Crazy Sexy Diet: Eat Your Veggies, Ignite Your Spark, and Live Like You Mean It! (39 page)

Sinus problems
are one of the main reasons why people in the United States see a doctor, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Conventional medicines for sinus trouble—from over-the-counter antihistamines to powerful painkillers—can become harmful crutches that don’t really leave you breathing easier. A neti pot, used for thousands of years by yogis and other smartypants, is a simple way to naturally and gently irrigate your sinuses with lukewarm salt water. Though it might seem like you’re gonna drown the first time you use a neti pot, it’s actually very easy
(and refreshing!). Once you place the neti spout in your nose and tilt your noggin sideways over the sink, a gentle stream of salt water runs through your nasal passage, washing away environmental chemicals, pollen, mucus, dust, viruses, and bacteria—all the stuff your nose filters throughout the day. Make a neti cleanse part of your daily grooming ritual—wash face, brush teeth, clean nostrils. Neti pots come with instructions—using one is actually quick and easy once you get the hang of it! The folks at the Himalayan Institute (himalayan institute.org) make my favorite neti pots, salts, and washes. Great peeps.

Do a body scan
. Are you holding your breath right now? If so, exhale. When we’re stressed, the first thing we do is shallow-breathe. Chemical sensitivity can also cause shallow breathing; so can tightness in your chest as a result of smoking, poor diet, and too much caffeine or alcohol. Perhaps you don’t breathe deeply because of an old physical or emotional trauma or because in some corner of your mind a deep breath means a rounded belly and a rounded belly is “bad.”

Shallow breathing can lead to a host of health problems, both physical and mental. Learning to breathe properly ensures that your body is getting all the delicious oxygen it needs. When you’re breathing properly, your stomach, not your chest, rises slightly as you breathe in. When you exhale, your stomach lowers slightly. Note: Poor posture restricts the flow of air and the rise and fall of your diaphragm. So remember your mother’s nagging and sit up straight!

Take some time to get frisky with your lungs. You instinctively knew how to breathe properly as an infant, but like most of us you forgot along the way. Dr. Andrew Weil has some helpful breathing how-tos on his Web site, drweil.com. Check it out! Kapalabhati breathing is another helpful technique. This yogic method is used specifically for cleansing. If you have a lot of mucus in your sinuses, it can really clear you out. Kapalabhati also helps with stress reduction and chest tension. Go to
yogajournal.com
to learn how to incorporate this wonderful practice into your daily life.

Both massage and acupuncture
are terrific for removing blockages, stimulating energy flow (chi), and creating better circulation. Plus, they help you take it down a notch.

Acupuncture—inserting very thin needles into particular points in the skin—can alleviate conditions such as headache, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, asthma, and chronic pain. Feeling blue? Acupuncture produces a shift in the neuropeptides that control your mood. In my book, a dose of happiness and calm are well worth a little poke. But if the idea of needles makes you too queasy, try acupressure or shiatsu massage instead.

Wait. Did someone say massage? The very word calms me down. Massages are often viewed as luxury splurges. Let’s change that. Your body is an instrument that must be tuned. Hands-on healing should be part of regular life maintenance. Massage gives you energy, boosts your immune system, helps your circulation, and improves the quality and quantity of your sleep. Best of all, it releases stored emotions that create issues in your tissues. There are many different types of massage that can produce lasting beneficial effects. I’ll take a good deeptissue massage any day! A few massage techniques you may not be as familiar with are craniosacral, lymphatic drainage, and Reiki.

CST restores harmony to your central nervous system through subtle pressure to the spine and cranial bones. Trained practitioners gently manipulate the cerebrospinal fluid. The peaceful and restorative massage helps with stress, migraines, and neck pain. You may be surprised at how vivid your dreams become after a treatment. Craniosacral therapy helps me reboot my creativity when my writing tank starts running on empty.

You can never do too much for your lovely lymph system. Lymph massage uses light, sweeping strokes that gently move the “waters” (lymphatic fluid) toward a network of drainage points, capillaries and larger vessels studded with filters called nodes. Patients with edema may benefit greatly from lymphatic massage.

Don’t be surprised if your urine smells stinky after the treatments, or if you need to whizzle more than usual. Excess fluids and toxins are simply finding their way out of your system. Drink plenty of purified water. Another great tip for keeping the fluids flowing is to avoid wearing tight-fitting bras, underpants, or hose when possible. Of course, there will be times when you feel like being a vamp or a girlie girl, so the snug and sexy stuff is okay. When you’re off duty, though, let your body flow in comfy, loose cotton.

