Newsletter & Specials

May Special

Rose and Chamomile aromatherapy foot bath while receiving a 20 minute head, neck, and shoulder massage. Follow this with an hour Swedish Massage. 110

Add a refreshing daydream facial for 150.

The world around us is blossoming with new life! What a perfect time to honor where we came from and appreciate the essence of motherhood. Give the mother in your life the gift of rejuvenation and relaxation with a gift certificate to The Dragontree! We recommend the Shakti package or our May special.

Better yet come in with your mother, with the mother of your children, or as a mother needing some time to herself to enjoy some of our luxurious treatments on Mothers day weekend.

Mothers Day weekend specials (available May 12th - 15th):

A treat for two - Share an experience of a warm honey foot bath, 20 minute head, neck, and shoulder massage, and a 30 minute foot massage. 150 for 2 people.

The Importance of Water

by Peter Borten LAc, The Dragontree's Acupuncturist

While we’ve all heard the recommendation to drink eight to twelve glasses of water a day, many of us think of it as a vague goal that we’re not especially compelled to go for. As a clinician, though, I’ve had the opportunity to ask over a thousand people how much water they drink, and I have noticed a strong correlation between low water consumption and certain kinds of health problems. The most common of these are muscle and joint disorders, fatigue, headaches, skin problems, constipation and other digestive issues, and sinus problems. Some known symptoms of more serious dehydration include visual "snow," dizziness, lightheadedness, rapid heart rate, nausea, low appetite, dry and cracked lips, dark urine, and low blood pressure. Alerting my clients of water’s role in these conditions is important to me because it addresses the cause and it’s free and easy to drink more water.

The key factors in optimal water consumption are: total daily amount, the amount drunk at any one time, the temperature of the water, and current bodily and environmental conditions. A general rule for total daily intake is half the number of pounds you weigh as ounces of water daily. (For instance, a 100 pound person would drink 50 ounces of water a day.) Drink more if you’re sweating heavily. However, body weight alone does not dictate a person’s need for water or their ability to assimilate it. Water that is too cold, drunk too fast, or too much at a time can be disruptive to the body. The amount drunk at any one time shouldn’t exceed what the body can readily absorb. Ideally, this is a few ounces or less at a time, consumed at frequent intervals. If you drink an average of three ounces of water every half-hour, over a sixteen hour day, this would amount to 96 ounces – enough for a 192 pound person.

Water should ideally be drunk at room temperature. Over time, you can train your waiters and waitresses to bring you water without ice when you visit their restaurants. Cold water causes the digestive tract to contract – just as our skin contracts into goodbumps when it’s cold. This interferes with our ability to digest, and over time, may lead to depletion of digestive function and other problems. This is especially true when the weather is cold. Shortly after meeting the woman who would later become my wife, I heard her complaining of chronic stomach pain. I mentioned that she might try avoiding cold water. We were both astonished when her years of pain disappeared as soon as she began drinking room temperature water instead.

Feeling bloated, nauseated, achy, or "sloshy" in the stomach after drinking water is usually a sign that it was too much, too fast, or too cold. Remember not to use water to "wash down" food that hasn’t been thoroughly chewed (chew the food thoroughly instead). In fact, water should be consumed only in small amounts while eating, because it may dilute the stomach acid, making it too weak to properly break down your food. Stick to pure water when available – it’s wetter than other drinks. While it’s okay to add a little lemon to your water and still have it "count," gatorade, juices, and tea should not be counted toward your daily water intake. Fizzy water is also okay in moderation, but it should not comprise the majority of the water you consume.

Though the health problems mentioned in the first paragraph may not necessarily be caused by dehydration, if you are bothered by any of them it’s worth looking at your water consumption. In muscle and joint disorders, water is a key factor because of its vital role as a lubricant. It keeps muscles flexible and elastic. Joints move smoothly through (among other things) the presence of synovial fluid – a (water-based) liquid that fills the joint capsule. And the spinal discs – dense sponges between our vertebrae which lend shock absorption and cushion to this body column – do their job only when they’re moist and spongy.

Water’s relationship to our energy is fairly straightforward: water is the foundation of all fluidity, transportation, and connections within the body. It’s the matrix of all chemical reactions and the conductor of nerve impulses. The distribution of vitamins, minerals, oxygen, and other vital substances is carried out entirely via "liquid pathways." All these mechanisms work best at when we’re well hydrated and decline as we dry out. Moreover, it is said that mental function declines at just 1% below optimal hydration, so drinking enough water is especially important while studying or doing other mentally-intensive work.

For constipation, adequate water is the most basic variable to consider. With insufficient water, the stool becomes hard and dry and moves slowly. Always make sure you’re getting enough water before doing any other treatment for it. In sinus problems and colds, adequate fluids are a must because our hydration level affects the thickness of our phlegm. Also, infective processes tend to dry us out (especially if accompanied by fever). Water helps thin tenacious mucus so it can be broken down and expelled.

Headaches are frequently a sign of dehydration. The first thing to ask yourself if you have a headache is, "Am I drinking enough water?" Even headaches not directly due to dehydration are often a symptom of tight muscles of the neck and upper back, which may be tight as a result of dehydration.

Our skin is the largest detoxifying organ of the body, and it depends on water to carry debris out and stay supple. Many skin conditions, such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis, improve when water consumption is increased. Dryness and aging of the skin are also benefitted by having enough water.

One way to get a sense of your hydration level is to take a look at your urine. The urine of a well-hydrated person should be about the color of straw or lighter (except after taking vitamins, which may cause a temporary "day-glow" color). It may be occasionally darker after treatments such as massage and acupuncture which tend to facilitate detoxification. So be sure to have some water after your treatments to help support the healing process.

Cheers!

We look forward to seeing you soon!