Coconut Oil - Head to Toe

Coconut oil is great for the body - head to toe. I included a photo of the actual products I use rather than offer a generic discussion. 

Coconut oil is great for hair care and treatment. It contains fatty acids that act as anti-microbial agents at the scalp and hair roots. Used regularly it can help get rid of dandruff. Because it retains moisture, coconut oil helps prevent hair breakage and damage. Coconut oil contains Vitamin E. It keeps scalp and skin healthy and hair rejuvenated.

Coconut oil is great for cleaning and moisturizing the face. It is naturally antibacterial, calming, and moisturizing. Coconut oil melts at 72 degrees, and a little dab will do you. Apply to face with fingers and then wipe away with a warm cloth. Scoop out solid oil and place in the palm of your hand, it will melt. It only takes a little. Coconut oil is perfect for removing make-up. When coconut oil is absorbed into the skin and connective tissues, it helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by helping to keep connective tissues strong and supple.

Apply coconut oil to your body for skin care and healing. It is known to improve skin elasticity, is great for shaving, and serves a perfect "glide" for massaging tired muscles. Coconut oil is rich in proteins. These proteins keep skin healthy and rejuvenated, both internally and externally. Coconut oil also helps in the treatment of psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema, and other skin infections. When applied on scrapes and cuts, coconut oil forms a thin, chemical layer which protects the wound from outside dust, bacteria and virus. Coconut oil speeds up the healing process of bruises by repairing damaged tissues. Coconut oil will aid in exfoliating the outer layer of dead skin cells, making the skin smoother. It also penetrates into the deeper layers of the skin to strengthen the underlying tissues.

Apply coconut oil before or after baths to shift the effect of drying soaps. Use as the base for body scrubs (which can be made at home, easily, by combining sea salts or sugar with coconut oil). Used after sunburns, coconut oil can help reduce redness and limit some of the damage done by sun exposure. 

Coconut oil is great for digestion. The saturated fats in coconut oil have anti-bacterial properties that help control, parasites, and fungi that cause indigestion and other digestion related problems such as irritable bowel syndrome. Coconut oil has been proven to stimulate your metabolism, improve thyroid function, and escalate energy levels. The fat in coconut oil also aids in the absorption of vitamins, minerals and amino acids, making you healthier all around.

Use coconut oil for a natural sexual lubricant. When moisture is desired in personal areas or for vaginal dryness, coconut oil holds its glide longer than commercial lubricants and without strange unidentifiable ingredients or sugar (glycerine) which can cause yeast infections or promote them. Coconut oil is anti-viral and antibiotic, an added advantage during sensual activities. Remember, oils are incompatible with condoms and diaphragms.

Pamper your feet. Coconut oil is an effective cure for athletes foot because it has anti-fungal properties. As a moisturizer, rub coconut oil on your feet either after taking a bath or before going to sleep. It will cure your cracked heels and soften your feet. Corns and calluses will also be softened by applying coconut oil. Soak your feet in warm water with a sea salt and a teaspoon of coconut oil. Coconut oil softens and moisturizes while removing dirt from the outer layer of skin, leaving it shiny and smooth.

Coconut oil has been a well kept secret. We tend to only get the marketed bit. There is so much more to know.

About the picture. These are my body care products. I own some commercial products, but can't justify replacing them when they run out because I already own what I need. Dr. Bronner's is made from coconut oil and is Kirk's Castile soap. I included the cost for comparison to other body products on the market. We have a choice. 

I save where I can, to splurge when I want.

Look! Your Shit is Talking.

We spend way too much time in shame around our bowels. All of us have to go, and do; but we seem to believe it is a secret process. That is, until there is a problem. Once we have an upset stomach, constipation, bloating or diarrhea there is a commercial. In that last sentence, we can easily imagine at least three products to ease the symptoms, maybe four. However, can we identify at least five ways to prevent all of them?

Before we look at mainstream prevention, lets wander out to left field – colon hydrotherapy. Back in the day, I signed up for a program that taught body cleansing through bowel management. It was part of an overall health process I was working. I exercised, ate raw foods, drank lots of water, and rested. Lots of people go in for body wraps as a form of detox, but the wrap only pull a small amount of surface toxins that can be forced to excrete during the procedure. Detoxification is an internal process and wraps work best as the final step. (More on that in another post.) 

My first appointment with the colon hydrotherapist came after a three-day liquid diet. The last day being water only. During this period, I also ingested bowel stimulants to expel solid matter. The idea is that you will clear out as much as possible before resting on the table. Unlike the homemade apparatuses with a slant board and bucket, this office was set up like a massage room. The entire water and disposal system was encased in the wall with a window so the client could watch their filth go by. 

It was really rather amazing to see what was left after three days without solid food and thinking I had literally shit my brains out. It is a simple process of filling the bowels with warm water, massaging the belly with the water contained and when it becomes unbearable, releasing the sphincter muscles. The water flows out. There is a single inserting of the plug into the butt. It contains both the intake and exit valve controlled by the therapist. Easy peasy!  The only thing to fear is, you know, fear itself.

