Tag: newyorkcity

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Carry-On Essentials for Sleep

Being able to fall asleep on the plane can sometimes make or break a vacation. Especially on overnight flights or when I have a early flight and hardly slept the night before. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀See the photo below and keep reading for my Carry-On Essentials for Sleep.⠀

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1. Evolution Pillow: I would NEVER sleep on planes before getting the Evolution Pillow 6 years ago. It wraps around your head in a way that any way your head tilts, its supports it. Other neck pillows never worked and always felt like a strain on my neck. Ever since getting this pillow, there has not been a flight that I haven’t slept on. Whether its from a 20 min nap, or sleeping for hours straight. I managed to sleep 3.5 hours going to Cartagena. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀

2. Passionflower and Valerian: For sleep. I used to take melatonin on flights but decided to try these new herbs I recently bought from arielletheherbalist at the flowerpower in nyc I woke up after my 3.5 hours of sleep feeling energized. Sometimes after taking melatonin, I feel groggy when I wake. Be aware: some people GAIN energy from Valerian instead of become sleepy from it. It is individual to the person & something one must experiment with. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀

3. Earthen Warrior – Silk sleep mask, naturally dyed & handmade in NYC: A must especially when you don’t have control over the window situation.

This mask is made with:

-Rainbow Moonstone Third Eye: Moonstone helps promote rest, intuition and psychic abilities, making it a perfect crystal to place at your third eye during rest. -The front: Indigo dye -The back: Skin healing Turmeric silk against the eyes for extra restorative rest

-Filled with lavender, organic wildflowers, calendula & flax. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

4. Earplugs: KEY to muffle out any sounds.

5. Headphones: I’ll use these if there is a really loud sound like a crying baby to play relaxing music to help me sleep.

6. Pashmina: I’ll use this as a blanket on the plane, a scarf in the cold weather and a jacket at night in the warm weather.

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Earthing/Grounding

Now that Spring is here, do you have any new goals set in accordance with the nice weather? Have you ever heard of Grounding or Earthing? One of my goals for the spring is to spend at least 15 minutes a day in nature on the days  I am not in the city. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

What is Earthing?

According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, DO, walking barefoot on the earth can have many benefits. The body can obtain electrons by being in contact with the Earth. These electrons have antioxidant effects which can reduce inflammation in the body & can make the immune system function optimally. When you are in direct contact with the ground (walking, sitting, or laying down on the earth’s surface) the earth’s electrons are conducted to your body, bringing it to the same electrical potential as the earth. Modern lifestyle separates humans from physical contact with the earth. Research suggests that this disconnect may be a major contributor to physiological dysfunction and a lack of well being. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

Some other benefits include: IMG-2793

  • Reducing chronic pain
  • Improving sleep
  • Relieving muscle tension and headaches.
  • Improving menstrual and female hormone symptoms
  • Speeding the healing process.
  • Improve blood pressure and cardiovascular arrhythmias
  • Improve autoimmune conditions

Allegedly, many on the Tour de France,(e.g. Lance Armstrong) used an earthing recovery bag to speed recovery and increase their quality of sleep while on this endurance race.

It make sense that the more humans are connected to nature, the better we feel.  This is true for me. Do you think this could be one of the reasons people sleep better while at the beach? ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

There are reviews on amazon from the book “Earthing, The Most Important Health Discovery Ever” which I read through. People wrote about how grounding has changed them for the better. If you are interested, consider reading through some!

References:

Chevalier, et al. “Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth’s Surface Electrons.” Journal of Environmental and Public Health, Hindawi, 12 Jan. 2012, www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2012/291541/?hc_location=ufi.

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Chromotherapy/Color Therapy

How appealing does this Infrared Sauna look right now in this cold April New York weather? Have you ever heard of Color Therapy or Chromotherapy? Chromotherapy is used in NAO Wellness’s Infrared Saunas in order for users to reap benefits of both the sauna and chromotherapy at the same time. NAO Wellness is a wellness sanctuary located on a beautiful street in the West Village. They offer nutrition counseling and food intolerance testing, reiki, chiropractic care, host wellness workshops and events, have infrared saunas and are currently working on a room for sound healing and other holistic services. IMG-2851

There are so many benefits of using an Infrared Sauna alone including detoxification, muscle and joint pain relief, increase of circulation, reduce inflammation, lowering of blood pressure, weight loss and skin purification. If you would like to learn more about the benefits of Infrared Saunas  you can check out my previous post here.

