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1. Botox – You may have heard the expression “wearing your emotions on your sleeve,” but in reality you wear them on your face. Say goodbye to the evidence of age and watch your frownlines diminish and disappear with this simple and quick procedure. Results vary and usually last up to four months. Appointment time: about 30 minutes.
2. Photofacial – This non-ablative, non-invasive treatment can be performed on the face, chest, neck, arms, legs and back and is highly recommended for acne, rosacea, and skin rejuvenation. Utilizing Intense Pulsed Light, a specific wave length targets and destroys unwanted blood vessels and pigmented discolorations without harming skin and stimulates fibroblasts to produce collagen that replenishes what time and sun damage has taken away. Appointment time: about 30 minutes.
3. Microdermabrasion Facial – Suitable for most skin types, this non-surgical mechanical exfoliation removes the outer layer of dead, dry skin. Regular treatments stimulate cell regeneration and improve the appearance of brown spots, shallow acne scars, sun damage, enlarged pores, and fine lines. Appointment time: about 45 minutes.
4. Session in the Sauna – The infrared sauna has completely transformed the meaning of the word “sauna”. Our no-steam sauna offers 7 times the effectiveness of a traditional sauna because of its ability to penetrate human tissue. Weight loss isn’t the only advantage of a sauna. A sauna helps rejuvenate and heal the body as you simply relax. Additional benefits include: detoxification, pain relief, improved circulation, lowered blood pressure, wound healing, skin purification, immunity, cell health, muscle recovery, weight loss and more! Appointment time: between 15-45 minutes.
5. IPL hair removal – Hair removal with intense pulsed light is fast and very effective in eliminating large areas of unwanted hair. Light is absorbed by the pigment in the hair and converted to heat in the follicle. The heat damages the follicle and disables it from growing new hair. Excellent for areas such as the lip, under arms, or even the bikini area. IPL works best on darker hair, and is recommended in a series of four to six treatments. Consultation required. Appointment time: about 30 minutes.
6. 30 Minute Swedish Relaxation Massage - This is a soothing massage that relaxes and calms the body, improves circulation, and eases muscle aches, tension, and stress. Appointment time: about 30 minutes.
7. Cellulite Reduction with Smooth Shapes – This pain-free treatment uses dynamic laser and light energy with the ultimate result of tighter and smoother skin. Collagen is regenerated, circulation is improved and metabolic processes are restored. This treatment is recommended in a series of eight treatments. Consultation required. Appointment time: about 45 minutes (1 area).
8. Paraffin Hand and Foot Therapy – Experience this warm and relaxing therapy for hands or feet. Healing heat penetrates deeply and promotes relaxation. This therapy is ideal for achy muscles, arthritic joints, and rough, dry skin. Appointment time: about 20 minutes.
9. Eyebrow shaping – At Seasons, we use waxing and tweezing as a method of semi-permanent hair removal. Our brow experts will de-fuzz those bushy brows and leave you with beautifully sculpted eyebrows. Appointment time: about 30 minutes.
10. Ion Foot Bath – This safe, effective, and natural foot bath rids your body of impurities and toxins. The ion spa uses water as a conductive medium to detoxify and cleanse your body. Benefits include heavy metal removal, increased energy, pain relief, improved oxygen delivery, and much more. Appointment time: about 45 minutes.
Can’t get enough of our spa services and products? Become a Spa Member at Seasons – The Spa and enjoy our services all year long! For more information about the Spa Membership Program, visit our website or contact the Spa Concierge at 318.255.1155.
Q&A with Massage Therapist Bethany Cox, LMT, CFR
Bethany Cox, LMT & Certified Facial Reflexologist
Where did you receive your massage therapy training?
I received my massage therapy training at Natural Health Institute at the downtown Nashville location. It was such a rewarding experience, and my instructors were so supportive and encouraging. We were taught massage as more of an art than simply a technique.
What are the benefits of massage/bodywork? And how often should I get a massage?
Health benefits range from helping lower blood pressure and easing muscle tension to simply relaxing the mind and body. Muscle manipulation within a massage loosens sore, over-worked and tight muscles that can cause nerve impingements. It also helps move toxins such as cellular debris out of the muscle as well as moving important nutrients into the muscles and throughout the body. Sometimes the best medicine is a nice, relaxing Swedish Massage to unwind from a busy day!
What should I expect from my first massage visit? And do I have to be completely undressed during the massage?
Upon arriving at Seasons, you will be welcomed by our spa concierge and invited to lounge in our wonderful waiting area. I bring clients back to the massage area where I explain a little about the massage. I always want my clients to feel safe, relaxed and comfortable during their session and encourage my clients to disrobe to their comfort.
How early should I arrive for my massage therapy session?
