48 June 2015 www.womanthismonth.com BEAUTY | review The Heat is On Seeking overall wellbeing while fighting some of the common complaints of desk-dwellers like ourselves, we stumble upon this age-old therapy. Ankita Mamgain explores more. Balance is perhaps one of the most abused words in the English dictionary, used frequently and inadvertently in a variety of contexts. A key to our existence, balance is what’s lacking in our lives, well for the most part at least. The ‘balanced diet’ is a far fetched suggestion for most and phrases like ‘balance of the mind and body’ are limited to spa and wellness retreat brochures. But fortunately, no matter how fast-paced our lives may be, there is still room for quick-fixes that can restore equilibrium. Our predominantly sedentary state can lead to a number of ailments, both physical and mental and one kind of therapy that has yielded results over centuries is thermotherapy or heat therapy. "Give me the power to produce fever, and I will cure all disease," is a quotation attributed to Hipocrates more than 2,300 years ago. We don’t have to resort to such extremes but from the rays of the sun to the more modern methods of laser and ultrasound, or even a gentle massage, heat can alleviate a wide range of problems. For me it has always done wonders. Right from a warm hug to a hot-water-bottle, which comes to my rescue almost every month, I can vouch for its instantly calming effects. Ayurveda, the ancient Indian therapeutic practice, acknowledges its powerful properties, such as promoting circulation, improving digestion and stimulating healing. Ayurvedic practitioners call it Agni-Karma or ‘fire-therapy’. Today thermotherapy has a range of uses from weight loss to treating depression and even cancer. But here, the focus is on beauty and how a little extra warmth can help you look and feel fabulous. Many of the heat-centric traditional methods of skin care and rejuvenation have been around for centuries and are still quite popular. Often
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