Over the years, the concept of “wellness” has evolved, and been both mocked and embraced. Today, it’s generally accepted that taking care of body and mind to ensure maximum health is the best strategy. This includes everything from regular dental visits, exercise routines that fit each individual, and therapy sessions helping work through problems or trauma.
It also includes skincare and haircare, as well as practices such as massage, acupuncture and chiropractic care, which many mainstream healthcare companies now cover.
On the Johns Hopkins website, readers find this description of the use of acupuncture in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): “TCM believes that the body’s vital energy, called qi (pronounced chi), flows along specific channels or meridians. If the qi is balanced, then the person has spiritual, emotional and physical health.”
While going on to say that Western medicine takes a different view of why acupuncture has been proven to reduce pain, the site cites a raft of uses for the procedure, including for headaches, fibromyalgia and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Massage, of course, has been used for hundreds, indeed thousands, of years to soothe and help repair the body, but today, the range of techniques offered has expanded exponentially. For example, Berkeley’s Sundhari Holistic Spa offers Swedish, Esalen, Deep Tissue, Sports, Trigger Point, Cranial-Sacral, Myofascial Release, Shiatsu, Acupressure and Trager styles of massage.
Many East Bay spas and salons offer Thai massage, a unique form in which the fully-clothed person being massaged lies on a floor mat as the massage practitioner uses hands, elbows and feet to aid in yoga-like stretches and acupressure. The Cleveland Clinic’s website notes that research shows Thai massage is effective in increasing flexibility and range of motion, easing back and headache pain, lowering stress and anxiety, and aiding digestion.
Chiropractic treatments, called adjustments, though still not accepted as effective by some Western doctors, are now recognized by many people as helpful in treating back and neck pain, and providing relief from sciatica. These treatments focus on the spine and often include the famous “neck crack.”
This is done in an attempt to relieve tension, improve mobility and reduce cervical spine pain. The “pop” is caused by “cavitation,” when dissolved gasses are released from the joint’s synovial fluid. According to Pinole’s East Bay Chiropractic Health Center, neck adjustments result in increased range of motion, decreased reliance on medication, better posture and “greater overall well being.”
The connection between wellness and beauty is also obvious. People who feel well, have good posture and move easily often exude health and confidence. Skincare and haircare add to this. Most people know that the skin is the body’s largest organ. The National Institutes of Health published an article that states, “skin appearance affects psychological health, self-esteem and social engagement, reinforcing its significance beyond physiology.” Oakland’s Feliz DuBois Skin Care, for example, offers a skincare consultation that helps identify skin type, problems and potential treatments, alongside dermal infusion treatments, derma-planing, peels and traditional facials.
Haircare is also increasingly focusing on hair and scalp health. “Achieving a healthy scalp is the foundation of strong vibrant hair,” according to the American Academy of Dermatology. “A balanced scalp features clear pores, no inflammation or itching, and regulated oil production.”
At Kume Float in Oakland, the Botanical Head Spa features its Botanical Scalp Treatment, which uses herbs and a clay peel to clean the scalp. Based on classic Japanese techniques, the treatment includes a scalp analysis, using a high-resolution microscope, dry brushing to exfoliate the scalp, a scalp mask, herbal steam, “hydrodhara” oil flow and pressure point head massage, and a “waterfall” rinse.
Wellness isn’t a fad or a trend, but a way to support health and beauty for a lifetime.
For more info, visit sundhari.com, eastbaychiropractichealthcenter.com, felizduboisskincare.com and kumefloat.com.
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