Babies Parenting Tips

Massage has been used as a curing therapy for many thousands of years. Records dating back to 2700 B.C. show that in China massage was used to treat many illnesses or to prevent any. Even Hippocrates, the famous Greek physician writing in 400 B.C., recommended that physicians should treat war or sports injuries with rubbing and massage.

The ancient cultures of Japan, Rome, Egypt and Arabia all considered massage to be calming, soothing and relaxing, and also very important as a therapeutic therapy. Now, in the 21st century, there are many different kinds of massage therapies available, each of which offers specific benefits to the mind and body. Full Body Massage is one of them.

These forms of specific massage can be used to treat a wide range of conditions, plus they can be used to simply unwind and relax.

What are the benefits?

Full Body Massage promotes relaxation and improved sleep, eases the symptoms of stiff, tired joints, encourages improved circulation and speeds up digestion. Clients who have experienced these forms of dedicated massage report that they find the treatment soothing and relaxing.

The skin’s natural functions will be stimulated improving the condition of the skin and the warmth created will help relax the body physically and mentally. Full Body Massage technique involves a sequence of movements working superficially and deeper into the tissue layers. Movements such as effleurage work over the skin with the palm of the hand producing relaxation, whereas movements like petrissage work deeply. Petrissage movements such as wringing and kneading will help to relieve tension promoting deep relaxation in the tissues and muscles.

What to expect?

As no two people are alike, the body massage routine will be tailored to the client’s needs. For those clients who are apprehensive about a massage treatment and of course the stigma attached to this may need some reassurance. A professional Massage Therapist will offer this treatment respecting the client’s modesty at all times. The client is covered in towels, which are turned back to reveal only the area to be massaged at that time. Areas massaged in a full body massage are normally back, legs (back and front), arms front of shoulders and optionally abdomen.

By ensuring you call only a reputable, established company that has professional certificates and qualifications for its therapists, you will receive a wonderful, relaxing, treatment.

Why a Full Body Massage?

The massage is good for people who want to unwind and relax! It is a very relaxing and soothing massage. Available full Body Massages are for example:

-Swedish

-Holistic

-Deep Tissue

-Aromatherapy

As with any massage, it’s a good idea to avoid big meals and alcohol beforehand.

At BTS all our mobile massage and beauty therapists are qualified, extremely experienced, uniformed, vetted, professional yet friendly in their approach and provide only the best client care at all times. Also, after the completion of their massage diploma BTS provides in-house Deep Tissue Massage training.

What is Food Intolerance?

Food intolerance is discussed quite often these days – so what exactly does it mean?  Well, sometimes our bodies cannot tolerate the foods we eat. This is known as food intolerance. When people consume foods that they’re sensitive to, such as dairy products for lactose intolerant individuals, their bodies have a negative physical reaction. The effects show up every time the food is consumed, although not always right away. If large quantities of the food are ingested, symptoms can be severe.

Food intolerance is sometimes mistaken for food allergy.  Food allergies cause a person’s immune system to sit up and take notice, while food intolerances don’t involve the immune system.  Neither are they linked to contaminated or spoiled foods; those cause food poisoning, not intolerance.

Food intolerance describes the adverse physical reaction to the ingestion of certain foods; it is something that affects the digestive system.

The Causes of Food Intolerance

As mentioned earlier, food intolerance is caused by the inability to digest certain types of food, usually due to insufficient amounts of the chemicals or enzymes needed to digest a particular food.

Lactose intolerance is very common. People who suffer from this condition don’t have enough of the enzyme called ‘lactase’. Therefore, their bodies can’t break down the lactose, or milk sugar, in dairy products.

Common symptoms of lactose intolerance include intestinal distress, gas, bloating, and bowel irregularities.

Other people can’t process alcohol because they don’t have enough of the enzyme ‘alcohol dehydrogenase’. They can become ill if they consume even a single alcoholic beverage.

The additives, flavor enhancers, and preservatives in processed foods are another common source of food intolerance. MSGs, caffeine, benzoates, and aspartame cause pain and fatigue in sensitive individuals.

Who Suffers from Food Intolerance?

Anyone can!  Food intolerance is not limited to any particular group of people, however there are some factors that play a role in the likelihood that a person is affected by intolerance.

Food intolerance can be hereditary; therefore if your parents have food intolerances, chances are good that you’ll have some too. Ethnicity plays a role, too. Only 10% of northern and western Europeans suffer from lactose intolerance whereas persons of Asian, African, Greek, and Native American descent are much more susceptible.  Lactose intolerance affects 70-90% of the latter populations.

