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Archives for March 2012

Top 5 Spas in Charleston

March 7, 2012 by

Charleston SpasIf you’re in Charleston for a consultation or breast reconstruction surgery, we recommend the following spas for a bit of pampering or relaxation.

The Spa at Charleston Place

With its beautiful views and airy rooms, The Spa at Charleston Place is one of our favorites. The massage therapy options themselves are incredible: Swedish, deep tissue, warm stone, reflexology, and Moroccan oil. Skin care treatments include a decadent 24-karat gold facial and a diamond facial. Peppermint rosemary body scrubs, spa manis and pedis, and yin and yang classes are only a few of the dozens of possibilities for pampering.

Treatments for men and children are available, and if you stay at the hotel, you have use of the state-of-the-art health club with salt-water pool and Jacuzzi.

Stella Nova

Stella Nova takes facials to the next level with their Rx Infusion facial, which provides results fast with medical-grade ingredients that reduce rosacea and fine lines. This facial includes a penetrating serum and soothing mask. The Micro Mini Peel helps combat aging and firms the skin, while the Purifying Complexion facial reduces blemishes and deep cleans pores. The Cure Carboxi-Express and O2 Awakening infuse pores with oxygen to detoxify the skin.

Full-body treatments include a head-to-toe massage and salt scrub, a lavender-scented body wrap, African Red Tea Body Cocktail, and a sweet, luxurious sugar scrub. If you’re visiting with friends, book the VIP Spa Suite to enjoy the butler service and choice of delicious food and drink while you’re being pampered.

Simply Your Spa

An intimate day spa and yoga studio, Simply Your Spa offers a variety of packages that give you the best of the best in spa services. The Simply Your Sampler includes a Swedish massage, Quick Results Facial, Express Manicure, and Express Pedicure. For the ultimate in spa, The Pleasure Seeker Package offers a Swedish massage, Herbology Body Treatment, Simply Your Signature Facial, and Sea Spa Manicure and Pedicure. The Ultimate Feet Treat Package pampers your feet with a shea butter reflexology foot massage, followed by a Sea Spa Pedicure.

Simply Your Spa also offers lash and brow tinting, spray tan, and yoga and Zumba classes, as well as professional skin care, makeup, and doggie bath products for sale. Men’s and couples’ packages are available, and Simply Your Spa caters to brides, grooms, and groups.

Urban Nirvana

With an invitation to come into your own, Urban Nirvana is a day spa with a difference: their treatments use luxurious products rarely seen anywhere else. In addition to prenatal and hot stone massages, they offer a spectacular hand and foot massage, a scalp and full-body massage with citrus extracts, a paraffin massage, a warm rubdown, and an aromatherapy massage with your choice of intoxicating scents such as oolong and mandarin.

Urban Nirvana’s reclined-seating hydrotherapy tub and seven-head Vichy Shower offer unsurpassed luxury and relaxation. Body treatments such as a seaweed detox, a coffee body mask, and cocoa shea-butter wrap are treats for the body, mind, and soul. A full-service salon provides hair care and waxing by seasoned professionals.

Seeking Indigo

Integrating holistic wellness and lifestyle, Seeking Indigo has a yoga studio, Pilates center, organic café, and detox center that offer biofeedback, yoga, massage, organic facials, and Ayurvedic treatments. In addition to reiki and pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, the spa has unique treatments not seen anywhere else. The Charleston Hyperbaric Chamber delivers oxygen to the body at the cellular level and allows the body to heal itself. Seeking Indigo’s far infrared sauna heats you from the inside out, reducing blood pressure and detoxifying the body.

The spa also offers fashion from local designers ranging from vintage to modern, jewelry of all types, books, music, art, and exotic treasures for sale.

Which spas appeal to you, and why?

 

Filed Under: All Things Charleston Tagged With: , , , , , ,

5 Tips for Staying Regular (And Feeling Great!)

March 5, 2012 by

dietary fiberYou’ve heard it for years: eat more fiber to stay regular—but you might not understand what that means. Fiber is the part of the grain, vegetable, or plant that we cannot digest. It passes through your system without breaking down and adds weight and bulk to your stools.

