Although I say it myself, I thought that the Open Day went rather well. The weather was once again welcomingly clement, which always augurs well for the day ahead. Seventy or so enjoyed some excellent talks, by Angie Buxton-King and Alex Catto in particular. I had never appreciated previously what Angie has achieved by getting healing accepted as a complementary therapy working alongside conventional medicine, until several telephoned me afterwards to put me straight. Obviously several are as interested in the welfare of their feet as I am, because Alex had everyone literally on their toes. Lotte Rose and Baljeet Suri, speaking on more conventional subjects, contributed cogently to existing knowledge.

Although I have little to do at the Open Day except ensure that the lunch is up to scratch, I do get a little het up. Last year, I felt that I had rather failed with the midday repast and so lambasted the Mill House Hotel. The meal was probably not that bad but we did run out of food, which in my book is unforgivable. This year, I was very determined that it would not happen again. To my considerable relief, a cursory glance confirmed that the tables were groaning with comestibles. Still no profiteroles I’m afraid, but hey! I retired to the bar for a self-congratulatory pint! Nevertheless, it is not always such easy sailing.

Recently, I have been charged with finding a suitable venue for a meeting of one of my ‘Old Car Clubs’. You might imagine that this is a simple task, but you don’t know the members of the club. Permanently tuned to ‘Tums are Us’, these fellows know their food and ales like the back of their hand. I, on the other hand, rarely view a cookery programme, because they all seem the same, and never surf the Net in search of the finest food in the land, because I believe that it is far cheaper, better, and easier to eat at home. I offered to entertain them myself, which I thought quite brave, but they were already salivating over the prospect of dining in some so-called gastropub. I was sent a selection to check out.

All were located in country villages, with unlikely names like Summer Pudding, Melton Muesli and Saucy Sausage, and run by graduates of Britain’s glitterati restaurants. I decided to adopt an open approach, simply announcing that I was there to check them out. Interestingly, not one offered me a taster of their signature dish. Instead I was proffered volumes of favourable literary reviews, which doubtless had already been sifted through by members of the club on the internet. The menus were interesting and inviting, but a humble hamburger, for it could be little else despite the gastrospeak, costing £16.50 had me wincing. Strangely, this ‘gourmet’ mix of mince appeared on several lists and, what’s more, it was proving rather popular. Madness! All the same, reluctant to spend such a hefty sum on something that I could whip up any day of the week, I was forced to dig much deeper in my pocket for the next least expensive item on the carte. The wines, however, were surprisingly reasonable. Is this a gastropub marketing strategy? Also, who dreams up these weird names for beers - Pissed Newt, Fidgety Ferret, Red Rocket, and the like? A pint of your best bitter and a pickled egg, please landlord, is undoubtedly a request from the past. Perhaps I should get out more!

As it is, I have selected the only pub on the list that does not offer a hamburger and stocks beers, like London Pride, the names of which I recognize. Located in the back of beyond, hiding behind the facade of a village pub that has long since seen better days, the cosy bar cum dining room and imaginative menu lure diners from far and wide. I spoke to several, who assured me that my judgment was not misplaced. I just hope that they weren’t a bunch of food critics because, having visited a number of highly recommended establishments in my quest, I am not convinced that food critics always know what they are talking about!
Why do dogs shake, nibble, and roll?
Some may question why I am turning my attention to canine behaviour. Well, believe it or not, I receive almost as many enquiries about animals as I do about humans. For example, I was asked only the other day if dogs liked perfumes. I am sure that some might as, like humans, they love to cover themselves in attractive smells but, while we think that perfumed soaps and lotions smell pleasant, dogs are attracted to more natural perfumes such as dead fish, or the droppings of other animals! Wolves also behave this way and it may be their method of masking their scent in order to improve hunting prospects. Whatever, many own a dog and get understandably concerned if they can’t understand their pet’s behaviour, even my own family.

Can’t you stop that dog scratching and nibbling itself? Jan and Justin occasionally demand. Young Mick and I exchange knowing looks, for he is never happier than when rearranging his coiffure after a cleansing bath. A naturally scruffy dog, he absolutely loathes any grooming by humans as he prefers to do it himself. The reason is simple. While Jan grooms him to improve his appearance, and he does scrub up rather well, he keeps his coat tidy for more pragmatic reasons. His skin is his first line of defence. Self-grooming stimulates and invigorates the skin’s defences and reduces risks from parasites, yeasts, and bacteria.

After a good meal, he will ritually rub one side of his face then the other on any available absorbent fabric, invariably Jan’s favourite chair, which is cause for further admonition. Also, he spends quite a bit of his time chewing his nails, which even I will admit is a distracting performance. However, these are intelligent, self-taught grooming techniques and are simply variations of natural grooming methods. All dogs use four standard grooming techniques to care for their skin: licking and nibbling, scratching and rubbing, rolling and shaking.

The teeth and tongue are a dog’s natural grooming utensils. From an  early age, they intuitively tackle their grooming needs with licks and nibbles, the combination of which tends to sound like a rather asthmatic vacuum cleaner in Mick’s case. The action is cleansing but also soothing and comforting, which is why dogs find petting and gentle brushing a real pleasure. Both activities have a physiological effect. With gentle strokes, a dog’s state of arousal diminishes, its heart rate and blood pressure drop, and its skin temperature lowers. Sometimes, when a dog licks itself, it slips into a gentle reverie. Licking becomes slow and rhythmic. It may relax so much its tongue stops in mid-lick, glued to its leg. This was a common occurrence with dear old Mung, my late Rhodesian Ridgeback. Also, because dogs effectively don’t sweat, licking is a natural way to rid the body of excess liquid. At the same time, moistening the area with saliva cools it down.

