Horwath Spa Consulting

Vitamins by their very definition are essential to health. Some are manufactured by the body, yet with others we need a little help from a ‘healthy’ diet. Required in minute quantities in comparison to our total food intake they are not a source of energy nor do they contribute directly to the tissues of the body. Instead they facilitate a vast array of biochemical processes that are essential to the bodies growth, development and overall health.

If you have ever read a magazine, then chances are that you have read about Vitamins. We are told my health professionals and manufactures alike that we need to take more of Vitamin ‘this’ or Mineral ‘that’ to help them with their budgets, but do we really need all that Vitamin A, B, C, D or E. Chances are that if you consume regular meals that are low in fat, and high in freshness, then you probably do not need any additional intake of these ‘common’ Vitamins. If in doubt, consultant with your healthcare professional, who will advise you accordingly. Below is a brief summary of the common and not so common Vitamins.

As time goes by and technicians and researchers continue the work in the further discover of the exacting moleculacr structure of the foods that we eat, this list of vitamins will grow. Vitamin K was only discovered in 1929, and little is yet known about P, T and U.

As with all things in life, balance is essential. Many of these vitamins occur in combination in a variety of foods, so a deficiency in one will probably mean a deficiency in others. Equally consumption of a specific vitamin can put the body into total imbalance, even resulting in toxicity, so if you feel your diet is lacking consult with a health care professional before purchasing any vitamin supplements

Are you feeling tired and run down?  Have you been working hard lately, or may be burning the midnight oil a little hotter than you should have?  Is your life filled with stress, a word that is bandied around in today with great abandon, it is just a case of too little sleep, or that something is missing in your diet?  There are a multitude of causes and there are a multitude of mediums to give a little ‘buzz’ back to your life.  Some options include charka rebalancing – cleansing of your bodies subtle energy centres, cleansing of your aura or simply selecting your foods more carefully.

Choosing carefully also means that you understand a little about what is in your selection.  Carbohydrates (cakes, muffins, coconut pudding, cookies) are one of the quickest ‘pick me up’ because they contain simple sugars.  However this quick lift can be a quick fall also, so perhaps not the wisest of moves.  Complex carbohydrates (wholegrain breads and pastas) contain chains of sugars that have to be broken down before they can be used, meaning that they provide a more sustainable level of energy that will take longer to dissipate.

Choose foods that provide a sustainable energy level.  Wholegrain foods are one of the best ways to go.  Brown rice, oats, wholegrain pastas and breads.  Vegetables or more specifically, root vegetables area also a good source of carbohydrates - carrots, turnips, potatoes and the English favorite white carrot or parsnip will give you a ‘lift’.  Broccoli, cabbage, lentils and soy beans will also do the trick.  Other gourmet delights that come into the ‘lift’ category are fresh fruits including bananas and pineapple, and also perhaps a few items that you may think are a little strange in this list, oily fish and even walnuts.

With all of these items as with most things in life, there is a good side and a bad.  For now we will be concentrating on the good side.  Fresh fruits in addition to carbohydrates also contain good levels of water, are low in fat and high in fibre.  If your diet is a little lax in the fibre content, you may not be as ‘regular’ as you should be.  Fresh fruits especially with their water and fibre contents can assist with this problem, but fruits also contain a wealth of vitamins and minerals, and are high in antioxidants.  To avoid any counter productivity on the health aspect of fruit, always choose organic, if it is available.

Avoid foods which are high in salts, sugars, fats or alcohol as these will only slow you down across the day.  If you think about this, you know it only too well.  After a ‘heavy’ meal laden with fats, you will often fall asleep, where as if you have a lighter meal filled with raw vegetables, you will come to life.  The theory here is simple – ‘dead’ foods leaves you ‘dead’, where as ‘live’ foods will give you life.

So choose fresh salads (without the heavy clawing dressings), lightly steamed (not sautéed or deep-fried) vegetables, wholegrain foods (preferably ones with low refined sugar levels) and avoid those obviously fatty foods.  You have been told many times that a baked potato is healthier for you (providing you do not top it with too much butter or sour cream) and it is definitely much lower in fat than the ubiquitous French fry and know you know why.  The fat element only serves to slow you down.

This is not to say that you have to eat only raw vegetables, steamed fish and vegetables and leave out the desserts, ice-creams and French fries, but you have to eat everything in moderation.  As mentioned earlier, if you eat foods full of life, then you will be too, but if you miss out a little and really need a spoonful of sugar to ‘lift your day’, then go for it, but remember the faster it goes up, the quicker it comes down.

Everything in life is moderation.

Entering a spa, you enter a world that will allow you to reassess a variety of issues that may or may not be affecting your body and its performance.  Is your body living up to your expectations of its presentation or performance?  If so, how can you maintain or further enhance this for as long as possible, or if not, how can you improve the situation?

Time in a spa is much, much more than just the feel good factor provided by relaxation and pampering, even though this may well be the primary reason that most people first enter a spa.  Your visit to the spa is very much focused on your body, and how it is (or anticipated to be) pampered and/or pummeled in order that the anticipated objective is achieved, and whether or not you realize it, time is a spa is an investment in your overall health and wellbeing.

You may well think that a spa visit is just a chance to be pampered, and while this may well be the case in a home spa environment where the bath is surrounded by a few candles and the waters are scented with flower petals and essential oils, it is much, much more in a dedicated spa environment, where you care is handled by a trained professional.  A successful spa operator will have taken into consideration a large number of factors to ensure that the therapy that your body receives is as beneficial as practical, given the amount of time that is available to them during your visit.  If it is a quick lunch time break massage, then there is limited opportunity or time to enable significant health benefits, but some is always better than none, and should you be able to afford to spend a longer time or, probably more importantly, be able to more frequently visit a spa, then the better able to achieve real and tangible long term health benefits.