I prefer for my clients to arrive between 10 and 15 minutes early for their session. Our lobby is very soothing and tranquil, which creates a wonderful pre-massage experience. It helps calm the spirit and any anxiety about a massage session.
What type of massage oils do you use and do they have any therapeutic benefits?
I use Young Living essential oils and lotions. These essential oils are 100% pure and have many therapeutic benefits. The essential oils help calm and soothe muscle tension with blends of peppermint, coconut oil, lemongrass, oregano and sweet almond oil. I have had advanced training in Young Living essential oils and techniques using the oils and would be happy to answer any questions you may have at your appointment.
Massage has to hurt to do any good, right?
Even a deep tissue massage should never be uncomfortable to the point of pain. There is a difference between “productive pain” and “ouch” pain. At the start of a deep tissue massage, lighter pressure is applied in order to warm-up the muscles. When those muscles are warm, they are easier to manipulate, and therefore, do not hurt when deeper pressure is applied.
Bethany Cox, LMT and client during a Hot Stone Massage at Seasons - The Spa.
How much does a session of massage therapy usually cost?
Our massage sessions range from 30 minutes to 90 minutes and the cost starts at $35. For a full list of massages and prices, please visit our Spa Menu page.
Can I talk during a massage? Is it appropriate to ask my therapist not to talk?
Conversation is common during a massage session, but that is not everyone’s preference. This is a time for relaxation and I respect the client’s time for a peaceful session. Clients are especially encouraged to verbalize if the pressure is uncomfortable.
There are so many types of massage, how will I choose the massage that is right for me?
Specific massage modality is decided by the client. If you have specific muscle pain, a nerve impingement, or are simply achy, then deep tissue would be a great massage! Remember, pressure should never be more than you can handle. Hot Stone massage is also beneficial for achy muscles. Instead of penetrating the muscle through pressure, heat from the stones penetrate in a more relaxing session. Swedish massage is a wonderful massage for relaxing and lowering blood pressure and high stress levels. The newest massage on our spa menu is the Raindrop massage. The Raindrop technique is wonderful for detoxing the body as well as easing back pain and specific tension around the spinal area. No matter what massage you choose, remember to drink plenty of water afterwards to rehydrate the body and flush out toxins from the muscles!
To experience any of our relaxing and therapeutic massages, please contact the Spa Concierge at Seasons – The Spa. 318.255.1155.
It’s Not Depression…It’s Stress!
Dr. Nathan Goodyear
I am amazed at the number of clients that I see who are prescribed anti-depressants these days. I have only been in practice for 6 years, but I have seen these drugs used excessively to treat everything from PMS to stress.
The major problem with these medications is there are no long-term studies on the impact these drugs have on the body. Don’t forget that these medications have side effect profiles that rival the novel “War and Peace.
Aside from the litany of side effects, anti-depressants typically don’t treat the actual problem. And what I’m finding is that it’s not depression…it’s stress.
Sure, there are people out there that undeniably suffer from depression. But most are struggling with overwhelming stress. It is well accepted that 90% of doctor visits today are due to stress or some stress-related condition.
Let’s look at physiology to see how stress affects the body.
Our stress response is a protective mechanism. It is our body’s way to help us run from that tiger or turn and fight that tiger. It is our fight or flight response. Therein lies part of the problem.
We aren’t running from any tigers, at least not on this continent. But our stress level is constant and higher than ever…bills, economy, family. From the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep, we are under stress. The body doesn’t know the differences between types of stress — whether tiger chase or financial pressure — it just responds to the stress.
We cannot discount the impact of stress on the body. The stress response comes from our adrenal glands. Epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol, and DHEA are the main components of the stress response. Under intense stress, our body releases norepinephrine and epinephrine. These neurotransmitters stimulate cortisol and DHEA release from the adrenal glands. This results in dilated pupils, fast heart rate, edginess…all physical manifestations of the fight or flight response.
It doesn’t stop there. That same long-term elevated cortisol will cause a depletion of the stimulators norepinephrine and an inverse drop in the serotonin levels. And THAT is the cause of depression.
The extended exposure to stress is the problem. And the band-aid solution of treating with anti-depressants is not a good solution.
The alternative? As a metabolic specialist, my approach is to support the the body’s stress response with a customized prescription of vitamins, minerals, bioidentical hormones, amino acids first. Then, we develop a healthy living plan that will help reduce stress and restore the body to normal function so that it is no longer non-functional from extended periods of stress overload.
While exercise and proper nutrition go a long way, the long-term affects of a stress-filled life require customized medical care to reverse their effects. And that’s what we do here at Seasons Wellness Clinic – customized wellness.
Cheers to the pursuit of wellness!