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Chromotherapy is a method of treatment that uses the colors of electromagnetic radiation to cure diseases. It has health, emotional and cosmetic benefits.

Ancient observation chromotherapy is a centuries-old concept. It was practiced in ancient Egypt, Greece, China and by the Mayans. The Egyptians utilized sunlight as well as color for healing. Color has been investigated as medicine since 2000 BC.

Color psychology and medicine were substantially tested by Robert Gerard, Ph.D., of UCLA in the 1950’s. He analyzed the area of light, color and their psychophysiological imprints. He tested the reactions of the entire body with colored light beamed onto the skin of the subject. Gerard’s data showed that all colors affect the human both psychologically and physiologically.

Warm colors: Warm colors showed a consistently pronounced pattern of stimulation. Warm colors helped those with reactive depression or neurasthenia. They increased muscle tone or blood pressure in hypertensive individuals.  Exposure to warm colors increased respiratory movements, frequency of eye blinks, cortical activation and palmar conductance (arousal of the autonomic nervous system).

Cool colors:  Cool colors showed a consistent pattern of relaxation.  Anxious subjects were calmed by these cooler colors, lowering blood pressure, providing relief from tension, alleviating muscle spasms and reducing eye blink frequency. They also proved to be an aid for insomnia.

If you are interested in reading more about the specific light color benefits, check out the image below. In the sauna, you have the choice to choose a color to stick with or you can have the light system rotating automatically through each color during your session.

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For more, check out my Instagram @dshamptonorganics

References:

Azeemi, Samina T. Yousuf, and Mohsin Raza. “A Critical Analysis of Chromotherapy and Its Scientific Evolution.” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 2, no. 4, 2 Dec. 2005, pp. 481–488., doi:10.1093/ecam/neh137.

NAO Wellness. “Infrared Sauna.” NAO Wellness, naowellness.com/.

 

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CBD Pills

Finally tried CBD pills. What is CBD? Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are the two main ingredients in the marijuana plant. Both CBD and THC belong to a unique class of compounds known as cannabinoids.

THC is best known for being the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. CBD, however, is non-psychoactive, meaning CBD can’t get you high. While disappointing to recreational users, this unique feature of CBD is what makes it so appealing as a medicine.

 

Naturally containing less than .3% THC, the hemp plant contains a multitude of nutrient rich terpenes, phytonutrients and cannabinoids.

Research seems to indicate that introducing hemp-derived cannabinoids such as CBD might help one’s ECS function more properly and efficiently and help regulate vital biological functions such as sleep, appetitie, pain, modulation, mood enhancement, sexual activity & more.

After taking a pill, I my body felt more relaxed and zen. For me, it seems like a good pill to take before bed.

Ananda Hemp works directly with the DEA and Kentucky Department of Agriculture in strict accordance with section 7606 of the 2014 Farm Bill. This allows them to sell and transport their products in all 50 states, legally. They are vertically integrated hemp producers in the USA and rigorously test and certify all products from seed to sale.

I also have used CBD oil topically (as seen in photo on the right). My friend made my a topical oil lotion mixed with coconut oil and some other ingredients beneficial to the skin. I am not sure if I noticed a difference, but something like this might need to be applied many times a day or may need to be of higher potency. For example, Voltaren gel, a topical prescription pain cream is recommended to be applied 6x a day.

I know some people personally who use this to treat chronic pain. Does anyone else take CBD pills or use a topical oil? How do you like them?

Here is the link to Ananda Hemp for CBD pills.

References:

1. Mead, Alice. “The Legal Status of Cannabis (marijuana) and Cannabidiol (CBD) under U.S. Law.” Epilepsy & Behavior 70 (2017): 288-91. Web.

2. Ananda Hemp

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5 Tips to Spring Clean your Soul before Summer

We have a little over a month of Spring time, the season of new beginnings. Take full advantage of Spring  by accomplishing these five suggestions below from The Neijing and Marie Kondo. The Neijing is one of the most vital texts in Daoism (or Taoism) & considered one of the fundamental backbones of Chinese Medicine. It is written from the perspective of Huang Di, known as The Yellow Emperor who retired in the third millennium BCE. Marie Kondo is a famous Japanese professional organizational consultant.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀

  1. Go to bed early & wake up early

  2. Take walks to enjoy the fresh air

Huang Di said, “The three months of the spring season bring about the revitalization of all things in nature. It is the time of birth. This is when heaven and earth are reborn. During this season it is advisable to retire early, arise early also, and go walking in order to absorb the fresh, invigorating energy. Since this is the season in which the universal energy begins anew and rejuvenates, one should attempt to correspond to it directly by being open and unsuppressed, both physically and emotionally.”