So what can your body really expect to gain from its time in a spa?  As already noted above, this will be significantly dependant on how much time that you have available to spend in this environment, together with being dependant on how committed to the overall lifestyle that is association with it.  Are you in it for the feel good factor of pampering, “its trendy and all my friends do it”, to support your allopathic medical practitioners approach to recovery from an illness, to enjoy some personal time away from the family or out of the office, as a preventative measure towards long term health and anti-aging, or just because your computer has taken over your life and you seriously miss the nurturing elements of physical touch and interaction of another human being, or for one of a multitude of other reasons?

Spas can work on different levels of the body, and all of these need to be dealt with to ensure that the body is whole, rather that another victim of the much maligned and often abused or misunderstood ‘holistic’ approach to well being.  Wholistic and holistic are words that by definition encompass the whole of the body, and working on only a part of the body while ignoring the rest means that you are not acting in the best interests of the whole self, and that you definitely are not involving an approach to a genuine holistic level of health.  Equally, holistic health will also require the mind and spirit to be considered to as part of the package, and while these are covered in greater detail in other chapters of this book, must at least be alluded to here, as the body has many forms, including the spiritual, etherical and physical.

To start to understand this, you only have to look at the principles of chakra and chakra balancing, where physical contact may or may not be made with the body by the therapist, but the energy fields of the body are balanced, generally in conjunction with aromatherapy to maximize the therapy’s effects on the body, and may even be extended to include an aroma massage for maximum benefit.  Many would even tell you that for these to work fully the element of mind must also come into this as it is only for the true believers that this type of therapy will even work, however I would suggest that this applies only for the most skeptical, who need to review their total stress level before going further.  To maximize your results from a spa visit or a spa lifestyle, you have to be open minded to change and a different way of thinking – the more open minded the greater the chances of you being able to sift through the growing variety of treatments and therapies on offer on your spa menu to benefit your body accordingly.

As we move through the body’s outer layers, we move beyond the energy fields and reach the physical body.  It is from here that most people comprehend the body as real and will seek practical and tangible actions that will provide real or perceived results with the utilization of a large variety of creams, potions, elixirs, serums, cosmetics, cosmeceuticals, pharmaceuticals, diets, fitness regimes, allopathic and complementary medical sources in an effort to stay young, although all too often this is on a superficial level, that is not sustainable, rather than on a deeper and longer lasting level, with a committed approach to long term health, rather than the (all too often), quick fix approach to life.

Experiencing time in the hands of a skilled spa therapist, and the application of various products, fresh, natural or otherwise, should induce a state of calm that in itself will assist with the anti-aging process.  Even if lying on a massage bed for only 30 minutes, that is 30 minutes where your body will be relaxed, softening the wrinkles caused by modern city living, and when combined with any level of detoxification, be it through bathing, steaming, infrared saunas, scrubs or exfoliants, or through any of the myriad of products available in the market today, you will have taken a step on the anti-aging path, leaving the spa with a smile on your face, a spring in your step and “looking so much younger”!

However in our attempts to expand on this and maximize benefits even further we are using more and more spa products, all with a variety of claims as to their benefits, but there are a some basic issues that now need to be considered, as it is the quality of the products and not the quantity that we should be looking at.  In understanding the basics of seeking a longer life and the desire for the eternal fountain of youth, you have to consider the therapies that you are undertaking and the products that you are using to support the process.  In addition to this is your present skin condition.  The more damaged your skin, whether through maturity, weather conditions, disease or a number of other causes, the longer it will take to repair or counter balance these effects.  Ultimately it must be remembered that the longer it takes to react to the ravages of time on our body, the longer it will take and the less options that that are available to you to repair the damage that has been caused, irrespective of how it has been caused, and that your spa therapist is interested in your well being, and is not a magician.

“All things are not for all men” as the saying goes and this applies to the products that your therapist will select for use in your spa treatments, or that you purchase for home use.  Skin type, sensitivity, allergies to products, time available, anticipated results and general skin condition are all factors that will influence the type of products used irrespective on where on the body they are used.

In addition to the pampering element, the basis of spa therapies and treatments is detoxification or the process of removing toxins from the body, to promote well being and provide you with a healthier body.  Toxins or poisons produced by the body as a result of normal body processes as part of our daily living, together with those that are absorbed from the environment that we live in are detrimental to your overall sense of wellbeing, causing a myriad of health problems if not being regularly moved from the body or being allowed to build to high levels.

Whether it is their intentional removal or as a side benefit to your spa experience, the removal of toxins is the base process that underlies all spa therapies.  The results of a session in the sauna may be obvious, as are the results of a lymphatic drainage massage, as these are two spa therapies that will induce the loss of the bodies fluids laden with toxins from the body; but have you ever wondered why you were offered a glass of water after having enjoyed a Thai or Swedish massage?  This glass of water (or unsweetened herbal tea) that you were (or should be) offered, is to flush the toxins from your mouth that have built up during you treatment time.  It is not only the dryness in your mouth, but also the funny taste that highlights this fact, so the consumption of a glass of water is the quickest and easiest way to remove this taste and the toxins that cause it.  Consumption of several more glasses of water over the following few hours will further flush more toxins, released as a result of your therapy, from the system.  The obvious side benefit of this is to assist with the hydration of body as all too often we operate on fluid levels that are less than adequate, resulting in a unnecessary build up of toxins in the body.  Time and time again, you will read in newspapers and magazines, that the consumption of 6 – 12 glasses of water a day is essential to your well being.  Numbers vary, as the size of the glass is not always stipulated, and various health professionals around the world take into effect local culture and diets.  What they all agree upon is that we should be consuming more fluids that contain no sugars, additives or drugs of any kind (this means that sweetened carbonated beverages and similar commonly consumed liquids, loaded with these items cannot be included in your daily tally of fluids towards better health)

