Danger: Wait Before Turning on Car A/C

According to research, Benzene — a cancer-causing toxin–  is emitted from the plastic in the dashboard of your car when you turn your air conditioning on.  So, be sure to roll all windows down and when you can, open the doors for a minute or two to give the interior time to air out before driving off and turning on the air.  If you get into a hot car and immediately turn on the AC, you will inevitably inhale, in quick succession, excessive amounts of Benzene.

Acceptable levels of Benzene indoors is 50mg per sq. ft.  If a car is parked in the sun in temps above 60 degrees F, the levels of this carcinogen rise to 2000 – 4000mg per sq. ft. (40 times the acceptable level).

In addition to increasing the risk of cancer, Benzene can poison your bones, cause anemia and decrease white blood cells.  The toxin can also result in miscarriages.  Prolonged exposure may even cause leukemia.

So, bottom line:  please do not turn on the A/C as soon as you enter your car.  Stay safe and live longer!

For detoxing Benzene and other toxic substances we inhale and absorb through the skin, try an herbal combination called Enviro-Detox by Nature’s Sunshine Products.  It contains 13 nutrients that support the body’s organs that play roles in detoxing:  kidneys, liver, lungs, bowels and skin.  For more info, click here.

For more specific advice regarding detoxing, you may want to consider a health consultation session (see my Services page).

6 Responses to “Danger: Wait Before Turning on Car A/C”

  1. Wow. I had no idea about benzene. This is really helpful advice and I will make sure to always air out my car before turning on the A/C now. Thank you for sharing this great information!

  2.  polar f4 says:

    Hi there may I use some of the insight from this entry if I link back to you?

  3.  bbriscoe says:

    Sure, you can repost. And yes, I would appreciate the back link. Thanks, Brenda

  4.  bbriscoe says:

    Yes, you may repost if you provide a backlink. Thank you.

  5. I’m astonished at how very much your blog page has grown. It’s great that you place so considerably give good results into it!!

  6.  bbriscoe says:

    yes, thank you

Chihuahua Got His Bounce Back

An elated owner of my most recent pet client, a 3 1/2 year-old chihuahua, just called to tell me her exciting news.  She asked me to post this for her because she does not have a computer.  So, here it is:

“Blue’s left leg had suddenly become useless.  I don’t know what happened, but overnight it seemed he refused to use it.  I took him to Brenda.  She worked on his back, hip, leg and knee using Bowen Therapy.  Within 24 hours, after nearly a week of not using his leg, he was putting weight on it.  And now two days later he is totally recovered and has just bounced up on the bed for the first time since this happened.”

With animals, success is the norm.  They don’t think through it and analyze it; they just receive it and respond so well.  That is why it is such a joy to work on animals.  And the love they give back after their treatment is the most rewarding thing.  I’ve never done a treatment on a dog that didn’t lick me like crazy afterwards.

Bowen Therapy Testimonials

Thank you, my precious clients, for your wonderful positive feedback about your sessions and the exciting results.  Would you be so kind as to comment here on my website blog so that others who are thinking about receiving treatments can get a better understanding of the types of results they can expect from a treatment.  Give ‘em a little insight, you guys.  It’s best when it comes from YOU!  Love you all!

10 Responses to “Bowen Therapy Testimonials”

  1. Brenda is an exceptional person and therapist. She is so calming and easy to be
    around and has the gentlest touch. Bowen Therapy helped me loosen extremely tight muscles and cramps. I was tense and tight from care-giving and the death of a loved family member. 1 session with Brenda was miraculous. Even my TMJ was better. Love this lady and highly recommend her.

  2.  Nuvis Lopez says:

    When I went to Brenda, I was in such pain! I still don’t know what I did to myself but I could not sit, or bend over without being in extreme pain. The day after Bowen I could not move and I knew that the therapy was working. I could not believe the mess my body was in. What was amazing is that the next day the pain was completely gone! Brenda has also worked wonders with my stiff neck! I HIGHLY recommend this therapy to everyone, Brenda is great! I have recommended her to all my friends and family.

