Hi and welcome to the very first edition of The Restorative Room’s seasonal newsletter. The Restorative Room is a place of well-being and healing and all things natural. Here, you will hear of offers on complimentary therapies, health hacks, and many more things of the seasons. As a qualified complimentary therapist in Swedish Massage, Aromatherapy and Reflexology I believe in giving the body all the tools it needs to deal with illness, stresses of modern life and disease, so that it can heal itself. Some diseases cannot be cured, but holistic therapies can alleviate some of the symptoms and make life more bearable and manageable. As well as being passionate about holistic therapies, I am also very passionate about all things natural- What does that mean? I believe in a world where chemicals are not in every single product that we use on a daily basis- from cleaning products, skincare, agriculture, and so on. So here you can expect to hear of alternatives and ways of avoiding some of the common chemicals and how to detox from them, as well as heavy metals.

Winter is in full swing and the nights are dark and cold and the days are grey and unforgiving. Tis the season for cosy nights with fluffy socks, hot chocolates and hiding away from the world, or is that just me? If you love to drink a hot chocolate here is a healthy alternative to the store bought hot chocolates you find in the powder forms. It tastes delicious and is healthy treat too. Grab some dark chocolate of 70% cocoa or more. It doesn’t have to be an expensive brand, just plain not flavoured. Cut up about …..grams of the chocolate and some milk of your choice (enough to fill your cup). Throw into a pan and heat up, stirring as you go, once the chocolate has melted your good to go. To add sweetness, you can add honey or similar. Cocoa has many health benefits such as antioxidant properties, loaded with minerals such as iron, magnesium, fibre, copper and manganese. It’s also full of flavonoids which have shown to reduce blood pressure, improve blood flow, reduce cholesterol, and even been thought to release endorphins-those feel good hormones- into the body! Give it a try and reap the many benefits and have a tasty treat.

Winter so far has been a lovely winter wonderland with lots of snow around, but theres also been a high volume of bugs and viruses around too. This year has been particularly bad with hospitals and gp’s apparently overrun with patients. If you’ve managed to avoid feeling under the weather or poorly then great. Heres a natural immune booster and remedy that is easy to make and 100% natural. If you can afford to buy organic then this will avoid any chemicals too. You will need lemons, ginger, garlic, and honey ( raw or local if possible). Juice 2 lemons, chop or mince a garlic clove, grate and chop a handful of ginger and place into air tight container with a full jar of honey. Let it sit for a few days or longer. You can take daily to avoid illness or take as remedy when feeling unwell. This will provide lots of health benefits and get you back on your feet in no time. You can thank me later!

So, what else is new? We have a new website and a brand-new name, changing from Healing Hand Therapies to The Restorative Room. I still have the same passion and enthusiasm, just different name and new and exciting website. I hope you will love the improvements as much as I do.

Now that Christmas is over with, it’s time to let the purse strings breathe a little, so Ive put together some offers that I think you’ll love. I have a brand-new treatment of Menopause Massage at the introductory price of £20 for a 60-minute treatment. You can expect to leave feeling very relaxed and ready for that cosy night in I was talking about. This treatment uses gentle massage, stretches and pressure points with the added bonus of essential oils to ease many symptoms of perimenopause, menopause and post menopause, so no matter where you are in this journey of life as a woman, you can find some relief from the many issues that this brings. As well as this amazing offer, I also offer reduced cost for pre-booked packages. If you suffer with a health condition or long-term stress, it is more beneficial to have more than one treatment, so these packages are a great way of saving money. I offer 3 treatment packages and 6 treatment packages which can be discussed at the initial consultation. I’m also running my offer of on the Aromatherapy massage for the price of £20 for an hours massage. These massages are both relaxing and healing, so get booked in and give your body a treat and a boost.

Talking of the new website, you’ll notice that you can now purchase some items on there. These will be things that I either use or have used previously and have found them to be very beneficial. I will be writing a little about some of the items in the upcoming newsletters so that you can become more aware of the products and their benefits. The first item I’d like to discuss is Wheatgrass powder. I currently use this in a smoothie in the mornings in place of a breakfast. My smoothie is quite simple and doesn’t cost a fortune or use lots of fussy ingredients. But why do I use Wheatgrass? Its classed as a super food due to its high nutrient and antioxidant qualities. It contains many such as Vitamins A.C and E- all of which are great for the skin- it contains iron, magnesium, calcium and amino acids. Some of these amino acids are not produced in our bodies so we must get them from food. Some research has proven that it has amazing antioxidant properties that have been found to reduce damage to cells. It’s also a great source of chlorophyll which also has many great health benefits such as liver detoxification, boosts skin health and fights inflammation. Wheatgrass has also been thought to reduce the bad cholesterol and also improve the good cholesterol. Some studies also found that it can be a beneficial supplement for those with cancer. Due to its high antioxidant content, it has shown to reduce cancel cells in some test tube studies. It has also shown good results for people suffering some side effects from chemotherapy and had decreased bone marrow problems with some cancer patients. Other research showed benefits such as reducing blood sugar levels, alleviating inflammation in the body and promoting weight loss. Its relatively cheap to buy and doesn’t have a really strong flavour(like some of the green powders do) so is easily disguised in a smoothie (except for the lovely green colour that is!)

Finally I just want to talk about DIY chemical free products or recipes that I will be trying over the next 12 months, so I will give my reviews and feedback on some of these as I go along. The first item of chemical laden household item I’m trying to get rid of is laundry detergent. Here’s a recipe I’m about to try- 2 part washing soda, 2 parts baking soda and 1 part table salt. Thats It! You would typically use 60 gram sin each wash and pace inside the drum. In total its costs me £0.29 per wash! At that price I’m willing to give it a go and see how it performs. Will you try it too?

Weel, I hope you try some of my suggestions or even just think about the benefits I’ve mentioned and hopefully go back at some point and give them a whirl. I also hope you take advantage of my amazing offers and come and see me for an hour of pure relaxation.
If not, I hope you have an amazing year filled with love, happiness but most of all health.