But it starts long before your treatment is over!  If your goal is to remove toxins, then any of the products applied to the body during your treatment should also be toxin free in as far as possible and as much as is practical, otherwise the detoxification process can become farcical with you trying to remove toxins, while at the same time, covering your body with them.  However, as with all things in life, there is an element of reality and balance must come into play, and while there is an increasing growth in the awareness of ingredients used in spa related products, not all products are labeled as natural contain all natural ingredients, and even go so far as to be organic.  Obviously 100% organic is the target, but we still have a long way to go, but fortunately, due to the demand fueled by an increasing knowledgeable spa consumer we are at least moving along this path.  After all, if you are seeking the best approach to benefiting from the removal of toxins, the utilization of product or products that are made without the use of chemicals, growth hormones, additives and preservatives, means that is application will result in minimal application of additional toxins to the body.  However economics and the scale of production, together with issues of product shelf life and volatility of the beneficial qualities in product still have to be faced and answers sought, either by the manufacturer or the way that we look at products and our expectations from them.

Equally this applies to the food that we eat before or after our spa visit, or in the larger spas, during our visit.  If the side benefit (or focus) of our visit to a spa is detoxification, then it makes no sense to be drinking caffeine laden coffee before our visit to the spa.  This argument can apply to many and varied foods, so if you are going to be serious about it all, then just approach life with a level of moderation.  For clarification; those that think I am advocating the consumption of decaffeinated coffee over regular coffee, decaffeinated coffee is washed with chemicals to remove the caffeine, a natural chemical and so which would you rather have, a natural chemical, or an artificially created one?

Your approach to your body and the food or fuel that you place into it, can drastically effect your enjoyment of your spa therapies, and equally their long term benefits.  We all know that spa treatments is a little like swimming, your mother always told you that you should not go swimming for one to two hours after eating, and the same applies to your spa visit.  Allow your food to digest before you commence you therapies, will make you much more comfortable.

And then afterwards, where is the sense of filling your body with excessive toxic and toxin laden foods that are completely counter productive to your spa therapies.  Are we all so rich that we do not have to think about the realities of our bodies and what we do with them, as we can always employ someone to fix the problem?  There are few that have this luxury in life and ultimately, it is not a healthy way to approach life anyway, as if you take a little care of yourself as you go about your daily routine and or adjust your routine to suit a healthier lifestyle you would be much better off, save money, live longer and be able to enjoy life more fully.

The food portion of this is simple.  The basic principle of the specialist cuisine that has developed from the growth of the spa industry is simplicity and while the title is Spa Cuisine, it is nothing complicated or difficult to prepare.  Everyone can cook this style of food at home, provided it is approached with an open mind and with a little forethought, as it is just a simple healthy way to approach your food preparation and consumption, where we eat according to our modern lifestyle rather than the more physically intensive lifestyle of our forefathers.  Low fat, low salt, low sugar; simple and uncomplicated.

Nutritionists and dieticians have been telling us for many years about the problems associated with the ever increasing girth of society, where the size of your waistline is an indication of your wealth, while we continue to ignore the impact that it has on our health.  Now we are paying the price, with spiraling medical costs relating to an unhealthy society.  Government initiatives can only go so far and it is we the consumers that have to make changes, and the spa lifestyle is a near perfect way in which to approach this.

Next time you sit down to a meal, take a few moments to reflect on the contents of what you are about to consume.  How much visible fats and oils are there to be seen, and do they really need to be there, or is it just a comfort factor.  Fats and oils are the major flavour carriers in the foods we eat and our bodies require some of these for healthy function, but do we really need to have as much as we consume today?  What happened before Fast Foods became part of our daily living?  These have resulted in a significant increase in the amount of fats that we consume, as it is the amount of fat that they contain that helps to give them the flavour, besides which many of us were brought up on a visit to a Fast Food outlet being a special occasion or reward so there is also the comfort food syndrome to be taken into consideration.  This apparent need for lots of fat has spilled over into our regular diet, with considerable negative health benefits.

Do you have to add extra seasoning, through the addition of salt, soy sauce or fish sauce, and if so – why?  Is it force of habit, or is it genuinely required?  Our forefathers, used to have salted foods as this was a means of necessity derived from salt being a means of preservation for foods in the years before we had refrigeration.  This is obviously not the case today, so why do we persevere with this out dated and archaic practice?

Sugar, equally has a lot to answer for.  Today we take highly refined sugar and add it to nearly every thing that we eat, from desserts to savoury dishes, noodles, stir-fried dishes and most processed foods.  We are often told that our diet must have a balance of salty, sweet, sour and bitter to be real Thai, but the element of sweet is being taken to the extreme.  If we resorted to natural unrefined sugar in any form, we would be consuming less as this at least would be providing us with some other nutritional benefits, including essential minerals and perhaps even a little fibre, but refined sugar has virtually all of these stripped from the end product that is being consumed in apparently ever increasing quantities.  So while it provides an element of energy, there is limited other nutritional value, so you would be much healthier to source your energy hits from other foods that would provide more than just energy, but real and tangible health benefits.  Do you really need to have add that spoon of sugar to your noodles, or that two, three or even four teaspoons of sugar in our morning coffee?

The next logical step, in this process is to look at the amount of physical activity that we are performing each day.  As already stated, the holistic approach to health means applying it to the whole of the body, and this includes the way we use it.  This equally should have highlighted the fact that everything in life is interrelated, although through the principles of yin and yang and quotes such as “for every action there is a reaction”, we should have been fully aware of this already.