  3.  Evangelina Campos says:

    I am a seamstress and I suffer from severe neck and shoulder pain from the repetitive motions. Lately I have been getting chest pains and after lots of testing the Dr’s finally told me its due to my muscles being so tight around my chest and neck area. This is also what causes my migraines. Bowen Therapy has significantly reduced my pain and as a result the bad headaches. I will continue to go to Brenda and I am a firm believer in the Bowen!

  4. I have been dealing with neck pain for a few years now. I have had epidural shots and been treated with pain medication. My herniated disks are in the upper neck of my spine. Those shots didn’t last very long unfortunately…only like a week or so.

  5. On Mon, Apr 4, 2011 at 9:12 AM, Beth Houghton wrote:
    Subject: Why of course I’m feeling better!

    Since your treatments, I no longer have the burning or pain in lower back. I would be stiff upon getting up and would have to take it slow in the morning for the pain. My upper back has not changed and arms still having some problem, but “why is it that the Bowen treatment is making that all better?! ” lol but yes, true, and thank you! I work on the computer alot so I’m sure this is not helping. My brain is of the most concern to me. I was thinking maybe I did have a small strock, May 2008. I was extremely stressed, I woke up and my eyes were half shut and I couldn’t feel my step properly for a month. Body was numb and tingly, this whole month. No one could tell me what it was, and they did not take a cat scan when I went to the emergency room. don’t know. But I have not been able to function mentally, I’m slow, unlike I used to be and I go around in circles, direction wise in my car, and organizing was a breeze to me, not any more. I can sit and stare and not get anything done. I have very little time before I’m exhausted and need to hire someone to help with this type of work, to keep me focused and on track…but again…”why is it that the Bowen treatment is making that all better too?! ” thank you, Beth

    ——————————————————————————–

  6. Good work once again! I really love checking out your website for the reason that the writers often give us well thought out pieces of information. Fabulous writeup. I am excited to add this website to my favorite list. I am going to subscribe to this feed also. Hoping to see some of your works in the future!

  7.  Brenda says:

    Thanks, I have had some great results using Bowen Therapy with wrist pain. Glad you enjoy hearing these testimonials.

  8. This is an extremely great site you have going here. The matter is very informative and straight to the point. Excited to read more about your blog next time.

  9.  Kyle R Threlkeld says:

    Brenda saw me after I began experiencing hip and lower back pain due to an ultramarathon I ran in Novenber. It is exacerbated by continuallly sitting in front of a computer at work.The hobbling pain was gone the next morning. I know that Bowen works!

  10.  Jennifer Barclay says:

    After suffering for approximately ten years with chronic sciatic pain I finally found relief through Bowen therapy. Before Bowen, I had tried approximately every treatment available including rolfing, massage, muscle relaxers, etc.- only to receive short term results. Bowen therapy helped me to be able to walk, sit, and stand without pain and without limping. It also allowed me to be able to walk without my joints/limbs giving out on me. It is approximately two years later and I am still pain free. Thank God and Brenda for pain relief through Bowen therapy!

I Finally Found the Culprit

Well, after months of evaluating everything I was eating, touching, using on my body, etc., I have discovered the source of my breakouts with eczema.  It is the BioTone massage cream I’d been using.  The extreme diet change made a huge difference, but it seemed the rash would come back just when I thought I had it beat.  I decided to test out the BioTone.  Each time I refrained from using it for 3 to 5 days, the eczema would just about go away.  When I tried using it again, boom!  It returned with a vengeance.

I am now using a different kind of massage cream and am much better.  I believe that if I stick with the “Beat Eczema” eating plan and continue to not use the BioTone, I will be eczema-free in a week or two.

It’s nice to finally have narrowed it down and found the culprit.  Since talking about it with other therapists, I have discovered that an overwhelming amount of therapists react to the cream in this way as well.  Some have commented that BioTone is the most toxic cream in our industry.  Not sure if that’s true, but I only know that my body can’t tolerate it.  Wish I knew why I and others get this extremely itchy rash and some do not.

