In honor of Mother’s Day, we are giving away some great prizes to our Facebook fans, the new and the loyal.  Here is how it works:

Share Hibiscus Health & Wellness Center on Facebook with your friends.  Every fan counts as an entry for themselves and for the person who referred them.

New fans: Like us on Facebook, and be sure to stop by our wall to say hello! and be sure to mention who referred you.

Existing Friends: Tell your friends about Hibiscus Health & Wellness Center and invite them to LIKE us too.  When they post on our wall and mention your name you will be entered to win!  Here is a sample message or status you can post to let your Facebook friends know about the contest/

“Like Hibiscus Health & Wellness Center on Facebook, and be sure to stop by their wall leaving them a post to let them know who referred you, and we will be both be entered to win our own Spa Day at Hibiscus Health & Wellness Center.

Now the Good Stuff….Prizes

Early Bird Prizes

For every 100 fans we will be be doing random drawing for spa services voucher.  A new fan and the person who referred them will each recieve a voucher for spa services.

Grand Prize Draw on Sunday, May 8th

We will draw for grand prizes of a spa day at Hibiscus Health & Wellness Center! Includes a Swedish Massage, facial and lunch at Peaches.  A spa day package will be awarded to one new fan and the person who referred them.

However, any claims that “cleanse” cure the body of ailments are not backed by science.  Mainstream science cites that the body has its own efficient mechanism to maintain balance PH and fluid levels in the body.  Fasting can put the body in an unnatural state, risking damage from dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, disrupting bowel functions and effections.  Eastern Concepts such as balance and energy have in place in today’s practice of medicine, playing into the idea that diet in its totality can help determine whether we are well or sick.  For example eating red meat sparks the inflammatory prcocess linked to heart disease.  Eating fish high in Omega-3 fatty acids, such as Wild Caught Salmon cools down the inflammation down.  One theory is that the body age-old detoxification system is continually under assault from modern day environmental pollutants.  Lower calorie regimen allows the body to shed free radicals that promote illness and accumulation in the the fat cells.  Free radicals then enter the blood stream to be process  by the liver and excreted from the body.  However, the liver cannot do its job if it doesn’t  have proper nutritional support.  Eating whole foods and leading a balanced lifestyle maybe the best bet instead of expensive and potentially toxic pharmaceuticals.  For most of us, eliminating refined sugar, alcohol and caffeine, increasing fruit and vegetables intake and avoiding  hormone and antibodies in our food will increase our energy.  The “detox” that focuses on healthy eating will become part of your daily routine.  Helping you change your eating habits permanently.

TIPS FOR A HEALTH “DETOX” REGIMEN

• Eat large amount of fresh fruits and vegetables such as cabbage, bok choy, brocoli and cauliflower that contain high anti-oxidant that help the liver break down toxins
• Eliminate refined sugars.  This source of unwanted calories can increase insulin levels; this cause more inflammation in the body.
• Avoid Antibodies and hormone in animal products that can accumulate in the body, contributing  to antibiotic resistance.
• Avoid caffeine, which can actually contribute to fatigue by revving you before a crush.  After a few days you may actually sleep better.

Find a place you won’t be distrubed, and sit down with a piece of paper and a pen.  Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and begin thinking of all the good and wonderful things about yourself.  If any critical thoughts arise, you must push them aside, because there is no place for them in this letter.

Where to Start? Try answering these questions:

- What do you like most about yourself?

- What are you good at? and what are some of your achievements?

- What do your friends like about you?

- What makes you happy? What do you dream of?

Make it gushy, make it sentimental, make it straightforward.  Just make sure to remind yourself that you are wonderful regardless of any circumstance.  You don’t have to wait for a special occassion like valentines day to write yourself a love letter, whenever you feel like you need a reminder of the goodness that is you.  Take the time to do it.

Now that you’ve done it, put it an envelope, seal it with a kiss, and mail it to yourself.  When it arrives, be sure to set aside a moment to enjoy it properly and cherish the loving words.  You will have a treasure in your hands that you can open and read whenever you need reminding of how special and wonderful you are.  The bonus: when we love and feel good about ourselves, others notice and love us more too!

That heart disease is still the No. 1 killer of women, taking the life of 1 in 3 women each year?

Did you know…

That heart disease claims the lives of over 433,000 women each year?

How can we make it our mission to fight heart disease among women:

• Help raise funds through donations and fundraisers for lifesaving educational programs and the development of new treatments to fight hear disease.
• Make our peers aware of heart disease, its impact on women and how we can fight back
• Love our hearts by being physically active, eating a heart-healthy diet and being educated about heart disease and it’s risk factor.

10 Ways to Love Your Heart

1. Be active – AHA recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activiity a day.
2. Eat smart – Enjoy a diet low in sodium, saturated fat and trans fat, and rich in fruits, vegetables, fiber rish whole grains, monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fate.
3. Don’t smoke – Talk to your health care provider about smoking cessation programs in your area.  Many are free!
4. Know your numbers – Write down blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and body mass index.  Discuss with your doctor healthy numbers for you and how to keep your heart healthy.
5. De-stress – Stress can cause us to over eat, be sedentary or engage in other health-risk behaviours like smoking , all of which can increase your risk of developing heart disease.  Take control of stress by meditating, writing in a journal or going for a brisk walk.
6. Maintain a healthy weight – Excess weight can increase your risk of developing heart disease.  Loosing even just a small amount of weight can help to decrease your risk.
7. Evaluate your risk – Age, gender, race/ethnicity family history or other medical conditions call all increase your risk of developing heart disease.  Know which factor affects you and what you can do to reduce it.
8. Listen to your heart – When warning signs pop up, pay attention to them, by visiting a doctor early, your chances of avoiding a serious condition increase
9. Know the facts – Read up on heart disease .  By knowing about the culprit, you will be better prepared to help prevent it and fight it.  Visit goredforwomen.org for more information.
10. Follow-up regularly – Keep track of your heart health and risk factor by visiting your doctor regularly for medical check-ups