How often have you heard of the highly specialised diets that are required by our nation’s athletes to enable them to perform at peak efficiency?  The food we eat affects the way our bodies function and the way our bodies function affects the foods that we eat.  With our bodies now functioning better as a result of our increasing involvement in and commitment to the spa lifestyle, the door to other opportunities is starting to open and our horizons are expanding.  We realize that life does require balance, and we need to balance our engine intake with our engines output, so physical activity of some kind must be part of our routine.  If you are one of the fortunate members of society that is physically active as a result of where you live and the type of work that is entailed then you do not require making a conscious effort to add the element of physical activity to your life.  Unfortunately for a growing number of people living in polluted cities, the option of physical exercise is no longer something that can be overlooked, and while we still have some city parks and gardens that allow us be at one with nature for an hour or two and conduct our exercise in an apparently healthy environment, the air in our cities is increasingly and all too often, laden with chemicals and toxins that are less than conducive with our overall health, so we are forced to take our physical activities indoors to avoid other health related issues that will arise as a result of consuming these chemicals and toxins in high doses as a result of our exertion from physical activity.

Computers, originally intended to make life easier for us all are taking their toll with a variety of side issues now to be addressed, including eye strain, wrist injuries, lack of core stability caused by long hours at the desk, and more.  Use of good nutrition and involvement in regular exercise can address many of these issues, but our lack of interaction on a physical level is increasing the demand on the nurturing environment that can be provided by a spa.  After all, our bodies are the product of our environment and the fuel that we energize them with, but they are much, much more than this, as this applies only to our bodies on the physical level.

Treat your body to a regular spa therapy, and enjoy the experience for what it is, while accepting there is a deeper and much more meaningful approach to it that will ensure that you achieve benefits far above and beyond your expectations.  Take a more serious look through an open mind, into what your body is made of, how it functions and what influences it and with a little thought, consideration and implementation of them into your life, you should be able to make significant strides towards a genuine levels of wellbeing that your body with thank you for, for a long, long time.

- all symptoms of the variety of ‘common colds’ and flu viruses that we share this planet with.  Unless you live as a total recluse chances are that you will regularly come into contact with cold or flu viruses.  How badly you are affected as a result of the contact depends a lot on the strength of your immune system.  Your immune system has the daunting role of identifying the body’s enemies and destroying them – your own ‘built-in’ army - but as with all armies they have to be kept healthy in order to function properly and that means regular food.

Studies have shown that a daily intact of 1,000mg of Vitamin C or more can reduce the occurrence, duration and degree of suffering associated with cold and flu symptoms.  This is not to say that every one should take a daily supplement, because if you are consuming healthy nutritious meals, your diet is probably already very high in Vitamin C.  The addition of fresh fruit and vegetable juices is an excellent way to increase your Vitamin C intake, but you must also remember that just because your diet includes high levels of the vitamin does not mean that you will not succumb to a viral attack, only that you will recover more quickly (often in as little as 24 hours) than a person with a lower immune level.  But there is more to prevention than ingestion of Vitamin C.

Vitamin A and Zinc are also anti-viral.  Vitamin A helps with the strengthening of the skin (the body’s first line of defense) and cell walls.  Caution must be noted however as Vitamin A is a fat soluble Vitamin that the body will store excessive reserves of, potentially resulting in toxicity problems.  Consume levels only in accordance with those recommended by your health care professional.  Zinc is the most important mineral that body needs to boost the immune system, so ensure that you include oysters, lamb, ginger root, pecans, almonds, brazil nuts or some egg yolks in your diet.  If you are really low in zinc, then oysters contain at least 15 times more Zinc than any of the other foods listed.  Again, caution must be noted as ingestion of more than 2000 mg can result in health problems greater than you are trying to solve.  Selenium can also assist.  It is an immune enhancing mineral found in fresh tuna, oysters and molasses and is also an anti-oxidant.  It is great in helping to reduce inflammation, fight against carcinogens and helps to protect against free radicals.

Other common kitchen items that can assist in the combat or prevention of colds and flu are garlic, ginger, mushrooms and increasingly popular Echinacea.  Garlic contains allicin and is high in sulphur containing amino acids.  Best when eaten raw, or try adding a clove to your next glass of carrot and orange juice, take up to six cloves a day if you feeling a little under-the-weather.  Ginger is an all round calmer for the upset stomach, but a cup of warm ginger tea will ease your soar throat surprisingly quick.  Mushrooms are also good to assist with your ailing immune system.  Used of centuries in Chinese herbal tisanes and concoctions, the reishi is probably the most widely used mushroom for its healing qualities, but the humble shiitake (fresh or dried) is also a great source of immune boosting polysaccharides.

And then there are the herbs such as St. Johns wort, recommended to cure many ills and ails.  Echinacea has seen a resurgence in interest in recent year, with the extracts from this humble garden flower now hailed as one of the best ‘medicines’ to consume when you are fighting off an infection.

While a warm environment will aid your body in its recovery, vigorous exercise or over training can be detrimental and even suppress your immune system.  Activities such as Tai chi and Meditation have been shown to improve the immune system with T-cells increasing by as much as 40%.

As with all things in life there is a balance and you can not consume only one food, supplement or partake in only one activity to achieve the required result.  Vitamins work best in combination, so a high dose of pure Vitamin C is less effective than a good multivitamin with a good level of it.

With the number of cold and flu like symptoms we can experience in our busy stressed lives, extra care does need to be taken in today’s world.  If any symptoms persist, consult with your health care professional immediately.

As has been seen in many Asian countries for some time now, fresh fruit juices have become an accepted street food.  Unfortunately other than vendors squeezing orange juice (virtually on request) on some street corners there is limited places that sell a variety of fresh fruits in Bangkok, although the hotels are starting to catch on to this latest ‘trend’.  By fresh, I mean FRESH – prepared and consumed in a matter of minutes, not those that are labeled ‘fresh’ and yet have a shelf life in the supermarket of a week or more.  Fresh juices provide a valuable dose of nutrition in a pleasant drink.