2 Responses to “I Finally Found the Culprit”

  1. James says:

    Within 24 hours of receiving a massage with Biotone Dual Purpose Massage Cream I was covered with a rash that is super itchy. After 3 days the rash is still itchy. Although the key ingredients are listed on Biotone’s web site, I have no idea which one causes the rash. It might be an ingredient that is not listed.
    If i ever get another massage, I’m going to bring a lubricant that is pretested on my skin.

  2. bbriscoe says:

    Great idea, James. Now that I am not using BioTone anymore, my rash is going away. The hardened skin is now softening. I have had to resort to cortisone cream to keep me from itching, and at night sleep with cotton gloves on my hands after applying an Elizabeth Arden product called 8-Hour Skin Protectant Cream, which was developed for burn victims. After going to a dermatologist yesterday, I’ve discovered that there is a similar but less expensive product called Aquafor Healing Ointment that you can get anywhere. I got mine at WalMart. It feels greasy but then soaks in and makes the skin softer.

    Thanks for your reply.

Getting Used to This New Diet/Lifestyle

You know, sometimes it takes being desperate to make a big change in life.  For me, it took the misery of suffering with an irritating and embarrassing condition called ezcema.  I was definitely desperate enough to make some changes.  After 11 days of an extreme change in diet, I can honestly say it has worked!

The skin on my affected fingers and hands actually is soft now, rather than feeling like hard plastic or tree bark.  I am lovin’ it!  But, some of the nice side effects that I wasn’t expecting are:  weight loss, incredible energy, clear thinking, and best of all — hardly any more hot flashes!!!  I can barely believe it.

For the 11 days I was pretty much a die-hard with the prescribed diet in the Beat Eczema plan (except for a few mistakes), but I have had a couple of events that I’ve gone to in the last few days where I couldn’t eat the right kind of food for my diet.  So, being hungry, I went ahead and ate what was offered, even the desserts.  I wanted to see what happened.  I will say, “So far, so good.”   I think one must be very strict until getting the desired results, then a day off the diet won’t set you back so badly.

But, I will not continue to test this on purpose.  I like the way I feel with this diet plan.  I even went to a European market and bought some Polish fermented food — some sauerkraut, red bell peppers and pickles.  They all taste so good.  I wasn’t expecting to like it all so much, but I was pleasantly surprised.  These do not have any vinegar but are fermented with brine water.

My sprouted buckwheat groats turned out to be really tasty.  Who knew?!  After becoming sprouts and drying out on a cup towel on my kitchen counter, now they will last me about 6 weeks in my refrigerator.  That is good, because as they expanded each day I ended up with a whole jar of them.  It will take me that long to eat them all!

Still can’t believe I have soft skin on my fingers!  If you have eczema, it is worth the effort.  I hope you’ll try it.  To get the entire diet and plan, you can download it from the website:  www.beateczema.com.  If you have any questions about my experience in this fight against eczema, just comment on this blog and I will be happy to share.

5 Responses to “Getting Used to This New Diet/Lifestyle”

  1. Stephanie says:

    Is sprouting really difficult? I bought a special glass jar with a stainless steel mesh lid but haven’t had time to sit down and learn how to actually do something with it yet.

  2. Valerie says:

    What do sprouted buckwheat groats taste like and how do they help the skin?
    Is fermented food better for you because of the high level of enzymes?

  3. bbriscoe says:

    Stephanie, sprouting is not hard at all, but you must be at home to rinse the sprouts every so often. It is a different time frame with each kind of sprout. With the buckwheat groats, I needed to rinse them every 8 hours, and they were ready in about a day and a half (instructions said 1 to 2 days). You can see a sprouting chart at http://www.veggiewave.com/soaking_chart.

  4. bbriscoe says:

    Thanks for asking about buckwheat groats, Valerie. They don’t have a strong taste, but the taste they do have is a delightful, almost nutty taste. They are a strongly inflammatory food, which is the goal of the “beat eczema” diet. They are also rich in vitamins and minerals, especially magnesium and manganese. They provide some fiber and some protein as well.

