Burning Incense May Moderate Depression

As a retailer, one of my favorite items to sell was incense . . . yet another excuse to burn my beloved mulberry scented incense. Since my "back in the day" hippie days, incense and candles have been a part of my life. There is something soothing about the atmosphere it creates for me. Little did I know that my very inexpensive indulgence is also therapeutic.

Here is an article that links burning incense to aiding in moderating depression . . . very interesting theory!


By: Rick Nauert, Ph.D.
Senior News Editor

Reviewed by: John M. Grohol, Psy.D.
on May 21, 2008

Wednesday, May 21 (Psych Central)

Burning incense is a practice that has been a part of religious ceremonies for many millennia.

In a new study an international team of scientists have discovered how burning frankincense (resin from the Boswellia plant) activates poorly understood ion channels in the brain that alleviate anxiety or depression.

The finding suggests that an entirely new class of depression and anxiety drugs might be right under our noses.

“In spite of information stemming from ancient texts, constituents of Bosweilla had not been investigated for psychoactivity,” said Raphael Mechoulam, one of the research study’s co-authors.

The study appears online in The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal (http://www.fasebj.org).

“We found that incensole acetate, a Boswellia resin constituent, when tested in mice lowers anxiety and causes antidepressive-like behavior. Apparently, most present day worshipers assume that incense burning has only a symbolic meaning.”

To determine incense’s psychoactive effects, the researchers administered incensole acetate to mice. They found that the compound significantly affected areas in brain areas known to be involved in emotions as well as in nerve circuits that are affected by current anxiety and depression drugs.

Specifically, incensole acetate activated a protein called TRPV3, which is present in mammalian brains and also known to play a role in the perception of warmth of the skin. When mice bred without this protein were exposed to incensole acetate, the compound had no effect on their brains.

“Perhaps Marx wasn’t too wrong when he called religion the opium of the people: morphine comes from poppies, cannabinoids from marijuana, and LSD from mushrooms; each of these has been used in one or another religious ceremony.” said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal.

“Studies of how those psychoactive drugs work have helped us understand modern neurobiology. The discovery of how incensole acetate, purified from frankincense, works on specific targets in the brain should also help us understand diseases of the nervous system. This study also provides a biological explanation for millennia-old spiritual practices that have persisted across time, distance, culture, language, and religion—burning incense really does make you feel warm and tingly all over!”

According to the National Institutes of Health, major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability in the United States for people ages 15–44, affecting approximately 14.8 million American adults. A less severe form of depression, dysthymic disorder, affects approximately 3.3 million American adults. Anxiety disorders affect 40 million American adults, and frequently co-occur with depressive disorders.

Source: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

Blogging for Therapy

The following is a reprint of an article I found interesting on CNN's website. It confirms what I learned from a therapist years ago . . . the best therapy ever is writing about what is bothering you . . . public blogging is a step beyond. I'm wondering if psychotherapists have experienced a drop in number of patients. It works for me!

Here is the article:

(LifeWire) -- When a 24-year-old woman who called herself "90DayJane" launched a blog in February announcing she would write about her life and feelings for three months and then commit suicide, 150,000 readers flocked to the site. Some came to offer help, some to delight in the drama. Others speculated it was all a hoax.

Few, however, questioned why she would share her deepest thoughts and feelings with strangers online. In the age of cyber-voyeurism, the better question might be: Why wouldn't she?

Overeating, alcoholism, depression -- name the problem and you'll find someone's personal blog on the subject. Roughly 12 million Americans have blogs, according to polls by the Pew Internet and American Life Project in 2006, and many seem to use them as a form of group therapy.

A 2005 survey by Digital Marketing Services for AOL.com a found nearly half of the 600 people polled derived therapeutic benefits from personal blogging. 'Instant support system'

For Stacey Kim, a 36-year-old book editor who lives in the Boston suburb of Arlington, Massachusetts, emotional blogging has become a reflex. On April 11, 2007, Kim curled up next to her husband and held him as he succumbed to a long battle with pancreatic cancer. The next morning, she went online to post about the experience.

"It cemented the reality that he was gone," Kim says. "I got hundreds of comments back that were all so loving and supportive. It gave me a really tangible sense of community."

She blogs about life as the widowed mother of 22-month-old twins at snickollet.blogspot.com.

"Right after he died, people kept asking if I was in therapy," says Kim, "and I'd say, 'No, but I have a blog.'"

Writing long has been considered a therapeutic outlet for people facing problems. A 2003 British Psychological Society study of 36 people suggested that writing about emotions could even speed the healing of physical wounds: Researchers found that small wounds healed more quickly in those who wrote about traumatic personal events than in those who wrote about mundane activities.

But it's the public nature of blogs that creates the sense of support.

Reading someone else's blog can be surprisingly beneficial, says MightyGirl.net blogger Margaret Mason, 32. She reads about other women's experiences with everything from in-laws to apartment-hunting at blogs like SuburbanBliss.net and SuperHeroDesigns.com.

