 It is Festival time here in Murphysboro and after a year with out the rides, the food and the fun, it seems like it has been a long time coming! I never thought I would feel so grateful to able to ride a Farris wheel. Although it’s nice to count your blessings on Thanksgiving or after the throws of a pandemic, being thankful throughout the year could have tremendous benefits on your quality of life. In fact, gratitude may be one of the most overlooked tools that we all have access to every day. Cultivating gratitude doesn’t cost any money and it certainly doesn’t take much time, but the benefits are enormous. Research reveals gratitude can have these seven benefits: 1. Gratitude opens the door to more relationships. Not only does saying “thank you” constitute good manners, but showing appreciation can help you win new friends. A study found that thanking a new acquaintance makes them more likely to seek an ongoing relationship. So whether you thank a stranger for holding the door or you send a quick thank-you note to that co-worker who helped you with a project, acknowledging other people’s contributions can lead to new opportunities. 2. Gratitude improves physical health. Grateful people experience fewer aches and pains and they report feeling healthier than other people. Not surprisingly, grateful people are also more likely to take care of their health. They exercise more often and are more likely to attend regular check-ups with their doctors, which is likely to contribute to further longevity. 3. Gratitude improves psychological health. Gratitude reduces a multitude of toxic emotions, ranging from envy and resentment to frustration and regret. Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., a leading gratitude researcher, has conducted multiple studies on the link between gratitude and well-being. His research confirms that gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression. 4. Gratitude enhances empathy and reduces aggression. Grateful people are more likely to behave in a prosocial manner, even when others behave less kind. A study at University of Kentucky found participants who ranked higher on gratitude scales were less likely to retaliate against others, even when given negative feedback. They experienced more sensitivity and empathy toward other people and a decreased desire to seek revenge. 5. Grateful people sleep better. A 2011 study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being found that writing in a gratitude journal improves sleep. Spend just 15 minutes jotting down a few grateful sentiments before bed, and you may sleep better and longer. 6. Gratitude improves self-esteem. According to a 2014 study from the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology found that gratitude increased athlete’s self-esteem, which is an essential component to optimal performance. 7. Gratitude increases mental strength. For years, research has shown gratitude not only reduces stress, but it may also play a major role in overcoming trauma. A 2006 study for the Behavior Research and Therapy found that Vietnam War Veterans with higher levels of gratitude experienced lower rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Recognizing all you have to be thankful for – even during the worst times of your life – fosters resilience. We all have the ability and opportunity to cultivate gratitude. At Oasis it is apart of our daily work life through our Thank You Cards.
Simply take a few moments to focus on all that you have – rather than complain about all the things you think you deserve. Developing an “attitude of gratitude” is one of the simplest ways to improve your satisfaction with life. We are grateful for you and your support of our little skin spa.  Thousands of years ago, ancient Eastern healers mapped areas of the skin on our faces and body to activities of our internal organs. They figured out that our skin would often tell the story outwardly of some problem the internal organs were telling inwardly. Let’s take a look at how we see this type of bodily communication happening with the addition of science behind the observations.
Digestive System Communication Your digestive system includes everything from your salivary glands in your mouth all the way to the large intestine. In between, there are things like a liver, spleen, stomach, and gall bladder. If there is a slow down in the assembly line process that takes food in, extracts nutrients, and expels waste products, it is very likely to appear as skin condition. Constipated digestive systems often wreak havoc on the body, robbing it of energy and health. Internally we might feel pain or bloating in the stomach region. But externally this may show up as eczema near the top of your forehead. If the problem is a long-term chronic issue, then you might find lines or wrinkles in the same area. If your liver has been under duress, you may find blackheads or puffiness in the area between your eyebrows.  When we are doing a reset or simply striving for something new; be kind and patient with yourself.
There are a lot of obstacles to trip you up, but don't worry, we've go our back. In an effort to help you stay balanced in the new year, we have a couple of scientifically proven tips to help keep your resolutions on track:
 Our bodies are just one big Goldilocks zone. In order to live our wonderful machine is required to make thousands of calibrations each day to keep us alive and thriving. Even our skin has a daily fight of keeping us from being too far on either the acidic side or the alkaline side. This is known as the pH balance. In chemistry, pH is a scale used to specify the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Since our skin is made up of at least 60% water, this qualifies as an aqueous solution. Our bodies and skin are super sensitive to pH levels and have quite complex mechanisms in place to maintain an acidic pH for the skin while keeping an alkaline pH for the body.
This balance is part of what is called homeostasis. Your body naturally makes this happen as long as there are no underlying conditions stopping it and you provide it with all of the tools it requires to get the job done. Our very survival depends on proper maintenance of homeostasis so it just makes a lot of sense to ensure that your body has all of the resources it needs to do its job properly. If you fail to do this consistently enough you begin to seriously impair organ systems, enzyme activity, kidney function, digestion, hormonal balance, immune system function, and skin barrier and hydration. Creating Good pH Balance So just to be clear, water naturally has a pH of 7.0. If we find water with a pH of 5.5 we would call this acidic water. If we found it with pH of 8.5 we would say this has alkalinity.  Everyone knows that we should eat more vegetables. I'm sure you can hear your mom’s voice in your head right now saying “eat your broccoli!” or “No dessert until those veggies are gone!”. Mom and Dad were right about ingesting more veggies and you are probably guilty of using those same Mom-isms on your kids. But we’re here at Oasis Skin Care Clinic to remind you that you can “Wear Your Veggies” on your skin too! Ask us if this natural treatment can complement your current home skin-care routine.
Cucumber Eyes… We’ve all seen those TV shows and photos of some wealthy woman wearing cucumbers on her eyes, usually accompanied by a mask of light-green Noxema relaxing in a posh spa. You might not believe it but the lowly cucumber is a pretty powerful skin friend. People have found that cucumber extract has high levels of antioxidants, is good for acne, strengthens the skin barrier, and all-in-all promotes significantly healthier skin. Who’d a thunk it? Those rich folks were on to something! You could start with cucumber water and use it for eye or face compresses. Here’s how it could be done:
Be sure to make this fresh daily. Don’t re-use it. If you run the above ingredients through a juicer, you could add it to other face treatments such as dry exfoliating or clay-based treatments. (Be sure to make fresh batches when needed!) |
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Contact Information
Oasis Skin & Wellness Clinic Inc. 707 Walnut St Murphysboro, IL 62966 info@oasisskincareclinic.net Call or Text (618) 207 - 4404 |
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