Mabuhay!

Mabuhay means hurrah (or live, thrive) in filipino/tagalog. This is according to one of those online translators so don't get mad if it's not an exact translation.

It describes the excitement I'm experiencing about heading off to the Philippines early (too early) Sunday morning. I'm going to be attending the Wellness Summit, which is sponsored by Spa Asia, a group I've talked about before on this blog. It's three days of some of the biggest names in healers, spa experts, like Neil Jacobs, who I've also talked about on this blog, and other industry professionals who will be discussing the state of the industry and how we could be doing better—as well I'm sure about what we're already doing right—in the Land of Spa. I'm very excited to be invited to attend as a journalist and then to report about it in the International Spa Association's trade publication, Pulse.

I'll try to write from there but, alas, Mercury is again going retrograde. (It begins October 9 but I can already feel the strong slow-down energy taking hold, especially when I called to confirm my flight reservation and was told that the computer inexplicably dropped my reservation; it's fine now.) If I don't manage it, check back after October 12, my return date, when I hope to be brimming with new ideas that I learned along the way!

Until then,

Mabuti!

Point-illism

I found a blog the other day with a great name. It’s called Lazy yogi. (That’s a yogi after my own heart.) In it, the write talks about points. The points I’m referring to in this case, of course, have nothing to do with Seurat—though that’s not to say that these points are not in themselves a work of art. These are energy points, or junctures, in the body between which energy, or life force, flows, and they correspond to points on the body and the organs.

Most people are familiar with acupuncture points. Then there are reflexology points. But the Lazy Yogi talks about the lesser-known marma points used in Ayurveda. They’re said to house the three pillars of life, or doshas. Marma points massage is becoming more popular in spas.

The only other points I know about are used in Jin Shin Jyutsu. All of the points in Jin Shin Jyustu are in the hands, which are used as "jumper cables," to make contact with 26 "safety energy locks." These redirect, or unblock the flow of energy along its pathways.

I went to a Jin Shin Jyustu session once and we sat with a group for about an hour during which we were supposed to listen to energy pulses in our wrists and then work with the leader who talked us through the 26-point sequence, which was supposed to reharmonize and restore our energy blocks. Some people fell asleep but it seemed to be okay to do that.

That one session was not life transforming for me, but there Jin Shin Jyustu followers all over the world. The history is interesting. It’s an ancient Japanese practice that was rediscovered by Jiro Murai, a philosopher. He passed on this information to a contemporary woman named Mary Burmeister.

Any other points I’m missing?

Sinus Attack

On Thursday morning I woke up with a nasty sinus headache. I attributed it to the weather change—for the better, but change is change to my sinuses, and they react. Despite my healthy lifestyle philosophy, I wanted a quick fix so I took a couple of Benadryl. It occurred to me that I should have started a regimen of irrigation with warm water, salt and baking soda, but I felt lazy. With the pain masked, I took a long walk along the lake instead. During the course of the day if I felt the headache coming back I popped a couple more pills. I felt better, until I didn’t.

The next morning it was more of the same, except now I also felt tension in my shoulders and neck from the headache, and the Benadryl was no longer helping. So this time, after irrigating and feeling some relief, I called my massage therapist and got squeezed in for a 10am with him. He pulled out all the stops for me. Besides working on loosening my neck, shoulders and back muscles, he massaged my sinuses. He also introduced me to the “scaling” muscles in my neck, which he said were great for draining the mucous and lymph glands. These are the muscles used when singing, he told me, and if I really wanted to help myself I should go home and sing at the top of my lungs and that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to do that on a regular basis. He wasn’t joking.

Next came some reflexology. The first two toes are related directly to the sinuses so he pressed hard on those points. It hurt. A lot. But not as much as the sooji hand needle. I wish that I could at least take credit for dreaming up the fake English translation for sooji: “90 days past due.” That credit probably goes to a bunch of acupuncture students (of which my therapist was once one), sitting around between patients while doing their required clinic hours, talking about their future careers.

I can, however, vouch for the pain that inspired it. The sooji hand needle looks like something the dentist would use to attack a bad case of tartar but it has a blunt tip, which could fool you into thinking it wouldn't hurt much. The sinus acupuncture points are on the tips of the middle fingers. the level of pain is directly related to the degree of blockage. I'd estimate that mine—blunt tip or not—must have been hovering, oh, around 99%.

I left feeling much better, though, just like I did after taking that first round of Benadryl. And later the pain came back, just like it did with the pill popping. It’s now Sunday and I’m finally starting to feel like whatever I had is on its way out; the body will heal itself eventually whether you help it or not. Had I gone the natural route from the beginning it would of course have been much better for my body. The problem with Benadryl is that it dries up the sinuses so much that it irritates them, thereby exacerbating headaches and creating a vicious circle. But it’s easy to pop pills. Not only isn't it easy to fit the more time-consuming route into your schedule or your budget, but you have to be committed to put aside time for regular irrigation, for loud singing and to have daily visits for rounds of torture by reflexology and acupuncture. It’s no wonder people pop pills.