Related articles
- Cortisol and Stress: How Cortisol Affects Your Body, and How To Stay Healthy in the Face of Stress (stress.about.com)
- Stress (room4truth.com)
- Describing the Function of Adrenal Glands: A Study Guide (brighthub.com)
Confession #15: A Gift For You, A Gift For Me
- Image by noboundariesorg via Flickr
You know, the hardest part about Christmas shopping is focus. Five little letters. F – O – C – U – S.
Why are five little letters so difficult?
5. It’s the sights. I find myself with a headache at the end of a day of Christmas shopping. Never fails. I’m so busy looking at things and reading signs my eyes hurt. I’m trying so hard to find the good deal, the perfect gift, something they’ll love and wouldn’t buy for themselves. By the end of a 5-hour spree on a Saturday afternoon, I’m at maximum exhaustion.
4. It’s the sounds. I find myself overwhelmed with the noise of indoor shopping. Fourteen years of living in sunny Phoenix spoiled me to beautiful outdoor malls, brisk air, and no roar of the mall in my ears. But alas, in lovely Louisiana, the reality of outdoor shopping is difficult with all of our rainy days. And my ears pay the price of hydration. I love being home. I love a rainy day. But I am not a fan of a noisy mall at Christmas!
3. It’s the smells. You know, shoppers beware. At Christmas time, stores know how to get us…they cook and offer samples. Or they light the Christmas candles…all of them. You are surrounded by clouds of pine, cinnamon, and fudge. If you weren’t hungry when you started shopping, you are now! Stomach growls. Churns. Grumbles. You are going to have to feed it sooner or later.
2. It’s the list. Agony. The list. I definitely do better when shopping with the list. I carefully list possible options for each person on my list. But the problem with that scenario is that you are faced with choices under pressure. You could get little Heather some American Girl furniture and clothes to go with her doll. But what if she’d rather have a hula-hoop. Both are on my list. But how will I decide with the pressure of a pressing crowd around me?
1. But the number one difficulty in maintaining focus during Christmas shopping. It’s me! For every one gift I see for a person on my list (that I can no longer see because my eyes are crossed, my nose is burning, and my ears are plugged), I find 10 things that I’d like to buy for myself. Ugh. Isn’t that just the worst part of human nature? I don’t want to think about shopping for myself. But I just can’t help it. That adorable jacket would be so cute for the staff Christmas party. Oh, those earrings would look divine with the jacket. And the shoes…I haven’t bought shoes for myself in…well, I can’t remember. And even better, IT’S ALL ON SALE.
It is absolutely maddening to me. My goal every year is to complete my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving. That way I avoid the hustle and bustle and I save my eyes, ears, and nose from jumping off my face during a 5-hour mall adventure. But most importantly, it keeps me away from the great deals and temptation to come home with extra bags full of goodies for myself.
While I have great hopes of being done early, the truth of the matter is that my children have birthdays in November and December, further complicating Drewett life at end-of-year. While working THE LIST and buying gifts for friends and family, I must also space out the my kiddos’ gifts so that they are not so spoiled by January that I’m convinced they are from another planet. And, sometimes, the birthday planning foils my Christmas shopping just as I get geared up to complete it. Ugh.
Good news, though. I’m almost done with THE LIST. And as I write this, it’s not yet Thanksgiving. I think that’s a breakthrough. I do it this way to save my sanity…and my eyes, ears, and nose.
But, there’s one more reason I shop early.
More than anything, I want to truly soak up and enjoy the Christmas season. Advent is a wonderful time of the year as we celebrate and anticipate the coming of the Christ child. I want to enjoy the Christmas Cantata at church (mom-in-law and dad-in-law both sing in the choir). I want to enjoy the Christmas program my adorable kindergartener will be presenting at school (she’s singing “All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth” and her top two teeth are wiggly). I want to feel festive (and not exhausted) for all the gala celebrations here and there.
Elizabeth Haynes Drewett
And, I want to give myself and my family the gift of peace on earth. Yes. Peace on earth. I can’t give the kind of Peace on Earth that only a Saviour can bring. But I CAN give a little peace on earth to my family. Because when momma is stressed out about Christmas shopping, there is no peace.
To all my fellow shoppers, if you’re not done with your shopping yet, take heart. There’s always next year. And you can start shopping for next year on January 1, 2011. There will be lots of sales. And you’ll need even more focus! Good luck. Merry Christmas. And Happy New Year.
From The Doctor’s Desk: Stress Is a Doorway to Disease
Dr. Nathan Goodyear
Seasons has hosted, on several occasions, Dr. Eldred Taylor, an international expert in bioidentical hormones. During his speaking engagements here in Ruston, he talked with men and women about lots of exciting ways to help manage their health. Dr. Taylor is a talented teacher, and I want to share the way he taught our patients about stress and hormones.