Eating more fiber decreases constipation, reduces straining because bulky stools are easier to pass, and helps you feel great. You’ll want to aim for a certain amount of fiber per day, so you’ll need to read ingredient labels or research fiber amounts online to see how much each food has. According to the Mayo Clinic, men under 50 need at least 38 grams per day, while men over 50 need 30. Women under 50 should have at least 25 grams, and those over 50 should have at least 21 grams.

Good sources of fiber include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. The more of these you eat, the more you’ll find what works best for you. It’s easy to work fiber into your diet; for example, you can eat high-fiber cereal or cook with high-fiber vegetables. You can also use over-the-counter fiber supplements such as Metamucil, though whole foods should be your first choice.

To stay regular, you might try some of the following ideas in addition to extra fiber. These ideas will also help after breast reconstruction surgery,  as the procedure itself can be constipating.

Drink plenty of fluids.

Water helps keep your stools soft and easy to pass. Hot liquids, especially those with caffeine, stimulate colon action. You might try hot water with lemon juice first thing in the morning.

Don’t ignore the urge to go.

Many of us will simply hold off on using the bathroom if the urge hits at an inconvenient time. Always answer the call of nature. Regularly ignoring it can cause constipation or hard stools that are difficult to pass. Not going when the urge hits can also contribute to poor bowel action.

If you have a habit of ignoring urges, you may want to establish a certain time of day when you go to the bathroom.

Get more exercise.

Exercise helps you stay regular because the movement stimulates your body and helps your colon move waste. There’s a reason dogs tend to go during daily walks. Laughter has also been found to stimulate the colon, so if you’re having trouble, watch your favorite funny movie.

Know your medications and compensate.

Some medications can be constipating, so you may need to be extra vigilant about your fiber intake and add more water, prunes or stewed figs, or even a stool softener.

Take precautions when you travel.

Traveling tends to make you irregular, so be sure to stay well hydrated and eat plenty of fiber before and during your trip. The time difference may mean you’re using the bathroom at very odd times. Go with it and don’t ignore your body.

What’s your favorite tip for staying regular?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Health and Wellness Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Tips for Improving Recovery and Healing Time

March 2, 2012 by

Healing TimeOn the last edition of Ask the Doctor, we provided you with steps for the most optimal surgical experience. This week we are sharing with you some steps we have to help our patients improve their post surgery recovery and healing time !

After Surgery

Family members will receive periodic updates during your surgery.

Following the procedure, you will be moved to a special unit in the hospital where you will be connected to monitoring equipment. There, nurses trained in post operative care of breast reconstruction will monitor you at all times.  Family members can see you during visiting hours.

You will also receive an informative sheet that discusses your specific information and post-operative care.  This likely will include information concerning drain care; it is very important to monitor flow from the drains in a 24-hour period. This guides us on when to remove them.  You will also have a kind of thermometer on your chest, which monitors the flap.  Other specifics and information will be provided in your post-operative packets.

As You Heal

Family and Friends:
Support from loved ones is very helpful. But understand that comments they may make during your recovery can cause you concern. Remember this: We will tell you honestly how you are doing and what we expect your result will be.  Please trust in our knowledge and experience when we discuss your progress with you.

Healing:
You will heal! How quickly depends on factors your genetic background, your overall health and your lifestyle (exercise, smoking, drinking, etc.). Many people believe the surgeon “heals” the patient.  No person can make another heal. Dr Craigie and Dr Kline can facilitate, but not accelerate, the healing process.  But you play the starring role, so your cooperation is key.

Swelling:
You may find swelling of your new breast and abdomen (DIEP) or buttock (GAP) to be troublesome and your clothes may not fit.  Be patient, this swelling will gradually subside and you will feel better in a few weeks.  There will be a certain amount of tightness in the area where the flap was taken from.  This will slowly relax in a few months.

Following Instructions:
Another way to improve healing is by following the instructions given by Dr. Craigie and Dr. Kline’s staff.  We believe “the difference is in the details” and strive to achieve the best possible results for you.  It is imperative that you act as a partner in this process — not a passive participant.  The instructions are designed to give you the best opportunity for healing without delay or surprise.

Click here for a complete list of post surgery healing and recovery tips and instructions.

Have questions for the Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction’s team? Send them on over, we’d love to hear from you!

 

 

 


 

Filed Under: Ask the Doctor Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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