Bella Blog

Absolutely Natural Sunscreen

I realize it is the middle of winter and many of us aren't thinking about sunscreen...  However, I was fortunate enough to go to Maui and Oahu last week and was faced with the dilemma of which natural sunscreen to use to protect my Seattle skin.  I had carried with me Burt's Bees Chemical Free Sunscreen. Although I was thoroughly impressed with the ingredients, I was disappointed by it's texture and application.  It was hard to apply and flaked off my skin.  Frustrated, I almost succumbed to using my boyfriend's Banana Boat, but luckily I ran into a stand that carried Absolutely Natural Sunscreen.  I was amazed at the natural formulation and its creamy, spreadable texture.  Check out the website at: www.absolutley-natural.com. 

When looking for natural sunscreens, choose ones with titanium oxide or zinc oxide as the active ingredients.  These reflect the sun offering both UVA and UVB protection instead of chemical sunscreens that absorb into the skin and can generate free radicals.  Also, look for nourishing sun protective oils like Rosehip seed oil and antioxidants such as vitamin E.  And always remember to choose natural products that are free of parabens, petroleum derived ingredients, phthalates, and other synthetic ingredients.

Balneology Tour Photos

I apologize for the delay, but my balenology tour photos are finally posted through my twitter account.  Click on the link to the right to view the entire album.  The photos are in chronological order for the most part...Germany: Bad Sulza, day trips to Weimar, Ehrfurt, Czech Republic: Karlovy Vary, day trips to Marienbad, Franzenbad, and ending the trip in Prague.  Enjoy!

Děkuji (Thank You!)

I'm sitting in my hotel drinking coffee before my morning flight back to the U.S.  I fly through Atlanta and get home tonight in Seattle.  I feel this experience has exposed me to many ideas and people that I will take with me for my career.

We have done a whirlwind tour of Prague, but it was a great survey of the city!  We enjoyed a summer sunny day yesterday during our walking tour.  The walking tour was a 3 hour guided tour FREE.  The tour guides rely on solely tips for payment.  We listened to stories of over 1500 years history of this breathtaking city.  The Czech people are resilient!  I enjoyed strolling through Old and New Town Square, walking over the Charles Bridge, admiring the architecture of the varied buildings, shopping, and of course the Pilsner.  I'll have to visit the castle during my next visit. 

On our first night, we saw Swan Lake at the State Opera house.  The theater was spectacular and the ballet was delightful, bringing me back to many memories of seeing the ballet with my Grandma in New York.

I plan on uploading my pictures when I return.  Děkuji for reading my blog, I hope you enjoyed it! 

Stay tuned for more info about organic skin care and my naturopathic perspective during my last year at Bastyr!

Off to Prague

We are in the last leg of our trip as we leave for a 2 hour bus ride to Prague after breakfast.  We have enjoyed the unseasonably warm and sunny weather during our stay here as well as the graciousness of our hosts. 

On Sunday, Milada and Peter lectured us on topics of Chronobiology and their research on the autonomic nervous system.  It was interesting to hear Milada's perspective on how she treats clients.  She stresses the importance of routine, diet, exercise, spa treatments and gives most of the credit to restoring optimal physiology to the drinking water.  3 weeks of drinking the water 3 times a day is the ideal for long lasting results.  Peter has a diagnostic machine that measures heart rate and breathing to assess the balance of a patient's sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system.  If a patient is chronically in sympathetic mode and unable to relax into parasympathetic, they are physiologically older than their chronological age.  The main goal of naturopathic medicine and spa therapies is to give the body a chance to repair, recover, and to attain inner peace by relaxing into a parasympathetic state.  So bottom line, remember to breath, take time for yourself, and incorporate relaxation into your daily routine.

After lunch, we experienced 2 treatments at the Harfa Medical Spa.  One was gas injections or CO2 acupuncture.  The therapist injected CO2 into certain points on our backs with an acupuncture needle.  Certain points were more tender than others.  This treatment is great for pain, peripheral neuropathy, etc.  The other treatment was the dry CO2 bath.  We hopped in plastic bags that were filled with CO2.  This has a vasodilatory effect, that is good for the cardiovascular system.

In the afternoon, we toured the Becherovka Warehouse.  This is the medicinal liqueur I had mentioned before.  I bought a few bottles to enjoy after dinner parties for a nice digestive.

