Sugar-sweet but deadly

Did you know that nutrients come in a team and that they are best metabolized by the human body when they are taken in as a team?

Conversly, ingesting only a single part of a system, such as refined sugar ( where bulk, fiber, minerals, protein, vitamins have been left behind in the refining process) demands of the human organism, which is always striving for homeostasis, to compensate. The missing team nutrients must be drawn from other sources -  foods in the same meal or nutrients stored in the body’s own tissues.  Typically when we eat straight white sugar we loose B-Vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, iron and other nutrients directly from our own reserves.

The average American eats over 22 teaspoons of sugar a day which amounts to 130 pounds a year and has lead to 2/3 of American adults and 1/3 of American children to be overweight.

In addition “most sugar in the US is derived from genetically modified sugar beets and the high-fructose corn syrup that is ubiquitous in processed foods comes from GM corn” says a recent article on Sugar in the Green America magazine (http://www.greenamerica.org/pubs/greenamerican/)

The depletion and health hazards of eating refined sugar have been well documented in recent years.  And now according to this recent article, more health problems are added.  Genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) have been linked to increased severity of allergic reactions, irritable bowls, organ damage and tumor growth and suppressed immune systems.  (http://www.greenamerica.org/pubs/greenamerican/articles/AprilMay2012/)

People crave sugar from birth.  We have been conditioned from early on to console and soothe ourselves with something sweet.  In fact,  Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California-San Francisco says, “our brain lights up for sugar in the same way it does for cocaine” and furthermore, “sugar is simply a toxin”.

There are many foods containing sugars and there is no need to eat whiter refined GMO sugar that ruins our health.  Enough sugar can be obtained from a wholesome diet.  And also there are so many healthy alternatives to make delicious deserts that do not rob your body of nutrients and which please the palate!

The psycho-social counterpart of the sugar induced sweet taste in our mouths is intimacy.  It is often the lack of intimacy in our relationships that drive us to the candy store.  Everybody needs  friendship and connection and experiences how nourishing they can be. 
Food is not love and ice cream will not make a relationship deeper or better.  Find sweetness in the caring things you do for yourself and others.  Cut out sugar and explore or fall in love in many ways!
~Claudia

What makes us laugh?

For me it is the sudden appearance of an image in my mind, triggered either by what someone says or by momentarily detaching from a situation that I am in which allows me to have another perspective, and thereby see the comical aspect.  If I am together with someone and they pick up the same thing without anything needing to be said, then the flood gates of uncontrollable laughter are opened.

But it is more often something that happens to me, rather than something I can make happen.  I wish I could though!

At the physical level laughter stimulates lymph fluid to move around the body, thereby helping to clear out toxins from organs and tissues and boosting the immune system.

The process of laughing also increases oxygenation on a cellular level because at every "haha" we take in huge amounts of oxygen.

Laughing produces a long list of healthy immune boosting body chemicals (at no cost!) that counteract the negative effects of stress, diminish symptoms of pain and depression, and improve your outlook on life in a major way.

Studies also show that laughing in a group fosters closeness and creates a stronger bond between people.

We have all experienced how good we feel when we laughed so much that it hurts; how our mood then is elevated and relaxation on all levels settles in.

No wonder that laughing is promoted as a source of health and well being.  There is even such a thing as laughing therapy!

But what is it that makes you laugh?  A saying or a quote?  An image? A funny face?  A joke?  Even a silent moment in a monologue? People? Animals? A certain "sense" of things?

Humor can be both silly and profound; deep and ridiculous.  Often, our laughter emanates from our sense of what is humorous.  It is really worthwhile to explore that "special sense"--it has so many facets.  Maybe I'll return to this in the future--what do you think of this? Are you chuckling?

~Claudia

On beauty...

My god mother was an actress and a very, very beautiful woman.  When I was a teenager, very overweight and unhappy about my looks, we had a conversation.  She told me that for her, her beauty was a curse, because she never could tell if people really thought that she was a good actress or if they were taken by her beauty.  And all she wanted to do in life was to be a very good actress.

Over the years my relationship, to beauty has changed.  Here are some of my favorite quotes from Susan West Kurz's book “Awakening Beauty”, the Dr. Hauschka Way.


“....beauty is a luminous and joyful state of self- love that lives inside all of us.  This inner beauty has the power to affect our outer beauty by improving the health of our skin, transforming the shape and movement of our bodies, and giving off a radiance that inspires those around us.”

“What is this mysterious pull that beauty has on us?  Why do beautiful people attract us, - or, to put it another way, why do you become such a powerful magnet for people and opportunities when you are beautiful?  The reason beauty draws us near is because it arises from love, which is itself the most nourishing and desired force in life.  Beauty is the consequence of love, and therefore announces the presence of love, which we are ultimately drawn to.”

“When we love ourselves, a mysterious array of chemicals and emotions align, making us physically and emotionally balanced, even radiant.”

My services as an esthetician at Destination Salon and Spa are tools to support your radiance.

May beauty infuse you and your day!

~Claudia

Welcome!

I am thrilled to join the world of social media and share with you what I have learned
over the years from my clients who have been the best teachers in regards to body
work, nutritional and holistic health coaching, skin care and beauty.

“A happy spine equals a happy life” is what they tell us in Yoga. In Tai Chi we liken the
spine to a string of pearls. The purpose of the curvy shape of the spine is to hold up the
head, which is heavy, without creating tension. Any variation to this double curve will
pull muscles and create discomfort. Straight spine? Think again.

A third of the length of the spine are the spaces between the vertebrae.
There is the expression that somebody has or has no spine, which expresses how
connected the health of the spine is to our self confidence and strength of character.

The spine is central to our uprightness and well being. It links above and below, heaven
and earth. While the spine is situated in the center of the back, the back is larger and bigger and
opens to the back space. We have created a culture that is dominated by the eye and
what is in front of us. The back space is less familiar, has to do with listening and the
invisible realm. Very often when we get out of balance we discover that the part of us
that relates to what is less tangible needs to be taken as seriously as the everyday
reality in order to be well.

“I’ve got your back” in times when you need support through bodywork, skin care or
health counseling.  At the same time I can be a voice in a much wider
choir of supporters and supporting influences in your life. Behind every back are more
backs opening into the vast, cosmic, all embracing back space.

And beyond the many backs could be an even greater force illustrated beautifully in the
following:

Footprints...

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed, he was walking along the beach
with the LORD. Across the sky fluttered scenes from his life. For each
scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him,
and the other to the LORD. When the last scene of his life flashed before
him, he looked back at the foot prints in the sand. He noticed that many
times along the path of the life, there was only one set of foot prints. He
also noticed, that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it- “ LORD, you
said- that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But
I have noticed that during the most troublesome times of my life, there is
only one set of foot prints. I don’t understand why when I needed you
most, you would leave me.”
The LORD replied, “ My Son. My Precious Child.
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of foot
prints, it was then that I carried you.”

Getting through life’s challenges and opportunities requires support in many ways-
more to come!

~Claudia