"Blogging can create an instant support system, especially at a time when you might not have the energy or resources to seek out people who've shared your experiences," says Mason, author of "No One Cares What You Had For Lunch," a book on keeping a blog interesting.

A way to be heard

John Suler, a psychology professor at Rider University in New Jersey, has studied the overlap of psychology and cyberspace. Blog audiences are usually small, he says, but "going public with one's thoughts and experiences can be a self-affirming process."

He and other experts say blogging shouldn't replace face-to-face counseling -- although it can complement sessions when a patient shares their writing with the therapist.

"Some psychologists take special interest in any activities that their clients may undertake online," Suler says, "because such activities often reveal a lot about how they express their identity and relate to other people."

Kim did start psychotherapy, but kept blogging. "My therapist will give me little assignments and I'll blog about them," she says. "If I come home (after a session) and write about it, it solidifies it."

One Chicago licensed social worker and therapist in her 50s encourages patients to release bottled emotions through blogging. Leah, who asked that her last name not be used because of the nature of her profession, started EveryoneNeedsTherapy.blogspot.com to share professional insights.

Soon, however, she was talking about her own feelings -- and her husband told her it seemed to lift her mood.

"It's a form of group therapy," says Leah. "Not only can you express your feelings, but you can get comments, and that creates a dialogue."

Blogging about personal matters seems to be more of a feminine pursuit. In the 2004 study "Effects of Age and Gender on Blogging," researchers examined more than 37,000 blogs on blogger.com. Their conclusion: Male bloggers tend to write about politics, technology and money; women are more likely to blog about their private lives and use an intimate style of writing.

This doesn't surprise Patricia Wallace, author of "The Psychology of the Internet."

"Women tend to self-disclose more online in general," says the senior director at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth. "Women far outnumber men in certain blogging worlds in which feelings are shared, such as cancer blogs."

Permanent marks

The only problem, some bloggers find, is that many posts become passé -- yet they're on the Web forever.

"The Internet takes momentary thoughts and freezes them in amber as if they're permanent," says Scheherazade Mason, a career counselor and sailing coach at Bowdoin College in Maine. She stopped posting her deepest thoughts, but calls the experience positive.

"Through my first blog, I learned to be braver," Mason says. "I learned that my weakness was also likable. In real life, you try to show only strength and to hide your weaknesses, but I exposed everything."

90DayJane also said she learned important things. After seven days, she announced the blog was an art project and she wasn't planning to kill herself.

"I wanted this blog to be about personal discovery and truth," she wrote in her final post. "But the correspondences I have received have taught me more about those qualities than I could ever express. 90DayJane ... has changed my perspective as a human being."

Obsessive-Compulsive? This one is for you :)

I'm not ashamed to admit that I am an obsessive-compulsive personality. The problem with my perfectionism is that as it relates to my home, it bogs me down which turns into overwhelm . . . ending up with nothing getting done. It is a chore in itself to motivate myself. I'm gonna study this article from Psychology Today and hope it is the thing that finally gets me past the initial problem . . .


Field Guide to the Obsessive-Compulsive:
Famously Fussy

I-dotters and T-crossers, rejoice: The need to get every detail right can bring great success (as long as you don't get too bogged down).

By: Joshua Kendall

Jeff Lewis, a real-estate investor who buys and sells residential property in swanky Los Angeles neighborhoods, is preoccupied with order, symmetry, perfection, cleanliness, rules, and lists. If his refrigerator isn't stocked with bottles of Evian water, all with labels facing outwards, "there is hell to pay." But rather than tormenting the 37-year-old Lewis—star of the Bravo reality show Flipping Out—these obsessions have turned him into a multimillionaire. In Lewis's line of work, attention to detail is essential. Before putting a home back on the market, he must supervise months of painstaking renovations, typically at a cost of several hundred thousand dollars. "OK, I have a mental affliction," he says. "But it's an asset. My perfectionism sets my product apart."

Lewis has all the hallmarks of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), the most common personality disorder, affecting nearly 17 million Americans. Because all personality disorders lie on a spectrum from faint to acute, many millions more have a touch of OCPD: not enough of the symptoms to meet the diagnostic criteria, but enough to be considered especially persnickety.

Like Lewis, these people are often high achievers because of their so-called pathology—not in spite of it. "For accountants, lawyers, and engineers, it's a good fit," says psychologist Steven Phillipson, clinical director of Manhattan's Center for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. As Glen Gabbard, psychoanalyst and professor of psychiatry at Baylor University, puts it, "The perfectionism, the thoroughness, the politeness, and the conscientiousness of the person with OCPD are adaptive. No one can get through medical school without OCPD traits!"