Being that it has been deemed that we only need fruits and vegetables for sustenance, there is an obvious better way of gaining maximum nutrition from them.  With most of the nutrition locked up in the cellulose fibre of plants, it can take considerable chewing and or digestion time to release the necessary nutrients.  Placing your fruits and vegetables in a juicer will make the nutrients available to your digestive system in as little as few minutes.

In comparison to whole fruits and vegetables, we can comfortably consume a quantity of juice far in excess of the whole fruit.  As a rough guide, 1 kilogram of fruit or vegetables will produce about 2 glasses of juice.  With the juice having a higher concentration of vitamins, minerals and trace elements if your diet is lacking, this is a great way to increase your nutrition intake with reasonable comfort.

Juices can be consumed from an early age, but check with your health care professional for specific advise.  As soon as children start on ‘solid foods’, fresh carrot juice mixed with their milk is a great way to start on a healthy life long dietary program.  Carrot juice for growing children can be a way of them consuming nutrient rich vegetables when they are a stage of life when they are notorious for rejecting them.  The sweetness of fresh carrot juice is where the most obstinate child can be convinced to ‘eat their veggies’.  On the upside here also is that as the child nears the age where acne can be a problem, carrot juice aids the normal development of glands and can help prevent or overcome the ravages of this ailment.

Taken on a regular basis, a dose of fresh juice will provide enzymes that are essential for the body to enable proper digestion.  While our body also will produce these essential enzymes as we age our body produces progressively less of them, so juices can provide an important boost so that we maintain efficient digestion.

You do not have to be ailing to benefit from the ingestion of raw juices.  In a way, they are the same as taking vitamin supplements, but, with the added benefit of being ‘alive’.

Incorporate freshly prepared juices in your life on a daily basis.  They are quick and easy to prepare and the variety of flavours is up to your taste and imagination.  Just wash thoroughly all items being used.  You only need to peel fruits with thick skins (such a pineapples and melons), but apples can go in your juicer skin and all (but leave out the seeds).  Carrots, beetroot, celery only need to be washed, but celery leaves can be particularly strong in flavour so leave these out to start with unless you really like the flavour.  If in doubt, experiment.  As with all experiments, some will not work, but others will give surprising results.  A few recipes follow, but there are lots of juice and juicing books available at book stores so if you are truly interested in improving your own health or that of your family, why not invest in a juice machine and a new book today.  The kids will love preparing them – the colour range is particularly exciting.  To start with, perhaps stick to a single juice but as you become more adventurous try mixing the juices.  Green apple and carrot is great start, but then why not try some of the following:

For the relief of heartburn caused by an acid stomach, juice 3 potatoes, 3 carrots, 1 apple and 1 stick of celery (no leaves).

For relief of arthritis, juice equal quantities of cherries, blueberries and blackberries.

For relief from acne, juice 4 carrots, 1 cucumber, 1 whole lemon, 1 potato, 1 artichoke and 1 apple.

For relief from high blood pressure, juice 6 carrots, 2 sticks celery, 1 beetroot, 1 bunch parsley, 1 clove garlic, 1 bunch spinach.

For relief from ulcers, three times a day juice ¼ green cabbage and 6 carrots.

To boost your immune system, juice the seeds of 2 pomegranates (tubtim), 4 carrots and ½ lime.

Remember fresh juices are not a miracle cure.  They are part of a health eating program with the effects being long term.  When you start with juices, dilute them by 50% with water.  Drinking one glass of juice that will assist in lowering your blood pressure (or any other specific health dis-ease) is unlikely to have a major effect.  You will have to make juices a regular part of your diet to see the real and long term benefits.  If in doubt, consult your healthcare advisor, and remember that everything in life should be taken in moderation.

Zinc is a mineral that is essential to a healthy immune system.  It has been and continues to be researched around the world.  It is one of the most researched minerals in the world today, yet remains the one that is most commonly deficient.

The body needs zinc to enable repair to damaged skin whether from cuts and abrasions or from acne and boils and is widely recognized along with Vitamin C as one of the main anti-oxidant immune system boosters there is.  It is also a major player in the cell division of skin, hair and nails.  In fact if you are deficient one of the first places that it will show up is by white spots on your nails or hair loss.  Zinc is a component of over 200 enzymes in the body including DNA and is important for the control of hormones and for supporting the body in its ability to cope with stress.

With recommended intake of only 10 – 15mg, you do not need a large amount to meet you daily intake requirements.  The best source of Zinc is oysters, providing over 50mg per 100g of product.  From there the level of zinc drops significantly to sesame seeds, ginger root, liver, pumpkin seeds shrimps and crabs with from 8g to only 5g per 100g.  This just proves the small quantity that is required by the body to remain healthy.  Incidentally one of the reasons that oysters lay claim to being an aphrodisiac probably relates to their zinc content because it serves as a counter balance or replacement for the zinc lost by men during sexual relations.

As always a well balanced diet with a variety of foods including fresh fish, seafood’s and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables should result in sufficient intake although care must be taken as there are a number of factors that can deplete your best intended consumption levels of Zinc quickly.  It must also be remembered that Zinc is a major factor in DNA and animals have a higher level of DNA than plants, and as such animal products generally contain higher levels of Zinc.  Stress, excessive perspiration, consumption of birth control pills, diuretics and large amounts of calcium, sugar, alcohol, tea or coffee, a low protein diet, pregnancy or suffering from a bout of psoriasis can increase your need to zinc, due either to direct depletion or resulting from the bodies reduced ability to utilize it.   A good supply of Zinc for men is essential as it is needed by the prostate gland for control of the body’s level of testosterone production.

