MEDITATION NOT WORKING FOR YOU?
TRY A SOUND BATH
As is the case with many self-care trends like yoga and meditation, what’s old is new again. The latest relaxation practice with ancient roots to make waves in modern times is sound baths. Celebs from Charlize Theron to Laurence Fishburne say they help promote relaxation and reduce stress. Kendall Jenner, who’s been public about her struggles with anxiety and sleep paralysis, also swears by the practice’s healing powers and has even started creating her own sound baths and sharing them on Instagram. While you can create a sound bath experience at home, most practitioners “bathe” at in-person sessions with “sounders” — those who create the soundscape. These sessions typically last 45–60 minutes. The idea behind the sonic experience is that bathers sit or lay in a relaxing position while gently focusing on the sounds they are immersed in. Sounders commonly use singing bowls, chimes, gongs, and other instruments to create a meditative and relaxing vibe.
In fact, sounders say the vibrations of some instruments facilitate relaxation by literally changing the brainwaves. Health practitioners put it differently, saying that the practice promotes a parasympathetic autonomic nervous system response, aka a stress reduction response. Either way, the practice is a nice alternative to standard sitting meditation, which often focuses on the breath and can be difficult, especially for new practitioners. While there hasn’t been a lot of medical research done to test the efficacy of the practice, it is becoming a more widely used supplemental treatment for stress, anxiety, addiction, and post- traumatic stress disorder. If you get the chance to experience one yourself, try to approach it with an open mind and open ears. You just might be surprised. LOST WEIGHT? UNSURE WHAT TO DO WITH EXTRA SKIN?
BELT LIPECTOMY COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE’
One day, my ever-curious 12-year-old son asked me, “How was work today, Dad?”
I told him, “It was good; I just did a belt lipectomy.” Of course, he wanted to know what that was. I explained (in a briefer way) that after a patient loses a bunch of weight — whether due to healthy lifestyle changes, a medical procedure, or pregnancy— there’s often extra skin that continues to hang from the midsection area, often all the way around. The architecture of the skin simply loses its past structure in that area, so, as an “architect,” I help patients get rid of the excess material and restabilize that area of their midsection. I’m very serious when I say that my youngest son was completely fascinated by this idea. He exclaimed, “You mean the skin doesn’t just fall off eventually?” Unfortunately for many people, that skin doesn’t fall off on its own. A simple layer of excess skin along the midsection or “belt line” can cause a lot of hardship for people, including discomfort, swelling, rashes, or ulcers (between the skin folds in the groin area, leading to infection), problems with hygiene, and trouble with walking, urinating, or sexual activity. Not to mention the even more common reason I see people in the office for this problem: the embarrassment of trying to find clothes to fit or to “stuff” the extra skin folds into.
When we remove that layer of saggy skin around the belt line, we say “good riddance” to the spare tire around the front and can often provide a bit of lift to the buttocks and thighs around the sides and back. The skin excised mimics the shape of a large boxing or wrestling belt, thus the term “belt lipectomy” for its name. (FYI: Lipectomy means removal of skin and fat) When struggling with a loose “love handle” around your midsection, you may find your mind living in the past before the extra skin existed. It likely won’t disappear on its own, so don’t hesitate to give yourself a smoother contour again by calling our office. This expert surgery, done under general anesthesia, can help improve your life immediately and get you living for today again!
2 • WWW.MUSICCITYPLASTICSURGERY.COM • YOUR UNPARALLELED PLASTIC SURGERY EXPERIENCE
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