In fact for some professions, only those with OCPD need apply: Obsessions and compulsions drove the English language's three most famous lexicographers—Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster, and Peter Roget. Roget, a British doctor who completed his legendary Thesaurus at the age of 73, began compiling copious word lists when he was just 8. Much later, he organized his whole life into a list, dubbing his autobiography List of Principal Events.

The Picture of Pickiness

Lewis has been this way as long as he can remember. In elementary school, he refused to step on the lines on the sidewalk. "If my parents didn't give me separate plates for my chicken, mashed potatoes, and spinach, I would get visibly anxious and wouldn't eat anything," he says. Signs of OCPD often appear in childhood; the cause of the disorder is not known but is thought to develop out of a mix of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors.

Each morning, he issues a to-do list to each of his half-dozen employees. "I don't want anyone to forget anything," he says. Much of the dramatic tension in Flipping Out stems from struggles with his various personal assistants, who keep the business running. Firings (and rehirings) are routine.

Though OCPD has helped Lewis sell nearly 50 homes over the last 10 years, it has exacted a toll on his personal life.

"I realize that I can be hard to be around," he says. "Everyone doesn't think the way I do." Having recently ended a five-year relationship with a partner, Lewis, who is gay, is now motivated to change and has vowed to become less demanding. "In the future, I won't nag my partner to put the shampoo and the conditioner on the proper shelves in the shower. I'll do it myself."

It's estimated that less than 1 percent of those who fit the criteria for OCPD seek mental health treatment to cope with the less appealing parts of their personality. "People with this disorder often deny that they have a problem," says Frederic Busch, a psychoanalyst and professor at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.

From Debilitated to Dynamite

OCPD is frequently confused with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a less common but more disabling condition, with a stronger biological component. "With OCD, people become bombarded by very bothersome and intrusive thoughts. Rather than providing them with pleasure or satisfaction, the obsessions impair their functioning," says Jeffrey Schwartz, a psychiatrist at UCLA and author of Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior.

In contrast to those with OCPD, people with OCD tend to be acutely aware that something is wrong. For years, Jeff Bell, now the afternoon news anchor on KCBS Radio in San Francisco, was plagued by a host of irrational fears. When driving his car or boat, he would constantly worry that he had inadvertently hurt someone. The countless hours he wasted ruminating about these alleged accidents nearly cost him his job.

The author of a recent memoir, Rewind, Repeat, Replay, Bell eventually found a therapist who provided exposure and response prevention (ERP)—a specialized form of cognitive-behavioral therapy that helps people gradually face their overwhelming anxiety. At the beginning of treatment, patients learn that though they are not crazy, their catastrophic worries aren't rooted in reality. Over time, they develop the courage to sit with their worst fears. Bell recalls feeling the urge to spend hours scrubbing his hands in the bathroom before a scheduled speech. He was convinced that if he went on stage, he would inflict a mysterious disease on his audience. "I was scared, but I chose not to give in to my concern about 'reverse contamination,'" Bell says. Research by scientists such as Schwartz shows that such changes in thinking and behavior can actually correct the person's faulty biochemistry. Even patients with severe OCD can often make significant progress after about 15 sessions of therapy.

Bell has been a lifelong perfectionist, but when his OCD flared up he couldn't perform his duties as a field reporter. "I would get so bogged down in minor details that a 60-second spot would take forever. Often it never got on the air," he says. While his endless ruminations are no longer a problem, his thoroughness remains. "My compulsion to do everything right has solidified my reputation as someone who delivers scrupulously fact-checked stories." —Joshua Kendall

How to Obsess Less

Those on the OCPD spectrum can learn to relax a little with these techniques from Steven Phillipson, founder of OCDOnline.com.

• Listen to Yourself. Your dedication to detail probably reflects an underlying philosophy, such as, "I need everything to be perfect so no one notices I'm an imposter," or, "The whole business will collapse if I don't have complete control." Start keeping a log to record your thoughts as you engage in the tasks that bog you down.
• Say Something New. Now that you're attuned to your faulty beliefs, answer them with counterarguments such as,"All humans are imperfect," or, "Nothing terrible will happen if I delegate some work."
• Be Pragmatic. Focus on greater goals, not the nitty-gritty. Students who scrutinize every sentence of their papers should commit to finishing the whole assignment in a few hours; people who relentlessly hone in on their partner's weak spots should step back and remember the value of preserving a good relationship.

Psychology Today Magazine, Mar/Apr 2008
Last Reviewed 23 Apr 2008
Article ID: 4548

Marriage: The license to annoy?

"I love being married. It's so great to
find one special person you want
to annoy for the rest of your life."

Rita Rudner


It happens when you marry the wrong person. We are impatient as a society and finding a significant other by a specified age sometimes leads to settling for your "not so perfect for you" partner . . . which leads to annoyance.

There is a saying that I use often and truly believe in ~

"Don't wait for the one you can live with,
wait for the one you can't live without"

You tolerate the one you can live with, which can lead to annoyance and resentment if you happen to make it through many years. The one you can't live without is a magical thing, like in a fairy tale of happily ever after . . . true love and adoration.