If you are having trouble going to bed earlier here are some tips:

  • Have an incentive to get into bed, such as a good book you are excited about reading.
  • Light a candle or diffuse some essential oils scented with lavender which smells good and helps you relax
  • Make you bed in the morning, that way your bed is more enticing to get into
  • Get into bed and listen to a relaxing meditation. Insight Timer is a good app or Louise Hay on YouTube.

   3. Exercise more frequently (if you were hibernating in the winter)

   4. Wear loose fitting clothing ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

“On the physical level it is good to exercise more frequently and wear loose-fitting clothing. This is the time to do stretching exercises to loosen up the tendons and muscles. Emotionally, it is good to develop equanimity. This is because spring is the season of the liver, and indulgence in anger, frustration, depression, sadness, or any excess emotion can injure the liver”. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀

Spring is the beginning of things, when the energy should be kept open and fluid; summer opens up further into an exchange or communication between internal and external energies; in the fall it is important to conserve; finally, the winter is dominated by the storage of energy.”

      5. Get organized

If you haven’t done your spring cleaning yet, now is the time! Spring is all about new beginnings and is the perfect time to get organized and de-clutter your house/apartment which also helps to de-clutter your mind.
I read the book “The Lifechanging Magic of Tidying Up” by a professional Japanese Organizing Consultant, Marie Kondo. After I got rid of unused items and organized my items, I was inspired to get organized in other areas of my life. Ex: writing down to-do lists and being more consistent with calendar items. Writing to-do items seemed to make me less stressed without the pressure of having to remember so many things.
The idea behind Kondo’s method of tidying up is to only keep items that give us joy and toss items that do not genuinely give us joy. ⠀⠀⠀
It works! When I am in my bed about to go to sleep and my room is clean, clutter free and filled with items and clothes that I really like and respect, I feel calmer and happier. When I have items I am holding on to that I am not excited about having, it is like having extra baggage or weight added to my room, which I feel when I am around these objects.
Kondo recommends for people to go through this process by themselves in order to fully get a good feeling from the purge. I did feel a sense of relief when cleaning out my items. If you are not great at organizing, It is a good idea to go through your items on your own, as Kondo recommends and to get a professional to help organize. If you are in NYC or Long Island, check out Jamie Horderly. Below is an impressive before and after example of Jamie’s work.

              

  BEFORE

    AFTER


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Organic Homemade Body Butter

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Ingredients:
  • 1c Shea Butter
  • 1/2c Coconut Oil
  • 1/3c Olive Oil
  • 5 drops Tea Tree
  • 30 drops Eucalyptus essential oil

Directions: Mix oil and heat in double oil until melted. Put in fridge for about an hour to solidify. Storing in glass instead of plastic is essential when it comes to oils. Phthalates, a group of chemicals found in plastics to make them softer. They are Endocrine (hormone) disruptors & are oil soluble.

I realized I’m not a fan of olive oil on my skin (some people like it.) Next time I will try another base oil (sesame, jojoba, almond etc.)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Essential Oil Breakdown: You can trade out Tea Tree and Eucalyptus for different essential oil of your choice. Eucalyptus is an antiseptic and can help with skin infections, bug or mosquito bites and cuts. It helps relieve muscle pain. It is also cooling and refreshing. It is a stimulant and can remove exhaustion and mental sluggishness. It can be effective for helping with stress. Rubbing this all over your body in the morning and breathing it in all day sounds good to me! Tea tree is well known for its antiseptic and anti-fungal properties. It can be effective with toenail fungus and athletes foot, so this could be a great hydrating foot cream. Tea tree has also been shown to fight against MRSA, a type of staph infection which is resistant to many antibiotics. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Apitherapy: Bee Venom Therapy

Apitherapy  or Bee venom therapy (derived from the Latin word apis, meaning bee) is the medicinal use of products made by honeybees. Bee Venom Therapy  has magnificent healing properties and is effective for the treatment of multiple chronic and autoimmune conditions.

Homeopathic honeybee venom therapy is a natural anti-inflammatory and pain reducing agent. Therapies using the honeybee have existed for thousands of years. The ancient rock art of early hunter-gatherers portrays the honeybee as a common source of natural medicine. Bee Venom Therapy was practiced in ancient Egypt, Greece, and China, three Great Civilizations known for their well advanced medical systems. Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician known as the “Father of Medicine”, identified the healing properties of bee venom for treating arthritis and other joint problems. Today, there is scientific evidence developing that suggests that various bee products promote healing by improving circulation, decreasing inflammation, and stimulating a healthy immune response, according to the American Apitherapy Society.