If you have poor sense of smell, have white marks on your nails, suffer from frequent infections, acne, pale skin and poor appetite, then you Zinc intake may be insufficient.  The taste of your food can be another significant indicator that you have a zinc deficiency - if you like your food salty, heavily sauced or spiced or even well matured (as in cheeses) your body may be trying to tell you something.  A consultation with your health care professional is recommended.

As with many vitamins and minerals dosage of a single one may not be of that much benefit.  Vitamins and minerals work in combination and Zinc is no exception.  For zinc to be most effective, it needs to be consumed with Vitamin A, B6, E, calcium (not too much or this will inhibit), copper, phosphorus and selenium.  A shortage of any of these and your body will be running on a less than optimum absorption rate.

As with all things taken in excess, you can cause more problems that you solve.  An intake in excess of 2g of Zinc can result in dizziness, drowsiness and hallucinations.

With a relatively low level of Zinc required for overall health it is surprising that there are so many people suffering from a lack of this mineral.  Review your diet today.

With the growing awareness of health in the broader community, more and more people are looking at specific options of these. Some are exploring the virtues offered by such dietary regimes as that provided through becoming a Vegetarian, a Vegan or even a Fruitarian. Others are not seeking such apparently diverse dietary requirements and opting for that of just consuming raw food.

For many, the idea of consuming raw foods may be a little extreme, especially if you are used to a highly processed diet, but it is also something that does not have to be entered into in totality, as the consumption of any raw foods on an empty stomach will greatly improve the digestive process.

What are raw foods? These are any foods which have not been subjected to heat above 48ºC. Reality is that you probably already include some raw foods in your diet through the consumption of salads and fresh juices, but with a little thought, these can be further developed to contain all types of foods, including breads and cookies.

Why eat raw foods? We need enzymes to help us to digest the food we eat. In raw food all the enzymes that we need are present in the food, but if we heat it to above 48ºC we will be killing off these naturally occurring enzymes. This genocide will can also occur in apparently raw foods that are not consumed in their premium state (as in ‘fresh fruit juices’ which are not consumed until hours after their production). This does not mean that we cannot then digest the foods, just that our bodies are then forced to work all that much harder to accommodate this process, potentially at the loss or reduction in efficiency of other processes that our bodies need to carry out on a daily basis.

Any dietary change can and probably will result in immediate changes in your bodies reactions to the food you consume. As when traveling to a foreign country the subsequent dietary change can result in stomach and bowel upsets until your body adjusts to the new foods, so equally can be the reaction when you start on a raw food diet. Start out slowly and you will minimize if not avoid totally any of these potential concerns.

Starting each and every meal with a ‘raw’ course is the first and easiest way to incorporate raw food into your diet or even if you have decided to start a complete raw food dietary programme for ‘medical’ reasons. When you are comfortable with this and ready to move on to the next step, increase one more course. Probably the easiest meal to go completely raw on is breakfast, although that does mean that coffee is not on the menu. Fresh fruit juices and Sprouted buckwheat mixed with soaked raisins is a great way to start the day. For lunch, salads with ‘live dressings’ made from soaked sunflower seeds can be more filling than any traditional office day lunch. Then there are the sun-dried breads that can be added to this, or even a warm soup. For dinner, more elaborate combinations of the lunch selection, or why not add ‘raw’ fish or meats, if you are not into a totally vegetarian diet. Traditional dishes such as Japanese Sashimi and Italian Carparccio are great raw food dishes.

What ever your choice in raw foods, the selection really is yours. To increase the amount of raw food in your diet is better than no raw food, and practicalities can be limiting depending on when and where you eat your meals. Regardless, you will find that the more raw foods that are included in your diet the better you will feel, and while you do not have to be as extreme as some of the ‘raw food retreats’ that are on offer around the world, with a little effort, you can at least have some of the benefits in your own home.

Always consult your health care advisor before entering into any significant dietary change.

For more details, read ‘Living with Green Power’ by Elysa Markowitz and ‘The Raw Gourmet’ by Nomi Shannon, both published by Alive Books (Canada). Raw food ‘cooking classes’ are also available at: New Beginnings, Sukhumvit 22

