SWIHA Blog

With the biggest shopping day of the year right around the corner, many of us will be spending hours (or even days) walking from store to store and standing in long lines at the register. This type of extended standing and walking can wreak havoc on our legs, creating varicose veins, or worsening them in those who already have them.

If you notice ropey and bulging leg veins, achy calves or cramps at night, or swollen legs after standing for periods of time, varicose veins could be the culprit. Varicose veins are usually not too serious, but if ignored, can lead to other problems. However, there is a solution! Massage is a great tool to create comfort while relieving aching legs and swollen muscles.

Massage can be beneficial to those who experience varicose veins. It can decrease edema (excessive watery fluid that collects in the cavities or tissues of the body), increase venous outflow from the lower extremities, and improve muscle tone to normalize venous function.

The suitability of massage for a person with varicose veins will depend on their current medical condition, the cause and severity of the varicose veins, and the presence of swelling. Before pursuing massage, checking with a doctor is recommended, especially if the veins are a new development. Notify a medical professional if the varicose veins become painful, reddened, increase in warmth, or a new onset of swelling appears in the leg, as this may be a sign of more serious issues that require prompt treatment.

By Nancy Jackson, Online Exit and Placement Specialist

“Believe in yourself – you are capable of great accomplishments.”

That’s the message Pam McCulloch, a recent Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) graduate, wants to share with current and future SWIHA graduates. Pam took her own advice, and while still pursuing her online degree in SWIHA’s Associate of Occupational Studies Mind-Body Transformational Psychology Online program, she launched her business, Paradise Organics.Tender and organic fruit, herb, and vegetable starter plants is what Paradise Organics is all about, providing home gardeners with organic, non-GMO starters.

The Colorado based business teaches new gardeners how to get started in whatever growing space they have, even if it’s an apartment balcony.
As a full time gastro-intestinal tech assisting in outpatient surgeries, Pam was thrilled to add the role of self-employed urban farmer and business owner into her busy life. How did she make her urban farming business happen? She says she manifested it.

By Dee McCaffrey, Guest Blogger

The high stress nature of the holiday season can make staying balanced through the holiday season challenging.

Prevention Magazine online recently reported that 90 percent of Americans experience feelings of stress during the holidays. Whether it’s caused by crowded shopping malls, traveling, or family relations, how we manage stress can affect whether or not we have an enjoyable holiday season or an undesirable holiday.

However, there is a solution! Including some of the holiday's best stress-relieving foods as part of regular meals is a great way to maintain a feeling of calm and balance. Eating high energy and nutritious foods can help potentially stressful situations, because these foods provide us with the energy and stamina to cope.

Which foods are the best for relieving stress? Those that contain high amounts of B-complex vitamins, vitamins C and E, and those that contain minerals like manganese, selenium and zinc. The food items rich in these substances should be included regularly in meals.

On the other hand, eating processed foods and those low in the stress-busting nutrients will deplete energy levels and potentially stressful situations will become stressful and harmful to health.

Here's a list of the some of the most beneficial foods for relieving stress. Many of these are part of the traditional American holiday fare.

By KC Miller

Imagine a gate that connects the mysteries of the heavens to what we could manifest here on earth. Just the thought of such a portal sounds kind of Star Wars-like, doesn’t it? And yet, there is a potent ear point that has been written about as far back as 500 BC in a timeless book known as The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, a compilation of acupuncture procedures that were practiced since ancient times.

This mysterious point is called ‘Shen Men’, which translates to ‘Spirit-Gate’. It is the point believed to connect heaven and earth, mind and body; it brings imbalance or disease to a restored balance and facilitates healing. It is one powerful point!

‘Shen Men’, also known as the ‘Heavenly Gate’, is located in the center upper third portion of the ear, situated at the apex of the triangular fossa. It is one of the most recognized auricular points and used in the treatment of a wide variety of conditions, including pain sedation, addiction abatement, and the reduction of physical and emotional inflammation. By stimulating this tiny pin-sized point, it is reported to bring heavenly energy into the body for healing. Many practitioners and teachers believe we can actually heighten our spirituality just by taking three to five slow, deep breathes while activating this ear point a few times a day!

By Sally Marks

Anyone who owns or drives a vehicle knows it runs on diesel, unleaded, ethanol or even vegetable oil. However, when it comes to providing fuel for our bodies we might not be as informed as we think.

A recent Consumer Reports study cited that nine out of 10 people surveyed thought they were eating a healthy diet, however, based on their age, height and weight, 36 percent of those surveyed were overweight and 21 percent would be considered obese.

America is one of the richest nations in the world, but it is said to be a nation of the overfed and undernourished. With certain exceptions our food issues are not as much about circumstances as they are about choosing the right foods. Obesity is a multi-factorial issue, but the main culprit of an unhealthy diet is an excessively high intake of sweets and sugary items such as cakes, cookies and pies. Drinking at least one soda a day, as well as consuming so-called energy drinks, is also high on the list of some of the most common reasons Americans are gaining more and more weight.