As stated by Holistic MD, it is particularly helpful for patients with arthritis, fibromyalgia, neuralgias, lyme disease, Bell’s palsy, carpal tunnel syndrome, herpes zoster, osteoarthritis, multiple sclerosis and many other conditions.

There are three ways to get Bee Venom Therapy:

  1. You can go to a practitioner and have them inject bee venom stings using a siring.I recommend starting of this way. This way, the practitioner who is injecting you, for example, can inject an equivalent to one honey bee venom sting into 10 different shots on your body. That way, if you are very sensitive to the sting, you will not blow up a grand amount in one spot on your body. The practitioner can also test before doing thing with a small amount how reactive you are to the honey bee venom. As you continue to get treatments, your tolerance to the bee venom stings will get better, allowing your body to receive more venom.
  2. You can also get live honey bee venom stings from a practitioner. This way supposedly has more benefits coming from a live bee. After building up a tolerance, you can start getting live honey bee venom stings.
  3. The last way to do this, is ordering bees and stinging yourself. There is a community of people on facebook, most who are chronically ill who use this method. The group is called Pioneers: Healing Lyme with Bee Venom Therapy. Here, they have a specific Bee Venom Therapy Protocol to follow.

Reactions

Most reactions are mild.  Most people experience redness, mild swelling, heat and itching in the area of the injections, which is a conventional part of the treatment process. This can last from a few minutes to 2-5 days and go away by themselves.  More serious reactions include flu-like symptoms lasting up to several days. This herx reaction is also routine as your body is going through a fighting/healing response. It is best to do nothing, to recognize the reaction and allow the body go through the healing process.

The composition of Bee Venom according to Biocure:

Melitin: Powerful Anti-Viral , Anti-bacterial & Anti-inflammatory , Stimulates ACTH secretion in the Pituitary Gland , Destabilizes all the membrane structures at the level of the phospholipids – which produces Strong anti-inflammatory effects.
Long-lasting, short-acting histaminic effects: Increased capillary permeability, edema (swelling), temperature elevation, itching, pain; increased vitality and sense of well being; forces bee venom to attach to negatively charged cell wall; anti-oxidant action.
Apamin: Stimulates central and peripheral nervous system. Stimulates secretion of serotonin and dopamine; anti-arrhythmic. So it Increases central and peripheral pain threshold, decreases pain, increases sense of well-being.
Adolapin: Inhibits enzymes in metabolic cascades of arachidonic acid and cyclo-oxygenase. so it has an anti-inflammatory and analgesic / pain releife action.
Mast Cell Degranulating Peptide (MCDP or peptide 401): Has Anti-inflammatory actions (approximately 100 times stronger than hydrocortisone) So it Reduces inflammation and pain through local action on tissue inflammation. Activates adrenal and sympathetic system.
Hyluronidase, Secapin, Tertiapin, Procamine: Anti-inflammatory , Pain relief by inhibition of “substance P” ( It function as a neurotransmittor and neuro-modulator , Substance P is released from the terminals of specific sensory nerves, it is found in the brain and spinal cord, and is associated with inflammatory processes and pain).
Compound X , Phospholipase A2 , Histamine: Involved in the inflammatory response of Venom, with the softening of tissue and the Facilitation of flow of the other substances deeper into the tissues.
Measurable amounts of the neurotransmittors: Dopamine , Norepinephrine and Seratonine.

For more, check out my instagram @dshamptonorganics

Recommendations where to get treated

  • Dr. Michael Gurevich, MD: Phone: 516-674-9489 Address: 997 Glen Cove Avenue · Glen Head, NY 11545
    • Bee Venom stings from a siring
  • BioCure: Phone: (917)-214-7298 Address: 92-04   95th  Ave.  Ozone Park , Queens, NY. 11416
    • Live Bee Venom stings

References

“ABOUT APITHERAPY :American Apitherapy Society.” ABOUT APITHERAPY :American Apitherapy Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

“Apitherapy: Homeopathic Bee Venom Therapy.” Holistic MD. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

“Bee Venom Therapy Clinic (Bee Sting Therapy) at Queens , New York. USA.” Bee Venom Therapy Clinic (Bee Sting Therapy) at Queens , New York. USA. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.