My Life on a Plate

Earcandles

It seems I confused a few people yesterday, but then I confuse myself most days too. Apologies, but I did write that entry first thing in the morning when the brain cell wasn't quite awake and the addition of a cold didn't help. Excuses, excuses.

I suppose using the word 'hairdresser' dates me and I should have used the more modern term,' Beauty Salon.' Not that it can guarantee instant beauty unfortunately. Anyway, the salons nowadays don't restrict themselves to hairdressing only, but offer manicures, facials, spray-tanning, pedicures, massages and all sorts of weird and wonderful services, including the Hopi Earcandles.

A little background if anyone's interested. Earcandles have been used by many cultures as an effective natural therapy since ancient times. Historical roots can be found among the peoples of the Siberian praries, Asia and American Indians.Ancient rock paintings show the use of earcandles at initiation rituals and medicinal ceremonies. The candles are handmade and composed of pure beeswax, honey extract and traditional herbs such as sage, St John's wort and camomile.

Anyway, I've returned from my earcandle session none the worse for wear. In fact, the whole procedure was very relaxing and I have to say my cold seems a lot less severe than when I arrived there this morning. I always keep an open mind about alternative therapies and in this case, can certainly recommend it.

Sarah, the young woman who owns the salon lives mainly in Spain now as her husband works out there, but I was pleasantly surprised to see her in the shop this morning, especially when she greeted me with 'Look at you, Skinny Minnie.' lol Sarah underwent a double masectomy at the age of 29 a few years ago. She then had to make the difficult decision of whether to have a baby or not, as she was told she'd also need an hysterectomy in the next few years, to combat the very nasty cancer gene she's inherited. Throughout the whole ordeal she's managed to continue working and I've never heard her complain.

She did decide to go ahead and now her baby , little Molly is almost one and absolutely adorable. It's probable she'll have inherited the same gene as her mum, but already there is pioneer treatment to prevent this form of cancer developing, so by the time Molly is a teenager, she should be protected.

So, whether it be the miracles of modern medicine or the ancient therapies like Hopi candles, it seems we all have a lot to be thankful for.

We're out for a meal with hubby's family early this evening. Hey, I may even be able to taste something. The downside is I'll now be able to hear my brother-in-law, but I suppose I can always pretend my ears are still blocked. Or maybe I should turn up wearing the candles?