    Yes, the reason for the fermented food for digestion is because of its high value of enzymes and probiotics.

  5. bbriscoe says:

    Forgot to mention, Valerie, that a good source of info on the buckwheat groats is http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5682/2.

This is so exciting!

Upon starting this Beat Eczema program, I really doubted it could work in 10 days, but I’m here to tell ya that I’m 90% there.  My fingers feel like skin now instead of plastic.  There are still a few little places that are rough, but not the entire fingers.  No more itching.  No more hot, swollen fingers.  No more skin cracks that are painful.

It has been exciting to watch this transformation, although it was slow in coming (I’m not too patient).  I will keep up this way of eating strictly until I get 100% recovery of this condition.  Then, I may let myself have some breaks from it and see what happens.  I intend to never veer far away from this lifestyle of eating enzyme-rich, nutrient dense food.  But I won’t be a prisoner of it either.  Breaking away from it will be an occasional exception, however, rather than a habit.

I have felt so light and alive!  My thoughts are clearer, my skin brighter, and I’ve lost some weight as well.  My energy is up and I’m sleeping so deeply.  If it were for only these benefits, I would choose to eat this way.  But, the best result is the relief from eczema, which was my original goal.

Since the 10 days are over and I’ve gotten about 90% improvement, I may not blog about it every night but perhaps a few times a week.  I will probably do little tests going off the diet to see what happens.  When I do, I’ll write about it so you’ll know.  But for now, if you have eczema I hope you will repeat what I have done and get the same fantastic results!  To get the entire program, you can download like I did from www.beateczema.com.  I would love to have you report your own results right here on my blog as an encouragement to others.  Let’s cheer each other on.

2 Responses to “This is so exciting!”

  1. Stephanie says:

    I am glad to hear you are on the path to recovery!

    I’ve been on a kombucha kick lately. It is fermented and maybe that would be an additional source of nutrients for helping you kick eczema…

  2. bbriscoe says:

    I absolutely LOVE kombucha and have tasted probably almost all the flavors. You know, it was hard to remember every single thing that went into my mouth, although I tried to write much of it down. But, during those 10 days of the trial, I did drink probably two Kombucha. I don’t drink an entire bottle at one time. It takes me usually three days to finish a bottle. Kombucha is filled with wonderful protiotics and enzymes. Glad you mentioned this, Stephanie. You go, girl!

Guess what – it’s working!

I woke up this morning and took the wrap off my right index and middle fingers to find nice, soft skin.  Now, this has happened on other mornings, but during the day the skin on these two fingers would get hard, rough and scaly and also develop new skin cracks.  Today was different!  No new skin cracks, and I actually had a sensation of feeling skin when I rubbed the two fingers together, rather than it feeling like tree bark.

I hardly picked at any rough spots at all during the day as has been my habit.  Before today, I could hardly quit picking at the dead “scales” of skin, trying to get these tiny, sharp pieces of skin off to feel fresh skin underneath.  It’s a little like when you have a sunburn and it begins to peel.  You can’t keep yourself from peeling it, right?  That’s what it’s like.

Also, something else I noticed was that there was very little redness and heat in those two fingers this morning.  By the end of today, there was no heat at all — indicating that the inflammation had left.  I had begun to not be a believer in this Beat Eczema diet plan, but it is regaining my trust.  The program suggests that, if the diet is followed strictly, one should have this thing beat in as little as 10 days.

Tomorrow is Day 10, and I am hopeful that their claim is right.  Tonight I will reapply the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream and wrap the fingers with Saran Wrap, as I did last night.  It seemed to work nicely.

Here was my food intake for the day:

Morning — a mixture of blueberries, blackberries, diceed apple, banana, pecans, raw local honey and cinnamon for breakfast.  Carrot juice mid-morning.