On Monday, we enjoyed the sunny weather and had some free time to shop.  In the afternoon, we attended the Thermae Europae conference in the Grandhotel Pupp.  The conference hall was beautiful, it's truly a palace.  Unfortunately, we caught mainly the introduction of the conference and were not able to hear the results of their research.  The organization was formed to preserve European spa culture and promote tourism to spa towns.  Towns that participated were Karlovy Vary, Baden Baden,Germany; Aqui, Italy; Varberg, Sweden; Piestany, Slovakia; Velingrad, Bulgaria; Salsomaggiore, Italy; Bagni di Lucca, Italy. 

I'm excited to sight see in Prague.  We see the ballet Swan Lake this evening.  My flight is Thursday morning, so my trip is quickly coming to an end...

Spa Hopping

We have had spa filled days since my last post.  On Friday, we were met by Peter, who works at the Harfa Medical Spa at the Grandhotel Pupp (remember James Bond anyone?).  Peter is in charge of the fitness aspect of the clients' stay.  He walked us through the forest trails having us focus on our posture and breathing.  We went to a Japanese garden, where we stood barefoot on the rocks, great for all of our reflexology points, but a little tender especially after having my feet scrubbed in Germany.  He lead us through breathing exercises and a combination of yoga, tai chi.  He stresses the importance of being in nature and retraining the Autonomic Nervous System to relax. 

After our lunch, we were whisked into the Hotel Prezident's spa and each received a 2 spa treatments.  I received a lymphatic drainage and reflex massage.  For the lymphatic drainage, I was placed from the waist down in what looked like inflatable ski pants with feet.  This suit was connected to a machine that pumped air into my suit, squeezing me from the feet segmentally all the way to my abdomen, then it would release and start over again.  Our lymphatic system does not have valves, so it needs movement, massage, and so forth to move properly.  This treatment was a first for me, and I could see it being beneficial for many patients in our clinic.  Next, I was asked where I'd like to receive a reflex massage...I chose my tense upper back.  It was much different than a Swedish, the women found all my trigger points and applied pressure releasing the tension.  She asked me what my job was since I was so tense! 

After our treatments, we listed to Dr. Milada Sarova explain the benefits of the mineral waters.  Spa culture has changed with the rise in obesity and "laziness."  The socialist government used to provide 3 weeks of spa for all citizens.  People are too busy in their lives these days and seek faster results with less work.  The springs here are great for the GI and cardiovascular system.  She prescribed us mineral spring numbers 6, 1 at 50 degrees Celsius, and 11, 45 minutes before  each meal.  She is almost 60 and working 7 days a week.  Czech spa doctors are not paid highly, and they need to speak 5 languages to work effectively. 

The next day, Peter took us on a day trip to see two spa towns in the Spa Triangle, which is comprised of Karlovy Vary, Marionsbad, and Franzenbad.  Each town is known for the composition of their springs, and people travel to them depending on their health concerns.    Marionsbad's water is especially great for the kidneys and bladder, while Franzenbad is known to help women with infertility as well as the GI tract.  It was a gorgeous sunny day, I felt that we were dropped into a painting.  In Marionsbad, we stumbled upon a parade where local children where dressed in the regional costume and were singing and dancing.  We tasted the mineral waters and walked through the beautiful parks.  Next, we traveled to Franzenbad a short bus ride away.  We tasted more water, and our palettes were able to note the different content of CO2 each spring had.  I liked the high CO2 content, while the more sulfur springs tasted like eggs. 

We stopped at a nature reserve on our way back, where we saw the mud fields.  There was a stand selling peat mud products, I was surprised that the ingredients had some things I don't recommend.  I have to further investigate the EU's regulations on product ingredients since I noticed in both Germany and Czech Republic that many products have parabens, etc.

We headed back to Karlovy Vary and saw the opera, La Bohema.  It was an experience listening to an Italian opera with Czech subtitles not understanding a word:)

This morning I ran in the forest trails, I have enjoyed the amazing views.  Yesterday, I climbed to the top of a mini castle and looked down on the city.  We are meeting with Peter and MIlada today to learn more spa medicine.

I'm still working on my pictures...

