Key West Wellness Center

Tag: acupuncture

  • How Summer Can Affect Your Skin….

     

    Summer is here! And oh what a joy summer brings, the longer days, sunny skies. Time to hit the water and bask in the sun? Well, here is how summer can affect your hair and skin.

    Sun, sand, poolside fun—despite the fact that it no longer means two months off from school, summer is certainly a glorious time. Unpleasant as it may be, we still need to be aware of the negative effects that summer weather and activities can have on our skin and hair, and we don’t just mean piling on the SPF. Consider these variables and take necessary precautions, and you’ll have no problem getting through summer unscathed.

    Sun
    Sun isn’t quite the mortal enemy it’s sometimes made out to be (vitamin D, please!), but you certainly do need to make a strong effort to protect yourself against its damaging effects. It’s not the first time you’ve heard this, but sunscreen is a must. The higher the SPF the better, but the most important thing is that you reapply frequently, at least once every two or as directions state on the bottle. Reapplication is the only thing that stands between you and a killer sunburn and resultant sun damage. Exposure to harsh sunlight is also damaging to your scalp—yes, your scalp can get burnt, too—and can wreak havoc on colored hair. We love a good sun hat look, but we also recommend applying a scalp and hair-protectant.  Your local drug store or grocery store will carry an SPF spray for your hair. Such as Clarins SPF 30 Dry Oil Sunblock for hair and body as an example.

    Salt Water
    As you’ve probably gleaned from the abundance of sea salt sprays on the market, salt water isn’t all bad. In fact, it can be really beneficial for your skin—it helps to open pores and remove toxins, thereby sterilizing wounds and soothing skin irritations like itchiness and eczema, but lying in the ocean for too long can also exacerbate dryness, especially if you don’t replenish moisture afterward. Your hair can also take a real beating from overexposure, resulting in serious dehydration, dullness, and tangles. Saturating hair in a leave-in conditioner before you take a dip can help to ward off damage by filling the hair’s cuticle, preventing it from absorbing too much salt water, and always be sure to hit the shower after the beach for a thorough shampooing and deep conditioning treatment.

    Chlorine
    Kind of like salt water, chlorinated water can be incredibly drying and irritating… without the beneficial properties of salt water. Consider that chlorine is used in pools to disinfect and kill bacteria, and its harmful effects start to make a little more sense. As such, it completely strips your skin and hair.  For your hair, you can coat it in tap water or leave-in conditioner prior to heading into the pool to create a barrier, but it’s important to also shampoo and condition afterward—if you can use a specialized shampoo meant to purge the hair of chlorine, even better. Bottle blondes beware: Everything you’ve heard about chlorine turning your hair green is true, so avoid submerging your head as much as possible. Chlorine can also be wildly drying to skin, even resulting in a rash, so head straight to the shower for a good rinse as soon as you can after getting out of the pool, and don’t forget to moisturize!

    For more information on overall wellness, please contact:
    Key West Wellness Center – Dr. Ashley Hoyt
    Your Clinic of Alternative Medicine, (305) 296-5358
    Contact@KeyWestWellnessCenter.com

    www.KeyWestWellnessCenter.com

     

     

  • The Biggest Obstacle to Weight Loss

    The Biggest Obstacle to Weight Loss

    the biggest obstacle to weight loss is psychological

    Every few years a new study or news article comes out telling us the biggest obstacle to weight loss. Often it’s something that seems obvious like lack of exercise or a poor diet. But did you know that these are secondary to the main challenge everyone faces?

    What is the biggest obstacle to weight loss?

    The truth is that what’s holding us back is our own mind.

    According to a survey commissioned by Orlando Health, the most overlooked factor in weight gain is psychological. Big surprise, right? (Maybe not.)

    A press release at the time stated:

    “A recent national survey of more than a thousand people commissioned by Orlando Health found that 31 percent of Americans think a lack of exercise is the biggest barrier to weight loss, followed by those who say it’s what you eat (26%) and the cost of a healthy lifestyle (17%). Another 12 percent said the biggest barrier to weight loss was the necessary time commitment. Only 1 in 10, however, thought psychological well-being was a factor.”

    Modern American society often seems preoccupied with only what’s observable, the external things. If this survey is any indication, we might want to look closer at what’s going on inside us. In this case, we have to look deeper into the mind.

    Another article in the Huffington Post cites several experts on the link between the mind and eating. In it, obesity psychologist Jim Keller explains that, “the human body and brain are designed to eat.” Dr. Howard Rankin follows up saying, “What drives our behavior is not logic but brain biochemistry, habits and addiction, states of consciousness and what we see people around us doing. We are emotional beings with the ability to rationalize — not rational beings with emotions.”

    If emotions are in my mind, don’t I just have to manage my mood to lose weight?

    In the last blog, Dr. Ashley gave us some insights into emotional eating and how treatments like acupuncture can help people beat it. Emotional eating is an outward response to an inward struggle.

    However, this is only a symptom of what lies beneath the surface. Emotions that drive us to eat originate from somewhere or something. Eating is a habit that is learned or adopted as a coping mechanism.

    It’s important to recognize the relationship between eating and the mind.

    Does acupuncture really help me overcome mental barriers to weight loss?choose a balanced diet

    The mind is a finely tuned machine that needs to be looked after as much as our bodies. There are a lot of ways to keep it in great shape, and yes, acupuncture is one of them.

