Welcome to Solholistic on
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Solholistic based in Sella, Alicante, Spain has many holistic therapies on offer to help with :
Emotional Stress |
Enviromental Stress |
Physical Stress |
Anxiety |
Hayfever |
Arthritis |
Depression |
Allergies |
Aches/Pains |
Headaches |
Asthma |
Hormonal Problems |
Insomnia |
Eczema |
Digestive Problems |
Fatigue |
Coughs/Colds |
Kidney Problems |
Irritability |
Skin Disorders |
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| For Clinic Details - Click here |
Holistic therapies address the emotional and physical effects of stress treating the cause rather than the symptom. This holistic or “whole” body approach results in an overall feeling of well being, which can be achieved by:
- Taking a thorough health consultation to identify the most effective therapy for you
- Offering and combining many different therapies including, hot/cold stones, aromatherapy, reflexology, reiki, nutritional advice, indian head massage, acupressure massage, hopi ear candling, holistic facial and lymphatic / cellulite drainage massage
- Using special massage techniques on the feet (optional) to identify problem areas
- Self help advice for continued home care
- Administering when needed unique custom blended creams or lotions hand made by Solholistic and based on 17 years experience of tried and tested products
- Offering acommodation for groups of 4-8 people wanting a totally relaxing break (see therapy weeks)
Click on a link below for more information on what Solholistic has to offer.
To find out more about Sharon Bates, the therapist, please click on the photograph below.
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Spain springs into life!Spring represents new life. Bare branches of trees suddenly showing signs of life with rich green shoots ready to "spring" open into fragrant fruit, flowers or berries. Every season provides us with what we need nutritionally. When you live in a City it is difficult to see what natures medicine provides. Living in a beautiful place like Sella on the Costa Blanca, I am fortunate to see the colourful changes that the seasons bring. During the Winter months the bancales are filled with orange and lemon trees bulging with vitamin C rich fruit. Vitamin C is a great antioxidant that strengthens the immune system to help fight cold and flu symptoms which are very common during winter time.Wild herbs of rosemary and thyme are also available throughout most of the seasons and whilst accompanying many dishes can be used topically for aches and pains and infused for making tea or added to locally pressed olive oil and vinegars for extra flavour and nutrition.
 At the moment the almond trees are boasting their array of pink or white flowers providing a display so beautiful that they instill you with a great feeling that compensates the fact that the weather is bad. Pink blossom produces bitter almonds and the white blossom produces sweet almonds The bitter almond is rather broader and shorter than the sweet almond, and contains about 50% of the fixed oil which also occurs in sweet almonds. Almonds are picked in the Autumn and if still in the shells can be kept for eating throughout the year providing essential nutrients including, vitamin E and magnesium helping reduce cholesterol, improving the colon and complexion.
 An interesting rarely mentioned herb Helichrysum italicum otherwise known as immortelle or everlasting is currently in flower. It is sometimes called the curry plant because of the strong smell of its leaves that resemble lavender leaves with a slight silvery shade. It grows on dry, rocky, sandy ground mainly on the mediteranean so it grows quite happily here in Sella.
Although called "curry plant" it has nothing whatsoever to do with the mixture of spices used in Indian cooking, nor with the curry tree (Murraya koenigii). The "essential" oil compounds of helichrysum is known to prevent and relieve blood clotting (helpful for bruising), stimulate tissue regeneration, act as a powerful anti-oxidant, and reducing inflammation. This combination of natural chemicals help with injuries such as twists and sprains, bruises, tendonitis and the like. Thus helichrysum has been named a miracle plant. As with the healing effect of all essential oils, it is the combination of effects from each molecule working together that can offer dramatic healing action.
Oils used in aromatherapy can be extracted from all of the above to bring about natural healing.
Sweet almond oil is obtained from the dried kernel of sweet almonds to make a very widely used "carrier oil" that is used in many products as well as baby care as it is very softening and soothing for the skin. The oil is good for application to the skin as an emollient, because it is more stable (does not become rancid) than those oils that have a higher content of essential fatty acids, and because it has a pleasant aroma. It is a mild, lightweight oil that can be used as a substitute for olive oil.