Spas have become renowned for the massages that they offer and while industry surveys may indicate 85% of therapies experienced at the spa are your basic massages (Swedish, Aromatherapy, Thai etc.), there is much, much more that you could enjoy.
The main services of a Spa may well be based on massage but the element of water, which defines what a spa is, is essential.  S.P.A. – Sanus Par Aqua / health through water.  This water element can be varied, from simple steam, sauna and showers to soaks and baths – all of which can enhanced with chromotherapy, music and/or aromas to create a truly luxury experience.  Other spa services can include exercise, nutritional therapy, dietary programs, mind therapies, herbal medicine or even traditional and complementary medicine.  The content and diversity of the offering will vary, depending upon the spas concept.
Your spa experience may begin with a body scrub or wrap and be followed by Acupressure, Hot Stone, Sport and Four Hand Massage or even Lymphatic Drainage, Shiatsu or Tui Na, but there is a myriad of lesser known options for you to consider.
Abhyanga - Ayurvedic massage to improve hydration and relaxation without targeting specific areas.
Chi Nei Tsang – Internal organ massage – to improve general well being and can assist digestive blockages
Craniosacral Therapy - Massage therapy focusing on the head and neck areas.
Oleation - Ayurvedic treatment using friction massage with blended essential oils.
Panchakarma - Ayurvedic cleansing and purification treatments using essential oils, massage and meditation techniques.
Trager Massage - Massage technique of gentle rhythmic rocking movements to induce relaxation and relieve tension.
Polarity Massage - Through gently rocking, holding and massaging this technique with stimulate relaxation, restore energy flow and encourage revitalization.
Rolfing - Deep muscular manipulation for the relief of rigid muscles, bones and joints, to improve energy flow and relieve stress often related to emotional trauma. Can be painful!
Rasul - A specific body treatment, which begins with a shower, followed by a Moroccan mud application. After this is rinsed off the treatment is concluded with an herbal steam bath. Detoxifies, exfoliates and improves circulation.
Enzyme Bath - Wooden tub filled with fibrous material (such as wood chips) and plant enzymes, which naturally ferment creating a heated substance in which you are submerged to sweat out toxins; aids relaxation, improves circulation & metabolism.
Flotation Tank - A tank filled with enough salt water so a person can float in it; lights are either dimmed or turned off. Music & light therapies are often combined with this.
Hamam - Turkish/Middle Eastern communal bathhouse.
Mandi Susu - Indonesian bathing ritual using regular milk or buttermilk, sometimes yogurt.
Roman Bath - In ancient Rom numerous baths were used alternately hot, warm and cold. The varying temperatures aided in stimulating the circulatory system.
Swiss Shower - A water therapy treatment combining the use of stationary water jets (12 to 16) which are aimed at pressure areas of the body; the water alternates between hot/cold. Stimulates circulation and relieves tension.
Watsu - A massage treatment where the client and therapist are immersed in a pool of warm water. Treatment consists of pressure point massage, and rhythmic movements and stretches.
Gommage - Various creams applied in long massage-like strokes to the body and used on the face with short, quick strokes to cleanse and rehydrate the skin.
Inhalation Therapy - Treatments involving the inhalation of steam vapor, which may have been treated with medicine or natural herbal or contain curative mineral substances.
Shiro Dhara - Ayurvedic treatment of warmed oil slowly pouring over the ‘third eye’ in middle of one’s forehead to induce total relaxation.
Spa therapies may also include ones that more commonly associated with ‘alternative therapies’, lifestyle classes or even gymnasiums such as Aerobics, Body Composition Analysis, Life Coach Counseling, Tai Chi, Pilates, Physiotherapy or Yoga, but can also include those that are less common, such as;
Alexandar Technique - a method that works to change movement habits. It is a simple and practical method for improving ease and freedom of movement, balance, support and co-ordination by releasing unnecessary tension.
Bowen Technique - Holistic bodywork therapy developed by Tom Bowen in Australia in the mid-1950s.  It is a therapeutic soft-tissue manipulation technique that is applied to the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the body very gently and with minimal pressure.
Feldenkrais Method - developed by Russian Doctor, Moshe Feldenkrais (1904 - 1984) to help you understand your body and explore the way you move so that you can correct yourself - aids mobility and flexibility and treats conditions such as sport injuries.
Labyrinth – a version of walking meditation
Mind Coach Counseling – concentrates on the state of mind rather than the body – a form of mild psychotherapy.
Qigong - Oriental discipline, incorporating body movements with specific patterned breathing and mental concentration. Believed to improve overall health, circulation and body movement fluidity.
Then there is those therapies that are more medically inclined, be they traditional or complementary;
Acupuncture - Oriental technique inserting needles into specific points on the body to stimulate healing and balance.
Bach Flower Therapies - the use of certain flower essences to treat emotional problems. The method has been used since the 1930’s, when Dr. Edward Bach observed that personality types had a close relation to certain patterns of illness.
Cell Therapy - This therapy involves the injection of lamb embryonic cells - believed to regenerate cell growth and reverse the aging process. Not FDA approved in many parts of the world.
Chelation Therapy  - preventative or curative cleaning of the arteries by way of an intravenous fluid.
Colonic Hydrotherapy  - Irrigation of the colon for the purpose of cleansing trapped debris.
Crystal Therapy - works in a similar way to colour therapy with similar results.
Ear Candling – lighted wax cones used to gently extra ear wax and improve hearing
Harmonic Resonance Therapy - encourages our body cells’ own frequency to be amplified by running a small, electromagnetic current through the palm of the hand or the ball of the foot. Its effect is an increase in energy and mental clarity.
Magnet Therapy - the specialized use of magnets to improve blood flow and oxygen supply to the red blood cells, increasing energy levels and accelerating healing.
Rebirthing - Rebirthing is a healing process that engages with the mind, the body and the spirit to cleanse away toxic patterns of being and facilitate new, healthy and fulfilling goals and choices. The core practice of Rebirthing is a breathing technique.
Stress Management – generally counseling sessions with a specialist experienced in stress related problems.
To finish you have the head & toe therapies, commonly associated with Beauty Salons or similar establishments, but a logical conclusion to your spa experience.  These can be everything from a basic Manicure, Pedicure or Shampoo Blow Dry to the more luxurious Hand Scrubs, French Manicures, Foot Baths, Paraffin, Waxing and Hair Masques.
If you have been following a tried and true ritual by just booking a massage, why not explore other options and enquire of about different therapies which may be available at your spa – ones to complement your massage, your lifestyle and give balance to your mind, body and soul – for a truly whole-istic experience.

We have known for years that sugar is ‘bad for us’, but what is it that is so bad and what can we do about it?

Sugar has through food production and good advertising become a supposed essential ingredient in our diets, to the point that we consume approximately 45 kg of sugar per person per year.  While it is produced naturally in our environment as a result of photosynthesis or a natural chemical reaction between the sunlight, chlorophyll, carbon dioxide and water, it is the refined sugars that cause the most damage as these are devoid of the nutrients which enable it to be digested properly.  Of specific note here is the lack of Vitamin B1 which is required for its proper digestion.

From simple sugars like glucose and fructose which are made up of a single molecule, to sucrose, maltose and lactose which are two molecule sugars, there are pit falls in sugar consumption all the way.  Sucrose, made up of one glucose and one fructose molecule is equivalent to refined white sugar.  Starch is a complex sugar which is made of a combination of sugar molecules which cannot be digested by our bodies, and while sugar is considered a carbohydrate, these must be converted into simple sugars for the body to be able to utilize their benefits.