Newborns tend to produce more lactase, so they can digest lactose more easily than adults and older children. The symptoms of lactose intolerance can appear in children as young as two, but many people develop it later in life. Gastroenteritis sometimes causes a dip in lactase levels, bringing on a temporary intolerance to dairy products. Children face a high risk of lactose intolerance following gastroenteritis.

And half of all Asians are affected by alcohol intolerance!

What are the Symptoms of Food Intolerance?

The symptoms of food intolerance center around the digestive system.  Sufferers may experience stomach pain, bloating, nausea, loose stools, or the opposite (constipation.) These symptoms are seldom life-threatening, but they can make a person miserable on a daily basis. They can manifest anywhere from a few hours to a few days after the food is consumed, making it difficult to identify exactly what the problem food is.

Alcohol intolerance causes redness of the face, nausea, irregular heartbeat, headaches, and dizziness.

Symptoms can also feel similar to allergy symptoms, such as a runny nose or itchy throat.

Food intolerance symptoms can become quite severe if a large quantity of the food has been consumed. People with a slight enzyme deficiency typically don’t experience symptoms as acutely as people with a larger deficit.

How is a Diagnosis Made?

Trial and error is the simplest way to test for food intolerance. This is done by removing one food from the diet for a while and monitoring symptoms for improvement. If symptoms decrease, the food is then reintroduced. A return of symptoms will reveal whether or not that food was the culprit.

This method works best for those who have intolerance to one or two foods.

For those people (like me!) who have intolerance to several foods, the elimination method could take months…years…and an answer still might not be found.  There are home tests on the market, that can identify your problem foods for you.  Check out http://www.foodintolerancenews.com to see one.

Specific tests are used to diagnose lactose intolerance. For example, your physician might recommend a test to measure the amount of hydrogen in your breath; a stool acidity test; or a blood glucose test to determine how well the patient digests milk sugar.

How is Food Intolerance Treated?

Food intolerance is usually controlled by removing the troublesome food(s) from the person’s diet. For instance, lactose intolerant individuals can replace regular milk with soy milk.

If the intolerance is mild to moderate, the affected person can try eating only very limited amounts of the food in question. Mild lactose intolerance can be managed through the use of lactase enzyme supplements.

If foods are removed from one’s diet, they should be replaced with nutritious alternatives. It’s crucial to avoid malnutrition, especially in growing children. If you have questions about suitable food replacements, speak with your nutrition specialist.

High blood pressure also referred to as High B.P or hypertension is a chronic health problem. There are solutions to this problem also. The U.S Department of Health and Human Services offers the following solution of high blood pressure or reduces the blood pressure if it is an existing problem whose pinch you are feeling.

Be fit in your weight concerns: Healthy weight maintenance will definitely help you to prevent high blood pressure. Getting a normal weight is not a difficult task as it appears. The beginning can be initiated by cutting down the size of your meal and snacks, and it is important that you take particular care regarding the consumption of high calorie food. Your weight can be maintained if you can burn calories equivalent to the proportion of your consumption of your food. In case you are interested in losing your weight than you need to burn more calories than the amount of food you consume. As you progress in losing weight you can expect a reduction in your blood pressure levels.

Eat a healthy diet: When you are choosing on selecting your diet choose a diet that has plenty of fruits and vegetables. Avoid food stuffs which have high fat content and cholesterol. If you initiate practices to keep your heart fit, then you can definitely keep your blood pressure levels in control.

Keep a control on salt and sodium levels: Excessive consumption of salt and sodium levels can increase blood pressure. So it is vital that you read the food labels. The U.S guidelines indicates that the consumption of sodium can be restricted to not more than 2400 mg and the intake of salt should not be more than 1 table spoon per day. If you are in the practice of eating canned, processed and convenience foods then choose the brands that have low sodium content. In case you are in the practice of salting your food at the time of consumption then be in practice that you use very less salt or it would be best if you do not use salt at all. However this practice will take little time to get used to food without a pinch of salt. But in due course of time you will realize that the food tests better with less salt.

Junk items are made with lot of sodium and salt content, so select items with less salt and sodium content. Less consumption of salt and sodium will help you to prevent high blood pressure.

If you are into alcoholic consumption then as per the guidelines the intake should not be more than 2 drinks for men and 1 drink for women.

Exercise is an important criterion that helps you to maintain a stable blood pressure. Brisk walking and bicycling are good modes of exercising.

Incase you are smoking then an immediate action has to be taken to give up smoking. These are some of the steps which can help you to bring your blood pressure levels to bring it to moderate levels.