Oranges and lemons have oil extracted from their skin by "pressing". Orange (sweet citrus sinensis) is a sunny and radiant oil, bringing happiness and warmth to the mind promoting relaxation and helping children to sleep at night. Orange oil can be used effectively on the immune system, as well as for colds and flu and to eliminate toxins from the body.It is a good diuretic and is most useful in balancing water retention and obesity. For the digestive system, orange oil can help with constipation, dyspepsia and as a general tonic. It is also useful in cases of nervous tension and stress.The therapeutic properties of orange oil are antiseptic, anti-depressant, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, carminative, diuretic, cholagogue, sedative and tonic. Bitter Orange, also known as Bigarade Orange or Neroli, has served many ancient cultures for its medicine effects in treating a large variety of health disorders. Today bitter orange teas, tinctures, and extracts are still used in connection with gastrointestinal disorders, insomnia, head aches, and obesity.The petals of the orange blossom are used to make fragrant floral waters that are used in many cosmetics and perfume.
Lemon oil citrus limonum is widely used in my practice as it has stimulating, calming, carminative, anti-infection, anti-inflammatory, astringent, detoxifying, antiseptic, disinfectant, sleep inducing, and antifungal properties. These benefits of lemon oil include its ability to treat stress disorders, fever, infections, asthma, weight problems, insomnia, skin disorders, hair disorders, stomach problems, aches and pains, high blood pressure and tiredness.
 Rosemary oil rosmarinus officinalis is steam distilled from the blue flowerheads of the plant.This crisp and clean smelling essential oil is great for stimulating the brain, improving memory and mental clarity, while helping with a variety of congested respiratory tract problems, stiff muscles, chills as well as boosting the liver and gall bladder. It is also used for improving hair and scalp health. Due to its action on the nervous system rosemary is best avoided on pregnant women and epileptics. The therapeutic properties of rosemary oil include being analgesic, antidepressant, astringent, carminative, diuretic, hepatic, hypertensive, nervine, stimulant, sudorific and tonic.
 Thyme oil thymus vulgaris is steam distilled from the flowers and is in the same family as lavender, rosemary and mint.Thyme can be used externally for tonsillitis, gum disease, rheumatism, arthritis and fungal infections. It is often used to invigorate and stimulate hair growth and is good for treating head lice and dandruff. Thyme essential oil will boost the immune system and help fight colds, flu, coughs and sore throat, including laryngitis, bronchitis, tonsillitis and asthma due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti -inflammatory properties Since it helps remove uric acid, it is good to use in gout, arthritis and rheumatism, while further stimulating the digestion and urinary tract. It's properties also include it being antiseptic, antispasmodic, bactericidic, cardiac, carminative, diuretic, expectorant, hypertensive, insecticide, stimulant and tonic making it a good all round oil. Commercially there are two types of oil used in aromatherapy white thyme and red thyme. Red thyme is used with caution as its properties are extremely powerful due to its high phenol content!
Using extracted oils from trees, herbs, flowers, fruit and berries makes aromatherapy a very powerful therapy to help the mind and body. Most herbs are synergistic so work well together to bring about balance.