Stress elicits a hormonal response, he explained. In fact, 75%-90% of all primary care doctor related visits can be directly attributed to stress according to the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. It makes sense. When you are stressed, you are more prone to illness. That’s one effect of hormones, specifically cortisol.
Stress is a doorway to disease if it’s not treated and corrected.
Here’s what I mean by that. In nature, a zebra or horse running from a predator has acute stress response. Does the stress have a negative effect on the animal’s body? Sure. But the animal is running for its life. Either one of two things happen. The animal will get away, and the stress will end. Or the animal will die… and the stress will end. Either way, the animal is not going to suffer from constant stress.
But in contemporary society, many of us suffer from constant stress. When we experience stress, we too have a surge of hormones to help us fight or run away. You’ve heard of fight or flight. When we are running from a predator, everything works fine. The hormones activated by stress pump us full of energy, and we escape the predator. Or kill it.
But in contemporary society, sometimes we can’t kill our predators or run away from them. Sometimes our predators are coworkers or bosses. We don’t get along with these people, or perhaps we are intensely competitive, and it causes stress. Only we can’t escape these predators in the same way that a zebra can escape a lion. We have to fight with that coworker or boss every day. We experience the stress every day. Our bodies weren’t designed to handle this kind of chronic stress.
That’s why it’s so important to relax. Learn to control what you can. Learn to let go of the rest. I highly recommend things like aroma therapy and massages for relaxation. That’s why Seasons has developed a medical spa—because we want to do more than just help people who are not well. We want to help prevent people from getting sick in the first place.
Stress management is a good place to start.
Seasons Offers Massage Therapy
That’s right. We do massage therapy for relaxation and internal healing. It’s one of the many ways we seek to help our patients’ through total wellness.
So how does massage therapy contribute to internal healing and total wellness?
It relieves stress. And stress kills, you know?
But more than that, we believe there’s healing in touch. That’s a lot of why massage therapy is so powerful. I believe human touch helps to heal us.
That’s why Seasons offers different types of massages. Traditional Swedish massages for relaxation. Hot stone massages. Essential oil massages. Athletic or deep tissue massages to help repair damaged tissues and muscles from athletic injuries and other kinds of injuries.
We cover the gamut—from helping people who come to us with strained muscles to relaxing people who are just stressed out and need a relaxing Swedish massage.
What is Adrenal Fatigue?
Adrenal fatigue is a collection of signs and symptoms, which are a result of sub-optimal adrenal function. Basically, your adrenal glands get tired. The adrenal glands are small organs that sit directly on top of the kidneys.
Adrenal fatigue is caused by acute and/or chronic stress. This stress can be physical, emotional, psychological, or infectious. This stress results in adrenal over-stimulation. If your adrenal glands are under severe stress or prolonged stress, you will likely experience adrenal fatigue. This means that your adrenal gland loses the ability to adequately respond to further stress. It continues to function, but not at an adequate level.
When your adrenal glands get tired, you get tired. The predominate symptom is fatigue. This fatigue can be present for the entire day or wax/wane throughout the day. Other commonly expressed symptoms include:
- fatigue in the morning upon awakening
- feeling run down throughout the day
- difficulty in getting going in the morning
- inability to bounce back from stress
- salt/sweet cravings
- fatigue unrelieved by sleep
- increased effort to do every day tasks
- decreased libido
- decreased ability to handle stress
- increased time to recover from illness, injury, or trauma
- light-headed when standing up quickly
- mild depression
- increased PMS symptoms
- poor focus
- poor memory
- decreased tolerance
- decreased productivity
Most Americans will have some adrenal fatigue throughout their lives. Adrenal fatigue can be a mere nuisance and last from a few days to a few weeks. However, some bouts of adrenal fatigue can be severely debilitating and last for years. We test for adrenal fatigue with a four point saliva test throughout the day.
Your treatment will depend on the degree of adrenal fatigue. We’ll manage mild adrenal fatigue with adrenal rebuilder: an adrenal rich supplement. Adrenal rebuilder provides the building blocks necessary for improved adrenal health and function. Most treatments will last at least 3-6 months, with the more severe episodes of adrenal fatigue taking 6-12 months of treatment.
But don’t worry! With adequate time and treatment, nearly everyone can achieve a full recovery from adrenal fatigue. In fact, with cortisol replacement, most women will experience some improvement within 2 weeks. As your symptoms improve, it is important that you continue the treatment. Rebound adrenal fatigue is a common problem when people stop their treatment too soon.
Patients of Dr. Nathan Goodyear can start an adrenal evaluation by filling out the adrenal fatigue questionnaire. Then, call the nearest Seasons office and set up an appointment to discuss further treatment.