How many of us find that in our lifetime?

How many of us would remain single if we adopted that philosophy?

How many of us settled and are annoyed with ourselves for settling?

Weight Loss and Faulty Thinking

Seems like everyone is on a diet or watching their weight. This article reminds me of approaching a "diet" as I approached quitting cigarettes . . . using lots of psychology.

In the past I would provide links to articles, but since having to continuously go back to fix links and risk losing the entire article as I have in the past, I have adopted the practice of cut and pasting articles. It is not my intent to claim these are articles personally written by me, I merely want to share articles that have been of interest to me.

Here is the article from one of my favorite websites and magazines . . . Psychology Today:


In the battle of the bulge, false beliefs and negative self-talk may be far greater enemies than food or sloth. PT shows you how to fight faulty thinking.

By: Dennis Brabham, Melissa Hantman, William Whitney

Americans are highly motivated to lose weight—as a growing list of best-selling books and highly trafficked dieting Web sites attest. We're just not approaching it the right way. The pressure we put on ourselves to succeed—and the self-criticism we indulge in when we fall short of the mark—can have dire emotional and dietary repercussions.

Consider that pair of jeans hanging reproachfully in the closet. You realize they don't fit, and you feel unattractive and worthless. This tendency to evaluate yourself too harshly will only make you give up altogether. You want to head to the fridge for solace.

You need to identify the things you're telling yourself that cause you to feel discouraged and to throw in the towel. Don't beat yourself up when you overeat. Accept that you acted in a self-defeating way, then establish better methods to meet your goal. Review what you'd like to do and work toward that goal.

Perhaps you're not (yet) berating yourself for failures, but putting inordinate pressure on yourself to succeed. When you tell yourself, "I must lose 25 pounds by Valentine's Day, or I'll never get a date," you're setting yourself up for emotional turmoil, as well as weight-loss failure. Losing weight in a prescribed amount of time is a worthy goal, but the perfectionist premise that sneaks into your thinking may well interfere with sensible eating and exercise.

In a perfect universe, the sight of those jeans, or the knowledge that Valentine's Day is around the corner, would elicit rational thoughts like, "I'm going to look great soon, and I'm going to enjoy the challenge of eating sensibly and exercising along the way." But few of us think that.

PT spoke with Nando Pelusi and Mitchell Robin, clinical psychologists in New York City, about what we really tell ourselves, sabotaging our own best efforts to lose weight—or meet any goal.

• "I must be thin."

  This creates desperation, which undermines a healthy long-range approach to sensible eating. Also, perfectionism pervades this thinking (I must not only be thin, but also perfect).

• "I must eat until sated."

  Early humans lived in an environment in which food resources were scarce. While our ancestors had to hunt down squirrels and eat them, we can supersize a Whopper meal and skip the workout.

• "I need immediate results."

  The demand for immediate improvement undermines commitment to a long-term goal. Quick fixes are hard to pass up: "This cupcake will make me feel good right now." We think, why bother eating healthfully, when the reward is far off? Dieting requires present-moment frustration and self-denial with little immediate reward.

• "I need comfort."

  People eat to avoid feelings of loneliness, depression and anxiety. Fatty and sugary food provides immediate comfort and distraction from other issues. Resolving some of these problems may help you overcome poor eating habits.

• "I feel awful."

  "It's terrible being heavy." For some, being overweight is the worst thing imaginable; it can immobilize you and leave you dumbstruck. That's a reaction more suited to tragedy. Weight loss is best achieved without that end-of-the-world outlook.

• "It's intolerable to stick to a diet."

  "It's just too hard to diet." This thinking renders you helpless. People who are easily frustrated want easy solutions. We're seduced by fad diets because they appeal to that immediacy. Yet people who rely on fads suffer high failure rates. When you diet with the short term in mind, you don't learn strategies that require patience and persistence.

• "I am no good."

  "Because I am having trouble in this one area I am worthless." Being overweight can be viewed as a sign of weakness or worthlessness, and most people aren't motivated when they feel that way. Another form of worthlessness: "My worth is dependent on my looks." This idea confuses beauty with thinness, a concept played out endlessly in the media.

Get Moving

Now that you've thrown out your irrational thinking, a little motivation is key to change. But how do you make that leap? Psychologist and marathon runner Michael Gilewski has found that the brain can achieve a state of habitual behavior through small successes—turning a once extraordinary effort into mere routine.

"Even when someone climbs Mount Everest, it's usually not his first time climbing," he points out. Perhaps motivation may simply be the product of positive reinforcement and repeated success.

Experts on Motivation

PT asked five expert motivators—including an active-duty drill sergeant and a rock-climbing instructor—how they rally everyone from first-time dieters to hard-core soldiers.