Helichrysum however is my suggested miracle essential oil of the month. For more information on where to buy or use it please contact me sharon@solholistic.com
Yours in health,
SharonAre You still on track?Well its been 4 weeks since my last posting due to variuos challenges presenting themselves to me! After achieving the 1408 sea level to summit challenge which took 11 hours and really spurred me on to start the New Year, I started disciplining myself with the detox regime of body brushing hot and cold showers cleansing my system with vitamin C packed smoothies, homemade soups, reducing my alcohol intake and drinking lots of water. I decided to do another walk 3 days after the challenge which was a fantastic 3 hour, 7 km walk around the Buddhist valley which is another local walk to Sella. Although I had an achey back I thought I am really on a roll now towards my healthy 2010 goal! 2 days later I realised the achey back was actually a kidney infection which made my whole body shut down. making me sick, headachey, dehydrated and giving me aches and pains and shortness of breath. I looked at this body state positively because I believe my body was getting rid of lots of toxins that had accumulated in my body over a period of time and then doing an 11 hour challenge which was using virtually every muscle in the body alongside the stress and determination involved my body said "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH" you need to rest!! The nervous system governs every part of the body and when it is stretched mentally, physically and emotionally messages are sent to the brain and the amazing DR YOU kicks in! If you experience pain, trauma, stiff joints, headaches, sore throats etc your nervous system works alongside the other organs to help sort the problem out! Eating a healthy diet, drinking plenty of water, reducing caffeine and polution (environmental, cigarettes etc) will all help the nervous system do its job to bring the body back to good health. Health is when every organ in the body works harmoniosly together with no interference.The lymphatic system needs help in eliminating toxins as unlike the circulation which has the heart to pump blood around the body the lymphatic system relies on the movement of muscles to push and squeeze out toxins into the excretory organs including , kidneys, skin, bowels and bladder. I suffer with a swelling in my right foot due to an hereditary problem so for me regular lymphatic drainage massage is essential. Lymphatic drainage massage is a massage using techniques to drain excess fluid and toxins from the cells to be elliminated. It is also good to use on scar tissue and people who suffer lots of coughs and colds. It is also used on people with cancer.
During your detox programme having lymphatic drainage massage will add to the effectiveness of cleansing your system.
I have now forgotten how ill I actually felt but know that I feel great now and listening to the body signals is very important! Keep to your limitations and build up to your exercise regimes and do eat little and often to keep your metabolism working.
Yours in health,
SharonBe prepared!It is good to give yourself a starting point to begin any programme so that you can be better prepared!
I am doing a sea level to summit (1408) challenge on Saturday 2nd January which involves an 8 hour day of walking so I will need lots of energy! This would probably not be an ideal day to start a detox programme.
When your body starts to dispose of toxins it can make you feel tired, headachey and irritable to begin with so I suggest you start when you have time afterwards to relax and rest if necessary so a weekend or before a day off would be recommended. New Years day this year is ideal as it is the end of the week. If you have been heavily drinking on New Years Eve however you may feel pretty rotten so New Years day may not be ideal! You have to feel good to start and keep motivated. Drinking alcohol will deflate your energy and you will become a non starter!!
When you do decide on the day in question you must feel motivated, good and in control!
Below I have a list of essentials to help you on your way:
- Tape measure - To measure waist, hips, thighs and upper arms (before and after)
- Body brush
- Lemons
- Spring water (if you buy bottled water check that sodium levels on the label are minimal)
- Juicer, liquidiser for making vitamin packed juices and soups
- Fennel, chamomile, peppermint, sage and nettle teas
- Dandelion coffee
- Fresh in season locally grown vegetables including 3 green leafy vegetables (sprouts, watercress, cabbage, brocolli etc)
- Fennel, celery, cucumber, artichokes, avocado and beetroot help greatly with toxin removal
- Goji berries (boyas tibetanas in Spanish), prunes, apricots and coconut oil
- Rice cakes and oatcakes
- Rosewater-1x teaspoon in 1 glass of water 3 x a day for emotional stress
- Aloe vera juice or capsules- Take as above to relieve constipation
- Optional use of an enema or colonic hydrotherapy
- Lymphatic drainage massage
- Holistic acupressure facial
- Avocado oil with essential oils of lemon, fennel, juniperberry and cypress to massage into the problematic thighs and upper arms that may have fatty deposits or show signs of cellulite. Massage twice a day towards the heart after showering (remember shower needs to be hot, cold, hot cold)
- At least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise including walking uphill, sports, cycling, running etc
- At least 30 minutes of YOU time to relax or meditate
- Vitamin B complex to support the nervous system
Please refer to my previously posted blogs on how to start the day etc and please post your comments to help others if you feel like sharing your experiences.
