MASSAGE THERAPY FOR MENTAL HEALTH
A growing body of research supports the positive impact of massage therapy for relieving stress, anxiety, and depression.
In the United States, almost half of adults will experience a mental health challenge during their lifetime. A growing body of research is supporting the positive impact of massage therapy for relief of stress, anxiety, and depression. In fact, many studies indicate it can provide benefits similar to psychotherapy for certain conditions. Read on to learn more about the ways massage can improve mental health and well-being.

Massage Therapy Can Relieve Stress
​Stress is prevalent in today’s fast-paced world and can negatively affect people’s health and well-being. Massage therapy has shown to significantly reduce stress on both physical and psychological levels. While massage therapists know from experience that massage reduces stress, there is also considerable research that validates our experience.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
​
Calming Waters Massage
​relocates to Yarmouth Port 

Barbie Clemons, Licensed Massage Therapist, has relocated her business, Calming Waters Massage, to SBaba Spa, 710 Route 6A, Yarmouth Port. SBaba Spa is a collaborative of several individually operated wellness business at the Fiddler’s Green Plaza.
Calming Waters Massage was established in December 2014 with the goal to understand your needs, work with you and have you feeling better by the time your session is over.  Ultimately, Ms Clemons strives to give you the sense of wellbeing that will allow you more freedom to enjoy what you love doing with less pain, more energy, and more living!
After years of study and practice Barbie has mastered many effective styles and modalities of bodywork such as: Traditional Chinese Medicine Cupping Therapy; Thai Foot Massage; Comprehensive Foot Reflexology; Neuromuscular Massage in addition to Relaxing Swedish and Deep Tissue massage.
 Visit www.CalmingWatersMassage.org for more information, to book your massage session call or text Barbie at 774-487-2611
END

Contact Barbie Clemons at 774-487-2611 or barbie@calmingwatersmassage.org for more information

​Hi everyone! 
​ I’m writing to you with a cookbook recommendation that is informative and inspirational.  Additionally, it is filled with beautiful photography that will inspire you.  It’s called The Blue Zones Kitchen, 100 Recipes to Live to 100 by Dan Buettner. 
 
            The book sets out to discover the secrets of those areas of the world which have the most people who live to be 100.  The findings narrowed the search down to 5 areas which are:  Sardinia, Italy, Okinawa, Japan, Nicoya, Costa Rica, Ikaria, Greece and lastly Loma Linda, CA.  So, what are the secrets of the inhabitants of these beautiful places?  Well, here is a synopsis of the top 11 reasons of what these areas have in common.

If you wear sunscreen daily, congratulations. You’re already ahead of the curve with your skincare routine. Along with washing your face and moisturizing, it is one of the most important things you can do to maintain the health of your skin over time.
Let’s move on to best sunscreen practices. Aside from wearing it every day, and ideally reapplying it every few hours when you’re outdoors, you’ve likely heard that sunscreen should always be applied as the very last step of your skincare routine. And while this is certainly true for mineral sunscreens, it turns out it’s not the best practice for chemical SPFs.
A QUICK PAUSE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MINERAL AND CHEMICAL SUNSCREENS...
Put simply, chemical sunscreens absorb into your skin, whereas physical sunscreens sit on top of it. More specifically, chemical sunscreens use ingredients like oxybenzone, octinoxate and avobenzone to create a chemical reaction (hence the name) that changes UV rays into heat that is then released from the skin. Physical sunscreens use ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to block UV rays from penetrating through your skin in the first place.For a chemical sunscreen to do its job properly, it needs to get into your skin—which is why the order of application is important here. When using a chemical sunscreen, it should go on before your moisturizer, so there isn't anything getting in the way of its absorption (i.e., ingredients from your moisturizer that could prevent or minimize absorption of the chemical blockers).
Prefer to use a mineral or physical sunscreen? Cool, proceed as usual and continue to apply them as the last step of your routine since they’re formulated to reflect light off the surface of your skin.
And if you really want to go the extra mile, we’d suggest topping things off with a cute summer hat for added protection.

Staying hydrated and maintaining a healthy diet is an important step towards healthy skin, and some foods have the same skin revitalizing ingredients as topical skin care products. India Times detailed some antioxidant and vitamin-rich foods that can contribute to healthier skin.
 
Eggs
Eggs have proteins, multivitamins and lutein to help repair skin tissues. Egg yolk contains fatty acids that can provide moisture to the skin.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate contains minerals like copper, zinc and iron that helps remove dead skin cells. Consuming dark chocolate can also reduce sun damage and provide a smooth texture to the skin.
Avocado
Avocado is a rich source of vitamin C and vitamin E, a standard ingredient in skin care products for its ability to reduce wrinkles and even skin tone. The vitamins and fats in avocado help with skin repair and can treat conditions like acne and eczema.