Inspiration From Within

Deborah Low is a certified weight management and lifestyle consultant in Vancouver, British Columbia.

"We have an all-or-nothing attitude: If we don't do our full hour at the gym, we may as well sit around and eat junk food. If you feel guilty and punish yourself, you may eat 10 cookies instead of 2. If you criticize yourself, you'll never change.

"Motivation is something we get from other people; but inspiration swells within us. Thinking 'I'll lose weight and then I'll be happy' is not enough. If we respect and love ourselves, independent of our weight, it's easier to make healthy choices.

"We struggle because we're fixated on the end result. We force ourselves to go to the gym, restrict food, measure and weigh ourselves. You let that number on the scale determine how your day's going to go. I ask clients to remember what it was like to play as a kid. You ran around, climbed on things—your goal was not to lose weight, it was to have fun. Being active gave you a sense of freedom, excitement and amazement. You have to reconnect with that emotion."

Being a Team Player

Chris Broadway instructs an Outward Bound outdoor classroom on Hurricane Island, off the coast of Maine.

"I set the tone of team spirit in the beginning; I teach one person a skill, and his or her responsibility is to teach everyone else. We let the students make their own mistakes. We expect students to have problems, as the activities we construct are a challenge. Discouragement can occur, but we celebrate accomplishments. Students set their own level of achievement. Some have a focus on the end result, but not everyone is results-oriented. Some want to measure success by relationships they form, by the process itself.

"Another motivating factor is how their experience here connects to their lives. We create situations where there are actual risks and perceived risks, as in sailing. We let the group navigate ahead of a storm, deciding when to pull back and when to move forward. We show them how to apply these situations to their own businesses or personal lives—calculate the risk, know when to take it or when to step back.

"It's so much more powerful when another student steps up to deliver the message of leadership. As instructors, we're always building their tool kit so they have the means to do that. With a group of 12, it's difficult to hide in the background. Even if someone's in a slump, he or she absolutely needs to fill a role."

John Joline is a climbing instructor at Dartmouth College.

"Certain kinds of teaching are done from below—telling people what to do but being removed from the activity. I try to teach from above—I climb with my students, participating fully in the activity. I make my enthusiasm infectious.

"Even a climb well within your physical limits—if you strive to climb it beautifully—can be challenging and rewarding. Our culture puts emphasis on goals, on absolutes. We're taught to believe competition should be ferocious. But if we lose that sense of fun, of delight, all the haranguing in the world from an instructor won't give a student lasting motivation. The bottom line is to savor the movement, the physical sensation of moving up the rock and over the stone. That itself becomes a reward compelling enough to keep one involved.

"For someone in his or her mid-30s or older, climbing is still seen as a potentially dangerous sport, daring and terrifying. It's a mental construct that can be inhibiting. Plus, for white-collar workers, running hands and fingers over rough rock could be shocking to the system."

Coming Home Alive

Billie Jo Miranda is a U.S. Army drill sergeant in Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

"The goal is being prepared for war and coming home alive. The [desire to] drop out occurs in the first few weeks. Once they learn they have a comfort zone, get along and trust people, we're pretty much over the hump. We motivate through example; we do it next to, in front of and behind them. We tailor training around the weakest soldier. It may not be beneficial for the soldier who was a college athlete, but everybody is part of a team, they push each other.

"There will be those who do the minimum. Today's youth are Nintendo children. Training requires them to get out of bed and walk an extra mile. The more rigor you put into training, the more a soldier knows what he can accomplish in combat. They shouldn't enjoy training. It should hurt physically and mentally. And they hate it. But we want them to enjoy the accomplishment.

"If you have heart, you have the motivation and the desire to get through anything. It's a patriotic thought process: What we're doing is for the betterment of America. When they say, 'I don't want to do this anymore,' just give me 10 minutes with a soldier and she'll do a 180. We use their being volunteers as a motivational tool: 'Soldier, I didn't ask you to come here. You obviously joined the military for a reason, you wanted to do something for your country.'"

Think Like a Thermostat

Peter Catina is a professor of exercise physiology at Pennsylvania State University.

"Most elite athletes are already at the top of their sport, and to reach the next level is a challenge. But it's difficult to sustain your level when you're at your pinnacle—novice or expert. Everyone must have both physical and mental discipline.

"Self-regulation is key; you can make it simple by being your own monitor. You have to think like a thermostat—be able to detect a discrepancy between the environment and your internal standard. It's the difference between your current state and where your mind and body would like to be. You can then adjust—raise your standards to meet your expectations—through strategy and action. Some of us are born with high self-regulatory skills, but I can identify clients who lack the know—how and I teach them. Awareness is the first step: noting how many calories you've consumed, how effective your exercise is, how frequently and intensely you've exercised.

