beauty therapy Archives - Headache and Migraine News

beauty therapy

21 January 2010

1% Thursday: Flowers

This week: Buy yourself some flowers.

… and wait, men, don’t tune me out on this one. This is for you too.

There’s more than one reason why flowers can be therapeutic for someone prone to headaches or migraine attacks. For example, there’s the scent of flowers. Good old fashioned nice smelling 100% natural flowers, whether fresh cut or potted or growing outdoors. We’ve talked a lot about aromatherapy, and I believe you can get a lot of the same benefit from flowers.

Also, as we talked about in The Forgotten Therapy, natural beauty itself has an incredible power that is little appreciated. Sometimes we put beauty in the category of "things we don’t need". That’s a serious mistake – we all need beauty, maybe more than we need some of the pills we take.

This is actually a coincidence, but this post comes at an interesting time – when there’s some debate going on in the UK regarding whether or not to allow flowers in hospital wards. Some of the concerns may be valid (for example flowers in an emergency ward that are just getting in the way), but some seem to be based on bad "science" – the belief that flowers are depleting the room of oxygen, or adding dangerous gases or bacteria. And yet no one can seem to produce any evidence that flowers (or the water they’re in) pose any real risk to the patient.

I’d have to suggest that the real benefits far far outweigh any imagined problems.

But here are a couple tips to help you get the most out of the flowers you’re going to buy this week (you are going to do it, right?):

First, avoid "grocery store" flowers (including potted plants). I know they seem like a great deal, and they’re oh-so-convenient. But in my experience they don’t last nearly as long and don’t compare to the quality of those found in the market or flower shop.

Second, here’s what I do with fresh cut flowers. This will keep the water fresher, and the flowers will last longer. First, re-cut the flower stems at an angle under water. If your flowers came with special "food" from the florist, use that in the water as per instructions. Otherwise, try a vinegar/sugar mix – 3 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar per quart (about 1 litre) of water. I’ve found it makes a big difference.

Now go buy a bouquet of your favourites! (And please, don’t ban flowers from the hospital rooms!)

What is 1% Thursday?

Every Thursday at Headache and Migraine News (weather permitting) we’ll talk about one measurable, practical thing we can do to make our lives just 1% better. Usually it will be something very easy, sometimes it will be a challenge. Let us know if you try it, or share an idea of your own – and maybe a year from now we’ll see that things have really changed for the better!

29 December 2008

The Forgotten Therapy

James Tips 1

Many years ago I used to sell china. You know, dishes for your table. (What, have a problem with that?) The dishes came in many different beautiful patterns, from classic and traditional to the more modern styles.

Every once in a while someone would look at the dishes, and say something that might seem obvious,"Well, I don’t really need dishes…"

Really? You mean to say that you don’t eat off the table with your hands? 😉

But this comment got me thinking about some things. First of all, what do we really need? Well, not much. One set of clothing wouldn’t hurt. A shelter. Basic food – maybe some rice and water.

But then again, the experts tell us that we really need a lot more than that. What about love? Appreciation? A feeling that we’re contributing?

Thinking about the china I used to sell, and also looking around at this time of year, I got thinking about a therapy that’s really very powerful, but rarely talked about.

Beauty therapy.

Now wait a minute. Usually when you see that term, you’re thinking about spas and salons and facial masks and maybe plastic surgery. That’s not what I’m talking about.

I mean noticing the beauty around us, contributing to the beauty around us, and enjoying the beauty around us.

Now you’re thinking I’m just getting sentimental. But think about it. We have music therapy, aromatherapy, art therapy. And surely it’s more than just chemicals in the brain. Beauty really does have a profound impact on how we cope with pain.

Appreciating beauty leads to thankfulness. Creating beauty leads to a feeling that, in spite of whatever disability we may have, we still have something to give.

Some people know this intuitively. That’s why you see so much on the websites of migraineurs and headache sufferers about little things that bring a smile.

Beauty therapy may mean having someone clean your house. It may mean buying flowers for yourself, or someone else, on the way home from work. It might be that crayon drawing that your daughter drew for you.

Beauty therapy may mean buying that album you’ve been wanting, and listening to it over and over. It may mean that, even though you’re in bed and unable to get up or even read, you have new, silk sheets.

This might mean giving a card to someone else who is sick, or encouraging a friend at school.

It might mean doing your hair, even though you know you won’t be leaving the house. It might mean putting a new centrepiece on the table, when your family will see it but you’ll be stuck in the bedroom. Or you might be the only one who sees it.

What about a walk in the woods? Visiting a pet shop? Looking up at the clouds? What, don’t think you’re accomplishing much? Remember, this is your therapy.

Will this cure your headaches? Will you no longer suffer from migraine disease? No, those things involve biological issues that require medical attention. But beauty therapy will very likely bring about an improvement. You will be better able to cope. And you may be less susceptible to the things that cause attacks.

I’m not suggesting you overspend or overeat (which cause more problems in the long run!), but I am suggesting that the next time you think to yourself,"I don’t need that", give yourself this reminder – isn’t beauty a need too? Maybe there’s an easy way you can add just a little beauty to your day or someone else’s.

Don’t apologize to yourself or anyone for noticing, giving and enjoying beauty. Just say it’s part of your prescription. You’ll be surprised at the results.