 Hello, everyone!  Hope this post finds you happy and healthy, and looking forward to spring and daylight savings..yippee!!  I’m reaching out to continue my suggestions for health, learning and spirituality podcasts that might be of interest.
 
            The first I’d like to suggest is 21 Days of Abundance-Meditation Series with Deepak Chopra.  These short, inspiring meditations are offered in a 21 day series.  The meditations explore the many ways you can open your mind to the abundance in the world, shifting thoughts from the focus on what might not be going so smoothly.  Each day starts out with a short explanation of the focus of the meditation, followed by the guided meditation itself and an accompanying mantra to help you keep your focus.  Each one brings a sense of peace and enlightenment that are engaging and peaceful. 
 
            The second podcast is called Oprah’s Super Soul.  These episodes consist of fascinating conversations with artists, authors, musicians, spiritual leaders and philanthropists, just to name a few.  There is something to challenge your way of thinking, encourage and uplift you. 
 
            So, pop in those earbuds and set out for a walk.  Or, as I like to do, listen while doing projects or cleaning to make your to do list time more enjoyable.  Happy listening and learning to you all!

​Hello, everyone.  Lately I have been listening to more podcasts, and there is one in particular I’d like to suggest you check out.  It is an excellent resource for tips on how to get your life more in balance, before the imbalances take over.  The podcast is called Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris, and its free and is offered in most places where you get your podcasts.
 
            Dan Harris was an accomplished journalist who’s life had become the epitome of imbalance.  He was working endless hours, and the total focus on his career led to a developing crisis of burn out and drug abuse. This was not just something that was effecting him, but it was damaging his relationships as well.  The culmination of this problem manifested itself when, during a live broadcast on national television, he experienced a full on panic attack.  This complete meltdown then led Dan to reevaluate his life, and to consider how mindfulness could help him rebuild himself and his relationships.  It was at this point that he decided to develop a podcast to help others avoid the massive meltdown that he experienced.  He enlisted the help of experts in the field of health and mindfulness to create a resource for others so that they might incorporate some of these practices into their own lives.
Some of the areas that are explored are mindfulness, relationships, health and fitness, food issues, Buddhism, social connections and meditation just to name a few. 
 
            In addition to the podcast, Dan developed and app called Ten Percent.  It offers enlightening interviews with experts in an array of topics.  These are relatively short blocks of content followed by a guided daily meditation to help break some of the unhealthy patterns that may have built up in your life.  The first thirty days of the app are free, and then you have the option to purchase a membership for $100. This is an investment that is well worth the expense.
 
            So, you may not have experienced the epic meltdown that Dan had, but most people feel there are tweaks that need to be made in our lives to help us to live in a more loving and intentional way.  Check it out...you will be amazed at all the ways it could help you elevate your life and experiences in our challenging world.

​            The last few weeks of winter are upon us.  But before we give up on healthy winter foods, I’d like to suggest a great acorn squash recipe.  This recipe will be best with an organic acorn squash.  Why organic, you might ask? For starters, when veggies are treated with chemicals and fertilizers, they may indeed grow faster and appear larger, but this comes at a price.  For a slow growing veggie like squash, the chemicals will speed up growth resulting in a larger product.  But squash needs time to develop its natural sweetness.  The organic growing tends to be slower allowing the sweetness to be more enhanced and the flesh of the squash will also be more tender.  Additionally, many conventional crops enlist the help of mechanical tillers, which compromise the delicate eco system that lies beneath the surface.  I know organic produce does come at at price compared to its conventional counterpart, but if you are going to splurge at the grocery store, the produce aisle is the best place to do it.  Remember that when selecting organic produce, look for the PLU number that starts with a 9.  The conventional counterpart will have a PLU that starts with a 4.

Though the warmth of sunshine can certainly feel good on our skin, this lawless ball of fire can do some serious damage to our dermis (yes, even in the winter). Even when we're diligent about applying sunscreen or sticking to shady spots, incremental sun exposure can add up over time and expedite signs of aging. 
"The sun's UV rays can cause uneven pigmentation, brown spots, broken blood vessels, and white spots," explains Debra Jaliman, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and author of Skin Rules: Trade Secrets from a Top New York Dermatologist. "It can also break down the collagen and elastic tissue leading to wrinkles and sagging of the skin."
While a full reversal of sun damage isn't always feasible, there are a handful of treatments and products that can partially turn back the clock and curb future damage.