Fruits and vegetables all contain the necessary levels of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and hormones that are required to enable these simple sugars to be easily absorbed into the blood stream, but with the consumption of refined sugars, the body has difficulty in finding sufficient nutritional support for this to take place.  It is for this reason that the imbalances in diets can so easily take place.  High sugar consumption as with any other imbalanced food consumption WILL cause a dietary imbalance.  With sugar, this can lead to stomach and digestive disorders such as obesity and diabetes, which are difficult imbalances to deal with, as they require a lifetime of adjustments, and are not the sorts of disease that can be cured with one visit to a doctor.

To minimize the exposure of your body to harmful effects of refined sugars, try leaving it out of your diet completely as a additive.  Admittedly this is not as easy as it first may appear.  Firstly your palate has probably been ‘educated’ over a number of years to ‘need’ this sweet high.  Fresh fruits containing levels of simple sugars to appease the taste buds, together with all the necessary nutrients to ensure proper digestion and utilization by the body makes these the best option in a naturally sweet diet.  Dried fruits are also a good choice, but consideration must be given to the number of chemicals that may have been used in the drying process.  A naturally dried piece of fruit will be dark in colour, so if your dried fruit is bright or luminous, you can be sure that it contains a level of chemical to maintain the ‘natural’ fruit colour, that will give it the consumer acceptance level on the supermarket shelf, even if it is not totally ‘healthy’ for you.

Honey (not the refined variety) contains high levels of nutrients making it one of the best ‘natural’ sweeteners after fresh fruit, and then there is the fruit concentrates.  These are not widely available to the domestic consumer but in food production are used in huge quantities.  To know how much is used check out the labels on the products you buy.  Apple and pear concentrate are probably the most wide used fruit concentrates.  Being concentrated juice of these fruits, they contain only simple sugars, and while due to the processing, the level of nutrients is reduced, they are a ‘healthier’ option to refined sugars.  There are also chemical produced sweeteners on the market such as saccharine, aspartame and others, but being chemically produced they are not the type of products to be included in a healthy diet, and in fact some of these products have been linked to very negative health issues.

Caution must also be exercised in the purchase of processed foods.  Everything from bread to chili sauce, processed meats and cans of fizzy drinks contain varying levels of added sugars.  These are added to appease our increasing demand for sweet products perpetuated by sugar.  The more we consume, the more we crave.

As always it is better to look at the big picture.  A can of cola while containing a huge level of sugar is not going to kill you if you consume one a month, on the other hand if it a staple of your diet, then you seriously need to reconsider.  Try to keep a balance in your diet and remove wherever possible those refined sugars.  Ensure you diet contains plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and you will be on the right track.

With today’s busy lifestyle, there seems so little time for some of the so called ‘luxuries in life’.  Now it seems that even caviar and chocolate are on the ‘NO’ list – at least it is for those suffering from Gout.

Gout, a form of arthritis is a swelling and severe tenderness of the joints where even the weight of a bed sheet can cause excruciating pain.  Caused by the improper metabolism of proteins and the kidneys inability to excrete uric acid, these crystals build up in the synovial fluid (the natural lubricant) in the joints.  The body then tries to excrete these invaders by defending itself with inflammation and increasing the blood flow to these areas, unfortunately this can then result in intense pain that can last for weeks if not treated.  In severe cases, the uric acid crystals can even build up under the skin in the ears and elbows.

The good news for half the population is that Gout is rare in women especially before menopause.

Gout can be treated with modern medicine; however there may well be side-effects that need to be considered, especially if there are other medical conditions to be considered.  Aspirin and some medications for reducing blood pressure can also aggravate gout.

Whether allopathic or complementary medicine practices are employed to alleviate the problem, dietary changes will assist with the control of the condition.  If you are overweight (and at least 50% of sufferers usually are), then a reduction in body fat can significantly reduce if not eliminate the chances of an attack.  Following a low fat and moderate protein diet is your easiest option.  Make gradual and progressive changes to your diet and DO NOT go on fad or crash diets to reduce your weight as these are more likely to increase the amount of uric acid in the blood, thereby aggravating your gout.  The additional bonus to dietary changes made gradually is that they are much more likely to be effective in terms of their permanency.

Vitamins B6 and Zinc are essential in the metabolism of protein so are an essential part of a preventative nutritional programme.  Foods high in purines promote the production of uric acid, so these should be avoided.  Consumption of fish high in the Omega 3 fatty acids have been found to be beneficial, but care must be taken to avoid the oily varieties as these are more likely to provoke an attack.  This means that such delicacies as sardines, lentils, dried beans, offal (all kinds), processed meats (including smoked, chocolate, wine, beer, caviar and shellfish are on the taboo list.  Items that have a lesser purine content like cauliflower, asparagus, green leafy vegetables, mushrooms, and anything made with baking powder should be consumed only in small quantities.  Water is an important part of the dietary control and consumption of at least 6 – 8 glasses of water a day is essential to ensure that your kidneys are flushed regularly.  Accordingly to some complementary medical practitioners, consumption of sour cherries and nettle tea can assist in the treatment of gout, although this has yet to be verified, on top of which they are extremely difficult to source here in Thailand.  Your grandmother may also have used beetroot in the treatment of gout, but there is no substantiated benefit in this, and consumption of celery is purported to be beneficial.

Many people that suffer from gout also suffer from other medical concerns such as hypertension, diabetes and heart disease, so always consult your health care professional to ensure that any action that you take at home to treat a particular concern does not have a reaction that negatively impacts on other ailments.

Moderation is the answer to a healthy eating programme.