So what of people who think it doesn’t matter how often you evacuate your bowels? I say they are full of shit. My health professional told me that constipation was in my head. Where did she learn that? Or maybe there is something to it. Some people are full of shit. You can hear it when they speak. Of course, she was speaking to our personal preferences for how often we go. Each of our bodies function on their own transit patterns; yet, if we eat everyday do we really think it’s okay to let our food rest digested or not for another three. Some people go only once a week. My offer is that a healthy body needs to release what is no longer necessary.

Let’s look at the poop. Most folk’s just do their business and flush. However, your poop is telling you the general state of your health – even sounding the alarm when assistance may be needed.

Hard and Dry

If your food moves slowly through the gut (long transit) the water will be extracted leaving compacted stool which is hard to pass when it finally makes it to the gate. This is constipation. The garage door is open but the car won’t start. The cause can be medicines, dairies, or dehydration.

Little pellets

Without sufficient fiber, stool can’t gather water to form a smooth movement. Again, diets high in protein, lacking roughage can make poop harder to pass. There is the urge but no merge.

Too liquid

Your body secretes about eight liters of fluid during the course of a day—from the stomach, salivary glands, and pancreas. The fluids help your food break down and make its transit through the gut. Under normal, healthy conditions, the majority of that fluid is absorbed along the way, resulting in those sought-after soft, fluffy stools. However, if food passes through too quickly, there isn’t enough time for all of that liquid to absorb, and the stool emerges in a too-soft state. We keep going and going and going. The reasons for such super-quick transit could include a sudden increase in fiber in the diet, or a bacterial or viral infection. When we get something toxic in our body, it does what it can to get rid of it.

The reason can also be constipation. Yes, hard pellets can’t move so the fluids go around. What you get is watery stool with a few hard pellets.

Pencil thin

Blockages and polyps interfere with the passage of stool. The narrowing pathways mean stool must squeeze through. Thin stools, can be caused by a blockage signal the need for medical attention.

Pale looking or grey

Bile and digestive enzymes bring the color to stool. Without those secretions from the liver and pancreases, stool might look grey or too pale. Appearance of stool reports the condition of your digestive tract.

Bright red  

Red-colored stool could be related to something you ate, like beets or popsicles. If you find blood on the tissue or in the toilet, it could be external from hemorrhoids or an anal fissure from straining. Either of those last two is worth a professional opinion. If this is a reoccurrence, dietary adjustments can ease passage and prevent straining, as can elevating the knees above the hips.

Too dark

Dark or black tarry stools may be related to iron supplementation or a bleed higher in the GI tract. If you haven’t changed your supplement regime, consult your medical professional.

It floats and stinks

Malabsorption of fats causes them to be excreted from the body. These stools are yellowish in color, greasy in consistency, foul smelling, and float in the toilet. Since some nutrients are fat soluble, they are being lost in the stool. Foul greasy stools are also a side effect of eating faux fats like Olestra, or taking weight loss supplements like Xenical and Alli. Remember to wear dark pants and carry a change of clothing due to anal leakage.

If you’re not going at all, review your diet. Are you eating enough to produce waste? Are you eating breakfast? Eating after sleep is designed to get things moving. Increase fiber through fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. Take in sufficient fluids –water, tea, soups, fruits, and juice. Move your body. Stretching, bending and twisting all activate the digestive system and increase metabolism.

I hear jokes about old people being preoccupied with their poop. We think it is because they have nothing else to occupy their time. Maybe they understand the importance of minding the body. They are old after all.

Defecation Means...

To become clear, pure, or free.

To clear from impurities, as lees, dregs, etc.; to clarify; to purify; to refine.

To free from extraneous or polluting matter; to clear; to purify, as from that which materializes.

Freed from anything that can pollute, as dregs, lees, etc.; refined; purified.

To void excrement

That sounds like a daily process to me. And every day I pass on the opportunity I am potentially FOS.

(Title changed as there are no specimens posted.)

Drink Your Pee!

To your health!

I finally got to the really funny part of my novel in which the narrator is directed to drink her urine each morning as a preventative against amoebic infection (due to unfiltered/treated water) in Bali. I laughed out loud. The character is mortified. Pissdrinkers!

When I was still working at the hospital I suggested urine therapy as an alternative treatment for ailments. I was being facetious, but never cracked a smile. I presented the "facts" as I researched them and held that in many cases allopathic medicine had no cures and at best was managing symptoms. Of course, the doctors and nurses were applauded. Guess you have to be the one in need of healing.

Urine therapy is not new to me. As a child the teaching was that urine from newborns was good for the skin - specifically to keep one looking young. I heard so many sayings, I just tucked them into the back of my mind. Then when my son was born, my friend returned from the east coast where she was practicing colon hydrotherapy and urine therapy. Wake up in the morning and collect eight ounces of wee midstream and consume as beverage.

Now when I was researching for discussion I found dilution techniques that make a homeopathic preparation, but that seems quite different from the conviction that drinking your piss is good for you. Called the water of life, advocate maintain that urine is the cure for what ails you.

It seems the claims abound to this day. Cure cancer. Increase meditation. Promote tranquility. Heal skin ailments. Whiten teeth. Maybe we do have the cure but are too afraid (squeamish) to accept it. What ever your choice, here's to your health!