In the meantime,
Good luck, make your spring clean inside and out enjoyable,
Yours in health,
SharonKnow your body to achieve best results!Before embarking on any detoxification programme it is important that you know your body! Are you on medication for long term illness, prone to allergies, regular infections including coughs and colds or have you been diagnosed with a disease?
The face and texture of the skin can be good indicators of the state of your health. Dry skin can indicate dehydration or poor diet. Greasy skin can be an indicator of an hormonal imbalance.
Giving yourself a facial analysis can help you identify which organs are out of balance and what foods to avoid or include. Taken from the facial analysis book by Elizabeth Gibaud here are some suggestions:
Type 1: This one is ruled by your thyroid gland. If you have a shiny nose, fluffy hair, cold feet and hands, bulging eyes, and dry skin.
Avoid: Mangoes, white flour, red wine, yeast products, and chocolate
Eat: Cucumbers, oats, apples, potatoes, and asparagus
Type 2: This one is ruled with your liver. If you have a yellow tint to your skin (particularly around your mouth), reddish or bluish nose, and/or a thick and furry tongue, and red ears. If you are suffering from lack of concentration and motivation, as well as experience nausea.
Avoid: Oranges, curry, bananas, alcohol, and coffee
Eat: Cherries, limes, apricots, potatoes and garlic
Type 3: If your are suffering from water retention and have a bloated face, puffy under-eyes, vertical line or groove under the tip of your nose, swollen fingers or ankles, and a hard time concentrating.
Avoid: Soy sauce, peanuts, canned fruit, red meat, and cheese
Eat: Spinach, broccoli, onions, fresh fish, and pineapples
Type 4: If you have inflammation easily, a greasy chin, nose, and forehead, very tight or open pores, horizontal lines on your forehead, sagging cheeks, and smelly feet.
Avoid: Rice, pastries, alcohol, mayonnaise, and shellfish
Eat: Millet, turnips, carrots, asparagus, and berries
Type 5: Prone to having complaints about your skin.
Avoid: Watermelon, raisins, strawberries, eggs, and beer
Eat: Oats, cabbage, apples, butter, and parsley
Type 6: This is only applied to men and is ruled with their prostate. If your ear is red at the top or forehead is red and has horizontal creases above your top lip, dark rings under your eyes, and a furred tongue.
Avoid: Sweet potatoes, vinegar, aubergine, red wine, and blue cheese
Eat: Grapefruit, peaches, lentils, courgette, and watercress
Main Tips for this Diet
You should always choose brown instead of white when eating bread, pasta, or rice. All that pasta consists of is water and white flour, which are the same ingredients that can be used to make glue!! Nutritious versions of pasta are buckwheat and brown.
If you tend to bloat a lot, try to eat traditional British staples, such as potatoes and oats. Pasta and rice have been added to our diets recently, and some people can have trouble digesting them.
Unsalted butter is a good source of vitamin A (in moderation of course) and is better to choose over most synthetic margarine and spreads that have many additives and dyes,
Also, choose jam that is sweetened with its own juices, because many of the jams that are sugar-free still consist of artificial sweeteners that can pollute your body.
Make sure that you drink enough water during the day (2 litres or 8 glasses). If you are thirsty, that means that you are dehydrated already so your body will be unable to function properly.
Take breaks, getting plenty of fresh air at a park or somewhere away from the city.
Avoid drinking alcohol and caffeine during a detox because coffee and tea can both cause water retention, headaches, insomnia, and anxiety, while alcohol can cause dehydration. Herbal teas such as nettle, fennel, peppermint, sage and chamomile are all good to have instead and dandelion coffee is a great alternative to caffeine and actually helps with detoxification.
Celery, beetroot, cucumber, watercress, carrots, onions and garlic are all great blood cleansers. Making unusual, juices, smoothies and soups are great to get extra vitamins and minerals into the body and encourage disposal of toxins.
If you are taking medication you need to increase your intake of vitamins and minerals so a healthy diet is essential to help the liver cope with digesting "chemicals" from sythetic drugs. If you live in a city you also need to be aware of the hidden polution that can affect the lungs! Avoid additives in foods and read all labels to make sure you are not eating extra salt, sugar or fat.