By KC Miller

Monday has a little bit of a bad rap! Often you will hear someone say: T.G.I.F (Thank Goodness It’s Friday); rarely, however, do you hear, “T.G.I.M! I’m over-the-moon-excited it’s Monday!”

Let’s face it – If you are going to begrudge Mondays you have a lot of complaining ahead of you because, hopefully, you have a lot of Mondays in front of you.

So, what’s the answer? F.I.T.Y.M.I – which means ‘Fake It ‘Til You Make It’ – is one possible solution.

While being fake isn’t’ really the message, the use of acronyms or mnemonicscan be a powerful way to remember to adjust your attitude as you face the week.

The word ‘mnemonic’ comes from Greek mythology; there was goddess names Mnemosyne, dubbed ‘the Goddess of Memory’ whose claim to fame was sleeping with the Greek god Zeus and conceiving nine children. The children, all daughters, were known as the muses, or creative nymphs, personifying the arts, especially literature, healing, dance and music. A mnemonic for muse could be:

by KC Miller, Founder of Southwest Institute of Healing Arts

‘Don’t dim my light!’ was the warning Richard Seaman gave me as one of his employers here on earth several years ago. This affirmation was not in the least way said in a threating or condescending manner; Richard was just very aware that his full-time employer was God. Often without warning some amazing force would show up and come out of his mouth . . . sometimes with grace, other times with real raw honesty. Before long it became increasingly obvious Richard was on loan as an employee to the college and that his real job was to be a spirit-directed pot-stirrer. He was in our employ to shake things up, do things a little differently and to prepare for his next assignment.

Richard has been very reliable in showing up to deeply touch the lives of many people, to help heal their stories, and in a very real way, helped to free many souls. There is no doubt his new book, Spiritual Reliability: Are You God’s Employee , is his continued commitment to serve as a teacher and guide for those who are ready to do their own work in recovering and discovering.

by Liz Dose, Clinical Aromatherapist, Cht, LC

“Smell is a potent wizard that transports us across thousands of miles and all the years we have lived. The odors of fruits waft me to my southern home, to my childhood frolics in the peach orchard. Other odors, instantaneous and fleeting, cause my heart to dilate joyously or contract with remembered grief. Even as I think of smells, my nose is full of scents that start to awake sweet memories of summers gone and ripening fields far away.”Helen Keller

Since the dawn of time humans have been under the spell of perhaps the most mysterious of the senses – the sense of smell. Our ancestors relied heavily on this gift to find food, detect a predator in the area or alert them of a nearby fire. But on another level, our sense of smell has blessed us with the ability to experience the intoxicating aroma of a freshly opened blossom, coffee brewing first thing in the morning, or fresh baked cookies straight out of the oven. Our sense of smell provides so much more than instinctual protection mechanisms. An aroma can’t be accurately described by simply comparing it to another, yet a familiar scent can act like a time machine transporting you back to another time or place. Because our sense of smell was so crucial to our early survival, the Olfactory System that starts with the nose takes these aromas on a journey through the brain, and affects every part of our body almost instantly.

By Melanie Albert

Protein, alongwith fats and carbohydrates, is an essential macro nutrient which we must eat everyday with every meal. Protein is a building block of our body and helps to buildthe foundation of our bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood.

No Meat for 25 Years

I stopped eating red meat 30 years ago because my body could not digest it. I was a runner and felt like the meat made me sluggish. Then 18 years ago when my Mom was diagnosedwith breast cancer, I learned about antibiotics in poultry and stopped eating chicken and turkey, which I loved at the time.

My family was worried for years that I was not eating enough protein, but while I was studying nutrition, I learned so much about good plant protein, and now I’m honestly not worriedabout eating enough protein. Today, I love educating people about good sources of plant protein, including beans, whole grains and even vegetables.

Great skin is often associated with youth and beauty. Gorgeous models with glowing faces adorn magazine covers. Countless ballads and romance novels wax poetically about the thrill of a lover’s touch on their skin.

Keeping our skin healthy and supple is a huge business throughout the world. A 2013 story in the Huffington Post, written by Rebecca Adams, states women in the U.S. spend $426 billion on beauty products alone. This figure does not include beauty and spa treatments such as facials, waxing, deep pore cleaning or microdermabrasion, laser treatments or photo facials.

Women in the U.S. spend $426 billion on beauty products alone.

Nor does the monetary figure include skin diseases and medical treatments. As the largest organ in the human body our skin (also known as epidermis or integument) has the practical purpose of protecting the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and internal organs. It is also prone to maladies that range from acne to xerosis (abnormal dryness of the skin.)