Lunch — a delicious salad consisting of spring mix field greens, sundried tomatoes, sprouts, diced red bell pepper, sauerkraut, pumpkin seeds, grated raw sheep cheese, and a sprinkling of kelp for flavor.  I used an Annie’s Naturals dressing (Pomegranate Vinaigrette).  Later, I had a handful of walnuts as a snack.

Dinner – Raw Corn Soup (from the Beat Eczema program).  This contained 2 ears of raw corn blended with warm water, an avocado and Celtic salt, served with finely diced red bell pepper sprinkled on top.  I was surprisingly pleased.  The avocado not only enhanced the flavor but also added a thicker texture.  Who knew?

Perhaps Day 10 will be the magic day . . . will let you know!

Best Day So Far

I woke up this morning with very soft skin again after removing the plastic wrap from my fingers.  This time the softness of the skin continued longer throughout the day.  I’m not sure why, but the skin began getting scaly again tonight.

This morning, I ate some organic berry apple sauce, then some organic plain yogurt with blueberries, blackberries, pecans, raw local honey and cinnamon.  Mid-morning I drank some fresh carrot juice.  For lunch I had a spring mix salad with sprouts and live sauerkraut with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds.  Afternoon snacks included slices of apple with organic peanut butter as a spread, and a handful of walnuts, rasisins, and dried pineapple.

I splurged for dinner and had Basmati brown rice and lightly steamed broccoli again with a side of sprouts.

At work today at the spa, one of the nail techs suggested I do a hot parafin wax treatment on my hands after exfoliating them with a scrub.  Then one of the estheticians put some skin healing cream on them and gave me a sample.  This all seemed to help a lot.  I will apply this skin healing cream (Elizabeth Arden’s 8 Hour Cream) tonight instead of the Golden Salve and see what happens.  It is very greasy at first, but once it dries it forms a harder protective coating while it heals.  Will be interesting to see in the morning.

Still waiting on baby soft skin

Wonder how long this is going to take?  I want results NOW!!!  Aren’t we all like that?  It took my body probably years to manifest this eczema and I want it gone overnight.  Of course I do.  Why not?  Welll, I’m a week into this project, and I will not quit yet.  I’m not only doing this for myself but also for others who may come behind me and want to do something about their skin with the same problem.  So, I’m in it for you too, baby!

Okay, for breakfast after working out  at the gym I had another blueberry/blackberry smoothie with organic local honey, flaxseed meal, small amounts of pineapple juice and kefir, ice cubes, and one small addition — a T. of a green drink (superfood) powder called Green Zone by NSP.  I also ate a handful of walnuts and a handful of pumpkin seeds (both containing lots of EFAs).

Lunch was salad again:  organic mix of field greens, sprouts, sauerkraut, grated raw sheep cheese, pumpkins seeds and some Basmati brown rice.  Dinner was awesome!  Half of a baked organic Yukon Gold potatoe with some very lightly steamed broccoli (still crunchy with enzymes intact), sauerkraut on top of field greens and sprouts — all seasoned with organic kelp.  This was a delicious meal.  I’m also remembering to take my flax seed oil gelcaps daily – 8/day (a lifesaver!).

I still can’t believe I’m not wanting bad snacks inbetween meals.  Even if my hands don’t get significantly better, this diet is worth it for the weight loss, the clarity of mind, and the brighter skin (face).  Still waiting on baby soft skin on my hands.  They seem to be slightly better each day now, but the difference is so subtle.  I will once again apply Golden Salve salve tonight and wrap the fingers with Saran Wrap to keep it from rubbing off onto my clothes or sheets.  This morning when I unwrapped the fingers, the skin felt so soft, and the skin cracks were healed.  Once again, during the day though, there came new skin cracks and new scaliness.

Signing off til tomorrow . . .

Hopeful

2 Responses to “Still waiting on baby soft skin”

  1. Im not going to say what anyone else has previously mentioned, but I do want to comment on your information in the theme. Youre genuinely well-informed. I cant think how a lot of this I just wasnt aware of. Thank you for bringing a lot more details to this topic for me. Im truly grateful and actually impressed.

  2. Found some great info here today.

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