Salud!

Whey More to It

Whey is liquid serum remaining after milk has curdled as in cheese and more recently, the yogurt making process. It is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, protein and digestive bacteria. Whey is very popular in sports drinks and protein supplements. However, whey can be used inside and out of your body and home.

• Drink straight or mixed with a fermented beverage, or hot tea. Add sugar and lemon juice for lemonade.

• Replace water for soaking and cooking grains. Use in place of water or milk in baking recipes. Include in soaking legumes to increase digestibility. Freeze in ice cube trays to add to hot soups and smoothies.

• Lacto-ferment almost anything – cabbage, beets, radishes, zucchini.

• Use with fruits and chia seeds for smoothies.

• Because whey is slightly acidic, it helps improve the health of your scalp works where your hair gets its nourishment. If hair needs only a light wash, use in place of shampoo. Deep condition by pouring whey through hair and allowing to dry. Rinse. Whey can also be used in place of gel or mousse.

• Whey is all purpose cleanser-toner- moisturizer. Apply whey to cotton ball and use as daily.  Commercial products include whey as it is gentle and slightly anti-microbial.

• Soak tea bags and apply to tired eyes for five to ten minutes. Feel refreshed.

• There are claims that a whey bath aids lipid replenishment and has an anti-inflammatory effect. It can also be beneficial in the treatment of dry skin and fungal infections. Add one to two cups to bath water for a soothing detoxing effect.

• Finally, whey can be used to water acid loving plants, in the garden, and in compost.

100 Ways to Love Your Body

Along the path of a healthier, happier, more interesting me, I am focusing this piece on loving my body and supporting others in loving theirs.  Here's a short list to help you get started. 

·         Listen to your body

We tend to get so busy moving through the day, we neglect our bodies.  We drink stimulants to wake or perk up, then depressants to wind down.  When we have body aches we take a pill to keep going, ignoring the need for rest and recuperation. As we listen and attend the voice of our bodies, our natural instincts will awaken and we will have the choice to honor ourselves more lovingly.

·         Appreciate your body

Take a moment to honor all that your body does – the power to transport “you” from here to there and back again.  Look in the mirror and touch all those lovely parts and places.  Even if you feel the need to change some aspect of your physical self, that change comes after acceptance of all that is, and the vision of what can be.  Massage love into the all of how you show up today. 

·         Positive Body Talk

Smile and greet your reflection with an affirmative and loving voice.  Offer your body words of joy and wonder rather than the popular tones of doubt and self-denigration.  Look longingly at the gift you have received and co-created and know that it is good. 

·         Feed your body healthy foods

The practice of temperance allows for the infusion of the bounty that nature offers.  Be thoughtful about what and how much you ingest.  Let choices, rather than denial, govern your decisions.  Know that what you put in feeds the all of you – mind, body and spirit. 

·         Move your body

We know that things left to sit become less flexible.  Energize the all of you with thoughtful movement – dance, play, walking, stretching, reaching, lifting, opening and expanding. Find what delights your body and do that.  Notice the sensations that awaken and honor those.  Free your mind from the fear of discomfort and cross your boundaries. 

·         Feed your body from the inside out

Our skin functions as protection, sensation, absorption, and storage and synthesis, among other duties.  As such, it deserves the very best we can offer.  Coating the skin with nutrient poor substances that clog and block the pores and cells defeats health at a basic level.  Imagine only applying to the outside what you would offer to the inside.  Using oils, lotions, balms and butters made from cold-pressed oils and eatable ingredients will support a healthy glow as well as internal nourishment.

·         Give your body sensuous touch

Get a massage.  Soak in a bath.  Linger in the shower.  Use your hands to apply soap, lotions and oils, lingering over sensitive areas and allowing gentle response time.  Learn how and what touch you appreciate.  When the time comes, you can share that information as an expert.

·         Cover your body in luxurious clothing

Dress your skin in luxury, whatever you deem that to be.  Be creative.  Find cottons, silks, linens, wools, or sky.  Drink in the joy of what touches your skin.

·         Breathe deeply

            Learn to exhale.  The inhale will take care of itself.

      Exhale with the intention of letting go.  Inhale drawing both breath and blessing into your body.  Exhale the expended, useless, toxins ready to be released.  Inhale the joy of life, for life is in the breath.  Fill the lungs.  Hold for a beat or two, and then let it all go.  Let the exhale be twice the length of your inhale.  Drop the shoulder and feel the difference.

·         Relax more

Find the moments that delight you and bring more of them into your life.  As you stand, sit or lie down, feel the support of the foundation beneath you and know you are fully supported – by the earth, the chair, or the bed/floor.  Allow your body to rest upon the platform that holds you and fully be there.  Be present.

·         Sleep longer, deeper, more peacefully

How can you live more lovingly in the only body you have?  What will have to shift for you to honor the vehicle that transports you through the day, and your life?  How does your perception shift as you reach for love and commit to giving that love to yourself?  Here's another opportunity to expand self-discovery and find a whole new world.

Let the Love Light in!

Namaste