We are very excited to welcome Master Herbalist, Ms. Karen Rose to our health & wellness spa.  Ms. Rose is trained in both Eastern and Wester medicine. She is personally dedicated to empowering individuals to make informed decisions with regards to their health and lives.  Karen is both connected to the earth and community in which she practices, consults and teaches herbal medicine.

Meet Karen Friday, February 11th as she discusses The Alchemy of Pleasure from 7pm – 8pm.  Karen will teach us that it takes magic to make magic.  She will be using plants and other elements of nature in her workshop.  You will learn how to use the vitality of the medicine they produce to be sexual magicians.

Each month she will be joining us at Hibiscus Health & Wellness Center to blog, give weekly wellness tips, and answer any questions you may have regarding health.  Please email us at info@hibiscusdayspa.com with any questions.

It’s time to welcome in the New Year and you know what that means-Its time to make that New Year resolution!  The aim is to make improvements to our lives and our selves in the upcoming year is an age old tradition, but forming resolutions, big or small, can be daunting.  At Hibiscus Health & Wellness Center we want to suggest that this thoughtful, introspective can be directed towards identifying “intentions and turning them into actions”  To start those wheels turning and offer some inSPAration to the process, we are inviting you to share your intentions.  We will try to share as many as we can through our blog, along with any suggestions you have for us to keep you on track.

How to Enter

Send an email to info@hibiscusdayspa.com by Thursday, January 13th and tell us about your resolution, and why it’s important to you, and how we here at Hibiscus Health & Wellness Center can help you keep it all year long.

The Prize

One Lucky winner will receive one complimentary massage each month for the next three months.  Intentions require actions, so let us help you put your intentions into actions

Client  #1 Response

My New Year’s Intentions for 2011 is to live by Sankofa and build my legacy!

This means that I will take time each day of the year to remember, research, and reflect my ancestry, my immediate family history, and my life as already experienced.  I will work towards engraving my life’s journey in history and building a continuous legacy.  I know it sounds like a lot, but I truly believe that you have to know and reflect on your past to be stronger and fiercer in the future. Sometimes you can be so cluttered with the present that you loose focus and become lost.  So, for 2k11 I’m “SE wo Were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi”!

Hibiscus Health & Wellness Center is already helping me in the journey.  Although I now live Atlanta, GA  I try my best to plan a Day at the Spa with my mother  and two  sisters, so that we can have a moment of just us girls!  We enjoy our day at the spa, we have tea (thanks to Hibiscus), chat and relax  Great times! So I thank you Hibiscus for being that moment right in the heart of Brooklyn!  I miss Brooklyn dearly and can’t wait to return!

Peace and Blessings in the New Year!

Latasha B. Allen

Thank you for your continuing support of Hibiscus Day Spa now Hibiscus Health & Wellness Center at the close of our 5th year anniversary.  We have been gratified and touched by the kindness shown to us these past five years, the friendships and fond memories made here at Hibiscus.  We are honored to be the place you have chosen to share life’s great joys, speceial occasions, as well as the place you come to for personal relaxation and renewal.

Our wish for this holiday season and for the coming new year is your continued health and happiness and to know that we are here for you.  Let us help to make your New Year’s intention year-long act of wellness in 2011.

As always, I welcome your comments and look forward to welcoming you back to Hibiscus Health & Wellness Center.

Prevention – is definitely the best and most effective treatment for premature aging. 

Daily use sunscreen – Use a sunscreen everyday.  Sun is the #1 contributing factor for premature aging.

Anti-Oxidants – Helps to prevent molecular reaction that leads to inflammation and collagen and elastin breakdown, which translates into wrinkles, sagging and reddness.

Peptides – Helps to stimulate collage, relax wrinkles, and reduce puffiness and wrinkles.  Peptides must me usedd on a daily basis to produce visible results.

Lipids – Helps the skin stay hydrated and prevent irritants from penetrating the skin.  They can be found in moisturizers, serums, sunscreens, eyecreams and masks.

DNA Repair/Manipulation – Helps to keep DNA in proper form, and allow cells to live longer and healthier, and prevent certain process that leads to age related problems such as elastosis, reddness and wrinkles.

Exfoliation Treatment – This effective treatment helps to remove excess dead cells, stimulate renewal, and ridding the skin of dull, hyperpigmented dehydrated cells.  This has an immediate effect on the skin’s appearance.

Micro-Current – Routine treatment with this low-level current can help tighten the appearance of facial skin.

Light Emitting Diode (LED) – Has been documented to help boost collagen and improve redness as well as fine lines and wrinkles.

Exercise Regularly

Hand Massage Therapy apart from being highly pleasurable will go along way to maintaining the health of your hands.

Benefits of Hand Massage Therapy

• Very simple to do and highly beneficial.
• Great way to demonstrate care for others.
• Can do for yourself virtually anywhere and anytime.
• Helps keep joints mobile.
• Increase circulation in the hands.
• Tones the hand muscles.
• Helps rejuvenate the skin.