The Magic of Karlovy Vary

I awoke today in the Bohemian Czech Spa town of Karlovy Vary.  Yesterday, we were picked up at Bad Sulza by our driver, Eddie, and headed East on a nauseating bus ride to the Czech Republic.  Upon arriving in Karlovy Vary, I was instantly taken away by the beautiful architecture of the buildings lining the Tepla River.  We were dropped off at the Hotel Prezidente, a boutique spa and wellness hotel.  Our trip leader studied with an international expert of balneotherapy, whose son, Jaroslav, owns our hotel.  We were all torn between listening to his welcome and studying the perfect symmetrical features of his handsome face...there is definitely something in the water here:)  We got situated in our hotel, it's a four star hotel with a modern design that is quite luxurious.  Jaroslav took us on a walking tour of this historical city.

The city was founded in the 1300's when King Charles discovered the therapeutic benefits of the water in this city.  There is an underwater spring that pours out of 13 different mineral springs in the city.  Most of these hotels are called Kur hotels, travelers come here to drink the waters.  A physician prescribes the timing and content of the water that is most beneficial for your health.  The 13 different springs differ in mineral content and temperature.  You drink the water out of a special mug that pulls water from the bottom of the glass so you are able to drink the C02 content.  It's taken the people hundreds of years to fine tune the right combination of waters for maximum health.  The right combination involves drinking the water three times per day on an empty stomach and moving after you drink it so it can properly "wash" your targeted organ.

We had a lovely meal that ended with a digestive liqueur called Becherovka.  Apparently, only two people in the world the original formula of this famous drink.  They each know half of it and are not allowed to be in the same area at one time.  It was quite a digestive as it warmed my entire body.

I slept well last night, and ran through the city this morning.  I was taken away by the breathtaking views as well as the local people and visitors walking to the mineral springs for their morning kur (Needless to say there is no Starbucks here).  Today, we are doing yoga in the park and meeting with Milada, the famous spa doctor.  Later this evening, we are going to an opera.

I will upload pictures later tonight...

One more day in Bad Sulza...

Our time is almost coming to end in Bad Sulza.  We leave tomorrow for a 2.5 hour bus ride to Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic...I can´t wait to experience the mud!

On Monday, I experienced a body scrub in the spa.  My body was scrubbed with Dead Sea Salt and then massaged with a mineral lotion.  My skin felt so smooth afterward that I didn´t mind the discomfort of the rough salt.  The rest of the afternoon, I enjoyed relaxing since we did not have anything scheduled.  That evening we experienced a special aqua meditation in the liquid sound pool.  Floating in the pool listening to meditative music is quite an experience for the senses.

The next day, the rain continued to come down during our visit to Weimar again.  We went to the Sophien-und Hufelandklinikum.  We toured this hospital and were interested in the incorporation of Ayurvedic treatments in a Western hospital setting.  A key difference was their maternity ward.  Midwives are very common in Europe as they coordinate the labor of all patinets during pregnancy.  Doctors are only called in when there is an emergency.  The pregnancy suites were colorful, had music, and even water tubs.  Water tubs are more commonly used in the US during home births and help ease the pain of natural childbirth.  Midwives also use homeopathics and herbs in this hospital setting. 

We then took a train to the town of Erfurt.  Here, we stopped in a University that specializes in an undergraduate program in sustainable energy to learn about the industry of green spa.  We barely made the train on our way back as we manuevered through the crowds listening to candidates for the upcoming election.  We ended the evening with a traditional German meal at a local pension where our trip leader had spent time at during her first visit in Bad Sulza.  We enjoyed the tradional potato dumplings and drinking more German beer:)

Today has been wonderful.  We were lectured by a spa consultant who walked us through spa planning and design.  We saw examples of the consultant´s work, and my mind definitely filled with ideas of my dream spa.  I had a facial today at the spa, I always enjoy experiencing treaments from other practitioners to pick up new techniques.  We have our final dinner tonight before our morning departure.

More later from the Czech Republic! 

Underwater...from massages to walking tours.

Our schedule has been packed since I last posted.  On Saturday, we spent all day learning hydrotherapy treatments in their school of Physiotherapy.  Treatments included mud packs, wraps, carbon dioxide baths, and underwater massage.  The doctor who is leading our group is hoping to bring some of these therapies back to the Bastyr clinic.  Carbon dioxide baths are great for lowering blood pressure through their vasodilatory effect, wouldn´t that be a great first line intervention for lowering blood pressure?