"Aerobics is no longer the panacea for losing weight. It's the change in body composition that makes you look better, and for that, strength training is more effective. Don't constantly weigh yourself, since muscle weighs more than fat. Instead, measure your body mass index—or even your waist—and only once every four to six weeks. I've had many female clients gain five pounds but go down three dress sizes."

Psychology Today Magazine, Jan/Feb 2004
Last Reviewed 14 Apr 2008
Article ID: 3212

Drug store makeup - Cover Girl

I'm always checking out women's websites for new makeup products and techniques. Today I was pleasantly surprised as I found an awesome website from Cover Girl, the first makeup line that was "cool" back in the day when I was in junior high school . . . and have not used since.

It was awesome to see that Drew Barrymore, still so gorgeous and is not a teenager anymore, is one of their cover girls.

Their website has prompted me to check out their makeup the next time I go to the drug store . . . especially the fruity flavored lip gloss. Now I'm wondering how the prices compare to the generic drug store lip gloss that I have learned to love so much . . . we'll see!!

Check out Cover Girl's website, awesome "how to" pages . . .

Do It Yourself Spa Treatments

These DIY spa treatments come from Rachael Ray . . . one of my favorite websites to browse at least once a week.

FACE

Quick Chamomile Facial from Aneta Krochmal, manager of Seattle's Spaahh (hotel1000seattle.com). Growing up in Poland, Aneta used this treatment to soothe irritated skin and reduce redness.

What you need: 2 bags of chamomile tea and a cotton ball

Instructions: Place the tea bags in a cup and add boiling water. Allow to cool until just warm. Soak the cotton ball in the tea and blot all over your face until skin is cool and damp. Leave on for 15 minutes, then rinse.


My variation . . . used tea bags go into the freezer to reduce eye puffiness when needed. Works wonders for tired eyes too.

BODY

Oatmeal Body Scrub from Sarah Moore, manager of Bella Naturale in Southport, Indiana (bellanaturale.com). Moore recommends this exfoliating treatment to her clients with sensitive skin.

What you need: 2 tablespoons each of oats, cornmeal, evaporated milk and honey

Instructions: Grind the oats in a coffee grinder, transfer to a bowl and add the cornmeal, evaporated milk and honey. Apply the mixture all over, scrubbing gently in rough spots. Use once a week.

HEAD

Soothing Neck Pillow from Dee Dee Marks, owner of Connecticut's Pomfret Center Spa (pomfretcenterspa.com). Marks takes her pillow along on chilly morning car rides.

What you need: one clean tube sock, 6 cups of white rice and a handful of cloves (optional)

Instructions: Combine the rice and cloves (if using); fill the sock with the mixture. Tie a knot on the sock's open end. Heat on high in the microwave for 2-4 minutes, pausing every 30 seconds to shake the sock and check the temperature. Once the pillow is warm—but not too hot—drape it over the back of your neck.


I have a variation of this neck pillow . . . it is a salt bag made with a cotton fabric bag filled with salt . . . heat in the microwave. Make it in the size you desire . . . mine is 6" long and 4" wide. It is the perfect size to drape over the sinus area to quickly get rid of a sinus or tension headache.

Never too skinny

When I look at old paintings from way back in the day, it is apparent that the full figured woman was all the rage at the time judging by the myriad of the classic nudes, highlighting these women looking all self-confident and proudly displaying their poochy tummies hanging out . . . obviously feeling beautiful with an abundance of self-acceptance. It was the body style that was fashionable back in that time.

Fast forward to modern times and the poochy tummies have been replaced by protruding bones and flat chests . . . the waif look that reminds me of death's doorstep. It is the body style that is fashionable in these times. But at what cost health wise? How about the emotional cost?

Of course we know the health pitfalls of obesity, not to mention the stress and anxiety, the psychological effects associated with not "fitting in" with society as a result of those extra pounds. It is ironic that on this same earth, those confident ladies back in the day would be ridiculed on this same earth, however judged by a totally different society.

In this day and age of the waif look, how skinny is skinny? How skinny is acceptable? How many extra pounds are deemed acceptable?

I recently read in disbelief as one of the most beautiful women of our time, Lisa Marie Presley had to disclose her pregnancy prematurely to stop the ugly and vicious talk of her weight gain by the gossip mongers associating it with her father's downfall and untimely death. How cruel have we become as a society? She had to take a blessed time in her life that she wanted to remain private until she was ready to share it with the world and throw it in the face of the malicious wagging tongues to shut them up.

As a person who has struggled with weight problems all of my life, going up and down the spectrum of obsessities with body types, weight perpetually going up and down . . . and feeling the changes of society's acceptance and attitude towards me, depending on my size, I've finally come to the place in my life where I accept myself as I am and no matter what size I am wearing . . . which still swings on the wild spectrum of a yo-yo out of control.

My self-acceptance and self-confidence in my appearance comes from always trying to look the best I can and make the best of what I've got. I'm a great cook, love to enjoy those awesome meals that sometimes goes the way of comfort food, adding the pounds and then scaling back when it gets out of control. In my opinion, what matters is HOW I FEEL ABOUT MYSELF.

