I’ve just gleaned another wonderful tip (one which I am going to put into action immediately but adding another column to my spreadsheet) . . . where I have hidden presents. Every year I think I’ll remember and then find them in January!

Don’t forget to also mark off your lists when you’ve bought the present.

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Autumn skincare

So after last weeks glorious warm sunny weather (well here in England anyway) the time has come for me to re-evaluate my moisturisers. So what are my requirements for an Autumn/Winter moisturiser?

• I swap from lotion to a thicker cream
• I don’t need SPF’s
• Once applied, I immediately notice a difference with my skin
• Good value for money
• Suitable for my sensitive skin
• As few artificial ingredients as possible so no Sodium Laureth Sulfate (some studies claim these can be drying and harsh on sensitive skin)
• No parabens
• Preferably organic (Soil Association approved)
• Smells pleasant
• Has other benefits (ie I love using Aromatherapy products, not only do they smell divine but Frankincense for example also has regenerative properties)

I know some people don’t enjoy the Autumn but I love the idea of shutting the cold outside and spending some time pampering myself. I am aware that Central Heating can have a drying effect on my skin so spend a little extra time moisturising.

Don’t forget it’s not just moisturisers, why not change your whole skincare routine and use nourishing cleansers, toners and moisturisers will help your skin cope with the Autumn weather.

I have found my current favourite range of moisturisers (in fact I love them so much I also sell them on-line, use them in some of the treatments I give and sell them in the treatment room). Now my only decision is whether to go for Hydrating Rose range or the Regenerating Frankincense, hmm decisions, decisions. Which one do you think I should use?