    Acupuncture authority AcuFinder writes this:

    “Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can help optimize your brain power through a treatment approach that incorporates different modalities, including nutritional support…Disharmony of the mind often manifests as anxiety, insomnia, muddled thinking, forgetfulness and chronic restlessness.”

    Keeping mentally healthy is a gift to ourselves that keeps on giving. And it doesn’t stop with acupuncture and a healthy diet. It also includes good sleep hygiene, conscious stress management techniques, making social connections and, yes, exercise.

    When we build the strength of our mind, we give ourselves the means to overcome our biggest obstacle to weight loss. What’s more, we can achieve our most cherished goals. That includes weight loss, and that’s only the beginning.

    Sharpen your focus and find your inner discipline to lose weight through acupuncture. Contact us to book an appointment with Dr. Ashley Hoyt. Your free consultation can set you on the path to weight loss.

  • How Acupuncture Decreases Cravings to Lose Weight

    How Acupuncture Decreases Cravings to Lose Weight

    cravings are a struggle. acupuncture decreases cravings

    You might be surprised to learn that acupuncture decreases cravings.

    One of the fundamental keys to weight loss is the ability to manage cravings. For many of us, those moments of temptation come too frequently. After a while our resolve wears down and that voice in our head that encourages us to stay on track starts to sound more and more distant.

    So, it makes sense to go right to the source of our appetite and start to stop cravings before they begin.

    What causes cravings?

    Before we can talk about how acupuncture decreases cravings, we need to figure out where those cravings come from.

    Habit

    A habit is any regular tendency or practice in our behavior, especially one that’s hard to quit. But why are habits so hard to give up?

    One reason is that habits get us through the day. You’ve often heard that “we’re creatures of habit.” It’s true! Ian Newby-Clark of Psychology Today has written extensively on how we rely on habit for lots of reasons. Says Newby-Clark:

    “Habits help us through our day…consider making breakfast in your own kitchen on any given weekday. You grab the milk out of the fridge, turn toward the counter and give the door that little nudge you with your foot that you know it needs. If something is on your mind, you might not notice that you’re sitting at the table and munching on your second piece of toast until you’re halfway through it.”

    Secondly, habits create comfort. The predictability of how something will turn out, knowing exactly what to expect, lets us relax.

    When we take these two types of habit to the extreme, they start to affect us mentally. Control becomes an issue. That leads to a different kind of behavior.

    Addictionwoman-on-table

    Addiction is a serious issue no matter what the substance or behavior. Addiction is destructive.

    Cravings can be a strong sign of an addiction. The difference between a person with cravings and an addict are how we react to the cravings. And these days addictions are so easy to come by. Alcohol and drug use are the ones we talk about, but there are many kinds. By the way, since we mentioned alcohol, what makes it so addictive? If you answered “sugar”, you’re right! Sugar is probably the most common culprit responsible for problem eating. Sweets give us a boost (kind of like nicotine and other drugs), and if we consume enough of it we can become addicted very easily.

    Humans have evolved to want sugar, and it’s not a bad thing! Sugar is a source of quick-release energy that can help us in the short term. But, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. You can read much more about how sugar cravings affect us

    Salty foods work just the same way. We want salt because we need salt, but too much salt creates problems with blood pressure, cholesterol, heart health and, yes, weight loss.

    Acupuncture decreases cravings so that you can beat addiction before it ever becomes an issue.

    Trauma

    Trauma is often a reason for problem eating. It comes in so many forms. Physical trauma and emotional trauma are both responsible. A person may break their leg which causes their activity level to drop. The boredom or the distraction of pain may cause a person to eat through it.

    Likewise, an emotional trauma causes negative feelings, and we want something to cheer us up. Comfort food can be okay once in a while, but too much of it can lead to problem eating. Soon our bodies learn that to fix our physical or emotional feelings we need to eat. Now we’re feeding an addiction.

    free from cravings. acupuncture decreases cravings

    The Way Acupuncture Decreases Cravings

    We don’t want to give you the impression that controlling cravings is easy. Anyone who tells you otherwise isn’t being honest with you.

    That said, acupuncture is an important part of the process.

    What to do…

    Make the decision.

    Decide to do something about your cravings. If you’re routinely eating outside of regular mealtimes, or eating to excess, you have to choose to want to control cravings.

    Get acupuncture.

    When you decide to resist cravings, you need to support yourself as you get past withdrawals. Acupuncture stimulates points in the body to release endorphins that help offset negative effects of cutting back. You’ve heard of the DT’s when it comes to alcohol or other substances. It’s exactly the same with food.

    There’s more. Acupuncture decreases cravings by recalibrating organs in the body through the release of chemicals. Endorphins that were previously blocked by dependence on food can now flow freely. The Spleen is one organ that needs to hit the reset button. It wants sweet flavor to balance itself, but too much creates weakness.

    The Kidney is also a sensitive organ for balancing cravings. When the body doesn’t get the nutrients it needs, the Kidney starts to cause problems that throw the Spleen out of balance. Our bodies beg us for food it doesn’t need because it’s trying to use what it knows to fix itself. But we know better. We know that acupuncture decreases cravings by unblocking the endorphins we need to feel good and keep our bodies working efficiently.

    Work with a nutritionist.

    In addition these steps, we advise that you research a reliable nutritionist. A certified nutritionist can help you balance our diet in a way that fits your needs while making sure you continue to manage cravings. If you need help finding out, just ask Dr. Ashley Hoyt.

    Need help decreasing cravings? Call 305-296-535 and book an appointment with Dr. Ashley Hoyt. Your free consultation can set you on the path to weight loss.