Hopefully you can assess your body type and achieve good results.
To have an aromatic facial using all naturally sourced ingredients would also compliment the programme and disperse any excess fluid allowing further dispersal of toxins. See holistic facial http://www.solholistic.com/
Take care,
Sharon Bates
Older Blog Posts
Crossing Cultural FoodsBy Carol Harblin (CHHC)
After living in one country for an entire life, you only see one country's perspective with food. You give in to that way of being. But why?
In the United States we have given in to chemicals and additives in foods as just being the norm...so just accept it. Is that really right?
No where else in the world do they put high fructose corn syrup in soda, only in the US. And the US has brainwashed many people into truly believing that high fructose corn syrup is equivalent to sugar and that it's natural!!??? oh really!!?? The US is taking the cheap way out by sneaking it into foods regardless of the ramifications.
Take Italy for an example....you can buy a Coca-Cola and it would have basic ingredients in it. Go to India and you will find simple ingredients. There are no ingredients with chemical names. It's a vacation from shopping-hell when you go into another country and don't have to read the ingredients label every single time.
Once upon a time in a land called United States our food was simple too. There wasn't a lot of additives and chemicals in the food and there was no high fructose corn syrup. In just the 1940s and 1950s it was like that....why did it change?
The US is getting back to the way things were gradually (thanks to the holistic fight).....you will get lucky and see products without all that crap.
So, once upon a time things were simple...and once again there will be a happily ever after.
 What's in Wheat?By Carol Harblin (CHHC)
What's wrong with wheat? It's not white flour, at least it's not stripped of its bran, right? Well....that is better....but why are people still hurting from a whole grain?
Many people just cannot metabolize gluten in wheat anymore. Their threshold has been met. It is actually the only protein in nature that cannot be fully digested.
Because our bodies cannot fully digest gluten, it causes gastrointestinal disturbances and inflammation.
An intolerance to wheat may result in skin rashes.
Do you know how sometimes trauma may cause a degree of dyslexia? Well, sometimes physical trauma may result in gluten sensitivities and an intolerance.
Our digestive systems are very sensitive. We don't have steel stomachs, nor steel intestines. We can't just eat any food and think it will come out at the other end.
We can be more picky about the kind of gasoline that goes into our cars and when it comes to us we put anything down our throats....why?
Our genes are trying to get used to gluten in our diets, and it's trying to catch up with it. Even prior to 5,000 years ago gluten was not a part of a regular diet.
If you are having some digestive issues, it may run deeper than you think. It may appear to be a dairy intolerance, but it may be a gluten sensitivity or intolerance. Try going gluten-free for a week and see how your body responds. Even if you are not gluten intolerant, cutting back on the gluten will reduce the inflammation in your body too.
Learn to listen to your body and know how it responds. Become aware of how it reacts to different foods. Our bodies are changing all the time. What we used to eat 10 years ago may not be appropriate now. We have certain thresholds and limits for some things.
Be kind to your body...it's the only one we get!
 Green BBQBy Carol Harblin (CHHC)
We are well into the summer and most of us have cooked out at least once by now...
What are you cooking on that grill?
Before you put that food on your grill, either put foil over it or brush the black off the grates. Using a gas grill is actually more environmental than charcoal.
Charring your food on the grill is UNhealthy. Did you know that the charred food has acrylamide in it. acrylamide is a known carcinogen.
There is no vacation from recycling. Have a few different bins available for different waste. One for plastic, one for bottles, one for miscellaneous trash, and one for cardboard and aluminum.
One feel-good recipe to try on your grill is a vegetarian kabob.
When preparing for this recipe, cut each into bite-size pieces.
- Purple onion
- cherry tomato (need not cut)
- squash
- zucchini
- feta cheese
You may buy feta cheese in a large chunk so that you may cut it to your desired size.
Be creative this summer when you grill....don't just slap on burgers and dogs...try something NEW and fresh. Your body will be glad you did!
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