Skip to main content

Natural Awakenings Atlanta

DETOX THERAPIES: Health, Wellness & The Halo Effect 

by Aaliya Bashir

What’s the Big Deal about Self-Care?

A smart self-care regimen designed for success takes into account personal health and wellness goals, and a practical and realistic plan that fits each person’s lifestyle. Self-care followers are realizing the profound benefits of a self-care regimen beyond just being able to say that they “feel so much better.” One benefit, the self-care “halo effect,” comes as a result of this simple principle: Taking care of yourself enables you to be at your best as partner, parent, friend, colleague and caregiver. And that’s a big deal.

Several simple self-care practices can lead to better productivity, improved resistance to disease and elimination of the symptoms that slow one down, including joint pain, sinus congestion, insomnia and anxiety. Self-care starts now, and a great place to start is with detox-based therapies.

A Blueprint for Detox-based Self-Care

To incorporate more self-care into your life, begin with your everyday rituals. Whatever you do every day—whether it’s brushing your teeth, walking your dog, yoga practice or your morning’s first sip of coffee or green tea—including a few detoxifying rituals into your daily routine can have beneficial effects. Detox therapies that help to flush the body of toxins that can cause inflammation can also preempt or even improve conditions such as joint pain, poor circulation, muscle fatigue, insomnia and anxiety.

Listed below are detox-based therapies for three common ailments—joint pain, sinus congestion and TMJ—and can be a valuable component of any self-care plan. They include therapies that are best provided by a certified spa or wellness practitioner as well as those that can be self-administered in the comfort of your own home.

Joint Pain

Practitioner Treatments

LED massage: This detox-based massage therapy provides a deeper massage compared to a traditional massage. Not only are LEDs known to reduce inflammation, but also the FDA recently approved the use of LED-light massage to relieve inflammatory conditions and joint pain, especially for people diagnosed with arthritis. Additional benefits of LED massage include accelerated healing, improved circulation and reduced inflammation, redness and bruising.

Ionic detox footbath: If massage is not for you or makes you uncomfortable, an ionic footbath is a good detox therapy. A footbath is a quick, easy and painless way to balance your PH, flush your liver and cleanse and reenergize. Sessions usually last less than 30 minutes. Electrolysis and gravity work together to pull toxins through the thousands of pores of the feet. Consult with your professional spa provider about the frequency of this therapy for your self-care planning purposes.


DIY

Salves: At home, try a salve formulated for joint pain, including one of the many CBD products that are now readily available in the marketplace.

Bathe: Fill the tub for a bath soak with soaps high in minerals such as Himalayan or Dead Sea salts, which are natural body detoxifiers, to reduce the inflammation that causes joint pain.

Home LED massage: Affordable, hand-held LED-light massage devices can be sourced online on sites such as Amazon and can be used effectively as part of a self-massage regimen at home.


Sinus Congestion

Practitioner Treatments

Ear candling: An ancient Egyptian practice, ear candling is a 30-minute-per-ear treatment that uses hollow candles. When lit and positioned just so, the candles pull out toxins and balance pressure in the sinus cavity. In this relaxing and therapeutic method, the warmth and smoke from the beeswax candle facilitate the body’s natural process of excreting impacted earwax and relieving sinus pressure, head pressure and congestion.

DIY

Essential oils: At home, use essential oils such as eucalyptus or peppermint in a diffuser or as aromatherapy.

Facial massage: Give yourself a facial massage to help relieve tension caused by infected sinuses. Good times to do so might be before or after a home face mask or as part of your morning or evening face-washing ritual.


TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction)

Practitioner Treatments

TMJ massage: Schedule a treatment with a licensed therapist who is certified in or specializes in this modality. A TMJ massage is a detox-based, med-spa massage and focuses on muscles and tendons related to the TMJ symptoms of clicking and pain. While some discomfort is to be expected during the therapy, most people share that they experienced a “huge relief” after the treatment.

Infrared sauna: If you are not a fan of massage, try this noninvasive heat- and detox-based option. The infrared light technology relaxes muscles, reduces inflammation and brings relief to TMJ symptoms. The standard recommendation to start to experience a difference and to reach pain-relief goals is two to three sauna sessions per week, ranging from 30 minutes to one hour.
Ionic detox footbath: If you do not like the heat of the sauna, a weekly footbath is ideal as it flushes toxins and resets energy levels. Most clients experience same-day partial relief from TMJ symptoms with regular weekly footbath treatments.

DIY

Self-massage: At home, you can practice self-massage with a hand-held LED device to help reach muscles and nerves impacted by TMJ. Or search online for TMJ self-massage videos that provide a knowledgeable and effective guide for locating critical pressure points for manual massage and for achieving relief from discomfort caused by TMJ symptoms.

Most of us make time for our “musts”—brushing our teeth, feeding the children, getting groceries and otherwise doing what it takes to take care of the essentials. Consider adding detox therapies to your “must” list in order to flush toxins, reduce inflammation and feel your best. Visiting a local health spa that offers detox therapies provides the added bonus of relaxation and support; incorporating an at-home regimen can also help you achieve your wellness and lifestyle goals.
 
Known as the Detox Gurvi, Aaliya Bashir is the owner of Warrior Body Spa in Tucker and co-host of the podcast Health, Wealth & Womanhood. For more information, visit warriorspa.com or call 404-994-4498.



Mailing List

Subscribe To Our Newsletter!

* indicates required