One of the reasons I love Reiki is because I can do it to myself. Kinky! Just kidding. In Japanese,
Reiki
literally means “universal life force energy.” When your life force is low, Reiki practitioners believe that you are more likely to get sick. If it’s high, you’re more capable of being happy and healthy. This gentle yet potent form of healing helps free energetic blockages. To understand how it works, try this: Rub your hands together vigorously for about thirty seconds. Now slowly separate your hands until they’re about 2 inches apart. Feel the heat? Your hands
tingle as electric impulses shoot from your palms. That’s life force!

Take that energy and apply it to any neglected area in your body. You can touch it directly or let your charged hands hover about an inch or so above the pain, sadness, or dis-ease. Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Send love and release negativity. I do this when my heart aches or when I want to channel extra healing energy to my liver. Reiki is simple to learn (see reiki.com). You can give yourself or someone you love a Reiki treatment; likewise, they can give one to you.

There’s nothing quite as relaxing
and luxurious as a hot, deep, and long … bath. At the end of a hard day at the office, on a rainy Sunday afternoon, after a day at the beach, or just about anytime at all, a soothing soak is so nice for your skin, tissues, blood flow, muscles, mind, and mood.

Saunas and steam baths are both excellent forms of detox. The dry heat of a sauna stimulates oil-based organs, such as your liver and gallbladder. Infrared saunas are even better because the heat penetrates your tissues at a much deeper and, therefore, more cleansing level. Infrared saunas are especially good for detoxing heavy metals, chemicals, and poisons from chemotherapy or radiation treatments.

Steam heat, which is moist, stimulates and strengthens water-based organs such as your kidneys, bladder, and lungs. Just make sure your gym or spa isn’t using tap water loaded with chlorine and that they keep the spaces spotlessly clean. Steam rooms can be breeding grounds for mold, mildew, and bacteria.

Never underestimate the healing powers of bathwater. Baths are incredibly calming and deeply therapeutic. Remember, you’re a Queen (or a King), and royal people make time for rituals. Get ye to the soul soak, Your Highness! Your adrenals will thank you.

Don’t forget the candles and music, or how about a guided meditation or visualization CD? This is your time. Press pause and greet your authentic self.

Your body is a highly advanced network of storage units that holds physical, mental, and emotional power and/or pus. Remember the random stuff you’d find in your locker at the end of the school year? Old sandwiches, detention slips, a love note, perhaps a Frisbee. Your body is much like that locker. It holds the teachings (good and bad) until you’re ready to release them and move on to the next school year.

Warm baths with Epsom salts and/or baking soda help remove acid waste products from your cells and tissues. Try adding 1 or 2 cups of Epsom salts, one-quarter cup of baking soda, and a dash of lavender to your bathwater. This is a great remedy for detoxing heavy metals and radiation (especially after a long flight) and helps soothe skin rashes, psoriasis, and eczema. Got a pesky hemorrhoid? Well, sit your burning ass in the tub! Epsom salt baths also reduce inflammation and relieve muscle fatigue.

Once again, let’s circle back to our pH lesson. Most of your parts and pieces prefer to be slightly alkaline. Your skin is one exception. Swimming in chlorine or regular use of harsh soaps can strip your skin’s acid mantle, leaving it dry and itchy. Another exception (for all you Queens out there) is your vagina. One or 2 cups of apple cider vinegar in a warm bath can help restore the proper balance. Apple cider vinegar baths also help combat unfriendly bacteria, fight fungal overgrowth, and ease the discomfort associated with vaginal and bladder infections. The next time your lady flower starts feeling funky and making bread (due to a bad diet, poor hygiene, or antibiotics) try some vinegar posthaste! Apple cider vinegar baths are also excellent for joint inflammation, arthritis, and gout.

Lack of sleep
has devastating effects on health and beauty. Once your final meal is digested, your body diverts its energy toward cleaning and repair. This happens while you catch some Zs, ideally for eight uninterrupted hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. That’s why it’s très, très important that you finish eating three hours before going to sleep. Your body needs that precious time (and energy) to get through a long list of inner chores. When your sleep is cut short, your body doesn’t have time to complete the phases needed for muscle repair, memory enhancement, the release of hormones, regulating the metabolism, and so on. If that doesn’t get you motivated to snooze, this might. Lack of sleep makes you fat. According to WebMD, if you’re up late, the odds are greater that you’re doing some late-night snacking, which will increase your calorie intake. In addition, hormones that affect appetite take over, making you hungrier the next morning. These hormones also make you feel not as full after eating. So what do you do? You guessed it, eat more!

Take a look at your sleep habits and bedroom. For optimum recharge, you want to crash out in a quiet and slightly cool environment. If your sleeping space resembles a storage unit, tidy it up, sassy. Paint it with soothing (nontoxic) colors and remove the boob tube and computer. Even the lava lamp must go! While it’s fun to have sex bathed in groovy light, you want to sleep in total darkness—light leaks affect your pineal gland’s production of melatonin and serotonin, the two chemicals that promote slumber.