There was a time in recent past where I was seeing a trend in the fashion industry that was making an attempt to switch the popularity of the equally unhealthy yet fashionable waif look to that of a more healthy look. Dare I hope that we can get back to the time where curves were deemed sexy, as in the time of Marilyn Monroe, one of the great beauties of our time?

When I read the following article this morning at one of my favorite websites, Psychology Today, it got me thinking along these lines. Can't we get back to a happy medium that is healthy?

Here is the article . . .


It wasn't until a young dancer's body began to "fall apart" that she admitted she had anorexia. Should she have been forced into treatment years before, against her will? At least one study says yes.

By: Rebecca Segall

When malnutrition sent Sarah's body through menopause at age 25, her parents and ballet teachers became wrought with fear.

Standing 5'3" and weighing only 95 pounds, Sarah was a magna cum laude Princeton University graduate and a professional ballerina. But despite her elite education, no doctor could convince her that eating was good for her, or that she had anorexia nervosa—an eating disorder that stems from a fear of gaining weight. And no one felt comfortable forcing her into treatment.

"Nothing could prevent my will from controlling my body," Sarah says. Except her body itself. The same year she stopped menstruating, her brittle frame began to crumble beneath her. "My foot broke during a rehearsal. I was on crutches for almost a year. Eventually I had to have a screw inserted into my foot because my body couldn't heal on its own." Years after her body forced her into treatment, Sarah has retired from dancing and is healthy and eating again.

"I'm glad my body fell apart, otherwise I would have refused treatment until I dropped dead," she says. Like Sarah, many people with eating disorders don't recognize that they have a problem and never seek help. But a study in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggests that more sufferers should be checked into hospitals, even against their will. Lead author Arnold E. Anderson, Ph.D., a psychiatry professor at the University of Iowa College of Medicine, examined 397 eating disordered patients, 66 of whom were admitted involuntarily. Surprisingly, his results showed that those patients admitted against their will responded to treatment as well as those admitted voluntarily.

Eating disorders like anorexia have traditionally been attributed to environmental cues: rigid beauty standards, strict homes, rigorous sports and competition. Scientific evidence that they commonly run in families has only reinforced this view. But another report in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggests that a genetic trait may actually be the source of such disorders.

In this study, researchers at the Eating Disorders Program of New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City examined the relationship between anorexia nervosa and the personality trait of perfectionism. Led by Katherine Halmi, Ph.D., the team examined 322 women with a family history of the eating disorder and found that the extent of the victims' perfectionism was directly associated with the severity of their anorexia nervosa. The researchers believe that anorexia may be linked to the family of genes associated with serotonin, a neurotransmitter connected to mood. They're now planning to analyze the study participants' DNA for patterns that are similar in anorexic family members, but different in those without eating disorders—a goal that may ultimately help to improve treatment for the disorder.

These findings may hit close to home for people like Sarah, whose own sister is also a recovering anorexic. But she warns not to overlook the roles of others who contribute to the illness. "Parties involved should be focusing on how they do contribute to the problem rather than how they don't," Sarah advises.

Psychology Today Magazine, Mar/Apr 2001
Last Reviewed 8 Apr 2008
Article ID: 22

Apple Cider Vinegar . . . skin & hair beauty benefits

Who knew that an effective alpha-hydroxy acid sits on the shelves in your grocery store at a very attractive price compared to the expensive products sold at department stores?

Women have used natural apple cider vinegar for many beauty benefits since the days of ancient Babylonia. It regulates the pH of the skin and is rich in alpha-hydroxy acids, promoting a softer, smoother appearance on the skin's surface and reducing scaly conditions.

It is important to use apple cider vinegar made from cold pressed, organically grown whole apples, in which no chemicals or preservatives have been added and is not pasteurized.

Apple cider vinegar is an effective natural hair care product since its acidity is close to that of natural hair. It can be used alone or with certain herbs and essential oils to make a vinegar rinse used to treat dandruff and itchy scalp.

As a hair rinse, it will help balance the pH of your hair, remove the buildup that can result from the use of these hair care and styling products, leaving it soft, shiny and easier to manage. Mix 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar with 1 quart water and use as a final rinse after shampooing or don't rinse it for extra conditioning.

The acids and enzymes contained in apple cider vinegar kill the bacteria that causes dandruff. For a powerful dandruff fighter, mix 1 part apple cider vinegar to 3 parts warm water to balance scalp pH and control dandruff. You can also apply undiluted vinegar to the scalp, allow it to penetrate for a half hour to one hour, then shampoo with a mild shampoo.

The beauty benefits for the skin are varied . . .

Rub a little apple cider vinegar on tired, sore, or swollen hands or feet and feel the soothing difference.