We enjoyed the Therme more Saturday evening, we are getting used to the lack of modesty in this country.  In the sauna, the attendant had a ceremony where he poured mint water over the rocks and preceded to whip the hot air around us.  The sauna is set at 90 degrees Celsius, this makes dumping and plunging myself in cold water rather easy.  We missed the other sauna ceremony where they served wine in their wine cellar sauna, a tribute the wineries in this region.

On Sunday, our day began learning on how to give as well as experience Aqua Wellness treatments.  This a type of water massage that is performed in the Liquid Sound pool.  Music is infused underwater, while the practitioner gently moves the person rhythmically through the water.  Words fall short of describing this experience.  It was truly amazing floating through the water completely immersed in the music.

We were guided by the couple who created Aqua Wellness and Liquid Sound to the town of Auerstedt on a 3 km walk.  This lovely stroll quickly turned when the weather decided to down pour.  We brought the Seattle weather to us.  Despite this, we enjoyed learning about the town and eating a traditional German meal and enjoying German beer. 

We then went on a walking tour of Weimar, the cultural center of Germany, in the rain.  This town is noted for Goethe and Schiller´s contribution to literature and theater, as well as home of the Bauhaus architectural movement.  We ended the evening with another lovely meal and a train ride back to Bad Sulza. 

Today, we learned more from the clinic doctors on how they treat sleep distrubances, respiratory conditions, and orthopedic rehabilitation.  We have the afternoon to enjoy spa treatments.  I have a body peel and scrub today and then facial on Wednesday, I figure I can pick up a few tips:) 

I am enjoying early morning runs in the countryside, eating lots of protein, and loving the salt water.  More to come!

Bathing in Bad Sulza

Wow!  I have just started my third day in Bad Sulza, and it feels as though I have experienced a weeks worth of events already.  I wish I had more time to write these posts, but will do my best to give an overview of my experience. 

Upon arriving at Toskana Therme, I wasn´t sure what I was in for...my perspective quickly changed when the we were given a private tour of the facilities by the owner and general manager (pictures to come).  This facility is unique in Germany in that it has a rehabilitation klinik, hotel, spa and wellness park, and therme-natural salt baths and saunas.  The klinik focuses on respiratory conditions, chronic skin conditions, and joint diseases.  Although the care is somewhat conventional, they incorporate the healing salt water in their treatments.  There is an underground salt water ocean where they pump the water from.  We went to the graduation house, where they pump the water and have a salt room for inhalation.  We walked in white cloaks in a salt filled room letting the air soothe our sinuses an lungs.  We have already eperienced a rotation from a dermatologist who sees a lot o psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.  These are very common conditions.  Although they use drugs in their treatment, they look beyond the skin for associated disease and use water and light therapy for treatments.

We have been enjoying access to the salt baths and sauna area.  It is sauna etiquette to just bring your towel, this has been an adjustment for the American students...especially since the facility is coed!  The Germans don´t seem to mind...and think it is more peculiar if someone is in a bathing suit. 

Last night we enjoyed a gourmet German dinner and wine tasting in their sister hotel that is more of an inn.  We were waited on by the local wine princess who just received her crown at their annual wine festival. 

Today is full of another rotation in the klinik, learning about their ayurvedic department, and enjoying the baths...my skin is feeling amazing!

Made it to Bad Sulza

After flying through Amsterdam and making it to Prague, we hopped into a Euro van with a driver named Eddie, to wind our way through the rolling countryside to the sleepy town of Bad Sulza, Germany.  I let the green rolling hills and warm sun wash over me as I drifted in and out of sleep while my body adjusted to the 9 hour time difference. We are staying at Toskanaworld a destination of sorts for those seeking refuge in the numerous mineral pools, spa therapies, or medical care. 

There is no wireless here, so I have found the computer I can use for €2.50 for 30minutes (I remember being in Europe in 2001 when the € was .80 to the $).  The keyboard is more equipped to write German than English.  I will do my best to keep you updated about my time in Bad Sulza, pictures will hopefully be uploaded by the time we are in Prague.  I am off to breakfast and then today is full of getting acquainted with our facilities, doing a breath workshop, and getting an intro to liquid sound.