Get rid of blemishes and make your skin more youthful by patting apple cider vinegar on your face before bed for softer, smoother skin in the morning.

Dab age spots with straight apple cider vinegar and leave on overnight to lighten them.

Apply ice cold apple cider vinegar to skin burns to prevent blistering.

Add a cup of apple cider vinegar to your bath and soak for 10 minutes to soothe a sun burn.

Dab insect bites with apple cider vinegar to soothe the sting and itch.

Hands stained from chopping berries? Dab some straight apple cider vinegar on the stains to make them disappear.

For soft feet, combine 1 cup white distilled vinegar to 2 gallons warm water. Soak feet for 45 minutes then use a pumice stone or file to remove dead skin from heels and callused areas of feet.

Fight toenail fungus by soaking toes in a solution of vinegar and water, using 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water, 15 minutes per day.


Don't worry about the smell . . . it will disappear as it dries . . .


© Gina Alfani 2007; 2008

The Battle of the Best Drugstore Mineral Makeup

As I was researching an article I am writing that considers the pros and cons of the new trendy "must have" beauty product, minerals makeup, I came across this excellent article comparing the value and quality of the drugstore brands as an alternative to the more expensive cosmetic lines.

Although I have not jumped on the minerals makeup bandwagon, since I am usually up in the middle of the night, I have been tempted by the lure of the intense hype surrounding minerals makeup that has found me with the phone in my hand ready to place an order. Me, my credit card, infomercials or the home shopping networks on television can be very dangerous.

Then I remember my budget and the stockpile of my beloved Adrien Arpel makeup foundation that I have used for as long as I remember . . . I'll do a blog about her in the future . . . she is one of the ladies I most admire in this world.

If you have tried minerals makeup, but found it a bit too expensive for your budget, check out this article for some bargain values that may work for you. I've said it before, it is not always how much you pay for a product, it is the value of what you pay for . . . sometimes you are just paying for the expensive packaging, marketing costs associated with the brand name and not the quality of the product at all . . . apparently, that applies for minerals makeup too!

Get those kabuki brushes back out . . . minerals makeup can be affordable!

Are you makeup obsessed?

You should be if you are not since I don't care who you are . . . none of us was born perfect and we should always try to look the best we can. It is the one single thing in life that can make me feel better instantly . . . pampering myself and putting on the makeup even if it is just for me. Your mirror should reflect back the most outwardly beautiful person you can be, it will just make you feel better if you do that for yourself.

I'm one of those women who has little stashes of make up bags here and there . . . you can never have too much makeup. My belief is that you don't have to buy expensive makeup . . . drug store makeup is just as good . . . REALLY, with the exception of foundation. In my opinion, good skin care is what is important.

I made my own glittery lip gloss that is just as good as my glittery Lancome lip gloss that cost $20+ . . . the base was clear lip gloss from the drug store that cost me maybe $1.50 for the entire tube and I added my own loose makeup glitter to it. The best deal at the drug store makeup counter of no name makeup are the eyeliner and lipliner pencils . . . they are awesome and so cheap.

As a young adult, one of my ambitions was to be a famous makeup artist to the stars . . . I so wanted to do that. However, when I went to beauty school I discovered that touching strangers grossed me out . . . but beauty school was a blast anyway. I'm still an awesome makeup artist though . . . and I'm always going through the internet looking for new looks, techniques and makeup products.



Click here for an awesome tutorial on how to achieve that cat-eye look from Temptalia.


I have lots of favorite make up blogs and websites . . . will be sharing them with you . . .

What's your style?

I'm a funky flower child who loves sparkle and Hollywood glamour with a punky twist. Fashion trends . . . I follow them very loosely, adding my own creative touch so I maintain my uniqueness.

My mom taught me the lesson of being unique while trying to help me "fit in" with the rest of my teenage friends wearing designer clothes my parents could not afford. Since she was a seamstress and taught me her trade . . . as I learned the lesson in being uniquely fashionable, I was the designer of the clothes I wore. In the end, I was one of the best dressed kids at school and was respected for my flair to be different.

As an adult, I have learned different ways of unique style with accessories and have made my own jewelry and hair accessories. Especially now, since I buy and sell mainly vintage costume jewelry and jewelry findings, I have boxes and boxes of a wide range of jewelry and supplies to play with. I love mixing the old with the new, like taking an element from an old pair of earrings and adding some new findings to come up with an entirely different look that I need to match an outfit or a mood. I've made my own purses or reinvent an old one to look new to match an outfit . . . I love to play with shoes too.

Although I am most influenced by the look of the 80's, I can best describe my style as glamour with a punky twist. If I think I can get away with it, I add rhinestones to whatever . . . I love the sparkle of rhinestones. Reminds me of the Gwen Stefani glam fashion look that I love so much and the sparkle and glamour of Cher.

Don't be afraid to experiment with your style, be bold and please don't look like everyone else . . . that reminds me of a herd of sheep . . .