Nibbling is much more active. The incisors are used to give a “needle massage” to the skin, and this is probably what alarms Jan so much as Mick attacks the task with unrelenting vigour. The skin is stimulated and at the same time debris and surface parasites such as fleas and ticks are removed. However, although this action may clear away skin parasites it is also the most common way dogs consume tapeworm eggs, which live in the flea’s digestive system.

Scratching is really only effective with the hind paws, although some dogs become adept at using their forepaws to groom their heads. Interestingly, Mick is most adept at combing his luxuriant moustache with his forepaws.

Virtually all four-legged mammals body-roll to massage parts that their teeth and claws cannot reach. Dogs actively choose where to roll. Some give themselves dust baths by rolling on dry, sandy soil, while others like to roll after rain. Mick prefers paving. These methods help to keep the hair and skin surprisingly clean. By the way, rolling to groom is quite different from rolling to anoint the skin with canine perfume.

Some dogs shake on waking, to get their coats in order for the day ahead and improve circulation to resting muscles, and most will also shake after rolling. The most glorious shakes occur after getting wet. Don’t tell me! A classic shake begins at the head and builds up in amplitude as it extends in a wave down the body, finishing at the very tip of the tail. This method of grooming technique is highly sophisticated and not one used by Mick, as his legs are too short and body so heavy that it would be folly to take a swim. Also, it requires instinctive muscle co-ordination, which I doubt he has.

Sadly, although all dogs inherit natural grooming methods, some have difficulty grooming themselves efficiently because of selective breeding. Poodles have hair that grows continually so their coats become matted and prone to debris and parasites. Mick’s coat, like that of Yorkshire Terriers, is so fine that self-grooming does not prevent mats and tangles. Perhaps worst of all, selective breeding has resulted in certain animals growing hair in their ear canals. This hair traps wax and tends to provide a fertile environment for parasites and yeast. It is impossible for these dogs to groom their own ears. They need human help. 

Hot Air Massage.
Massage World (www.massageworld.co.uk), the magazine for Massage and Body Therapists, would be interested to have your comments on this new technique, and so would I.

HotAir Massage appears to be exactly what its name implies. Hot air is directed in certain dynamic movements that have a massage effect. It has frequently been compared with water jet or hydrotherapy massage, but it is claimed to have far greater benefits than any form of water therapy as the chance of spreading disease, bacterial infection, fungal skin infection, chlorine allergy, risk of slip and fall injuries, is completely removed. Tell me, are these common occurrences with water therapies? Also, is it fact that getting wet has no medical benefit for muscular conditions? That said I can see that a combination of hot air and pressure could not only relieve muscle tension but also help the mind to relax completely, as all seem to be asleep under hairdriers whenever I drive past the local hair salon.

Apparently, full body air massage therapy takes only 25 minutes and so, in this rushed world, it could be an ideal and beneficial lunchtime treat. Recommended for all, particularly for those who do not enjoy traditional hands-on massage, it could be a nice little earner as two clients could be treated in an hour. There is no contact between client and therapist - no hands, no touch, and no product application to the skin, just warm air, which makes this treatment very safe, hygienic, quick and easy. All the same, it is not recommended during pregnancy, or for those with high blood pressure or a terminal illness.

From the therapist’s point of view it seems ideal, as a full body massage takes only 25 minutes and there is no need for hands or energy. Claimed to be far more beneficial than most other massage therapies, it works as a therapy for both body and mind as the warm air helps relieve tension and stress and the air pressure is very effective on the skin, penetrating deeper muscle layers and internal organs. Needless to say, it is reputed toease most aches and pains and could be an effective therapy for weight loss, cellulite, sluggish metabolism and poor circulation. Of course, there is a machine involved and I am not entirely sure how it works.

The Aeroline jet machine measures 60x60x70cm and weighs 60 kilos. It fits easily under a massage couch and requires minimal maintenance, if at all. It is made of recyclable material and requires a very small amount of power to operate. Nevertheless, I am advised that Hot Air Massage can be done only by trained therapists.

To find out more, visit www.hotairmassage.co.uk or phone Emmanuelle Picard on 07990 635 567, and don’t forget to let Massage World know what you think (massageworld@btconnect.com).

Meanwhile you will find me enjoying one of the small pleasures in life, standing under the hot air blower in the doorway of a supermarket on a freezing cold day!

Threading?
I must admit that I had never heard of threading until I chanced upon an illustrated guide to the method in BABTAC’s magazine Vitality.

Although, as a very small boy, I was fascinated by mother’s attention to her ever-diminishing eyebrows, I have always rejected any offer to have my own trimmed, let alone plucked. However, years ago when attending for an interview in Singapore, I popped into a local barber for a quick back and sides and was absolutely horrified, having already almost shaved me bald, when he set about my eyebrows with a pair of pliers! The moral of this tale is to make sure first that the fellow speaks English, which he did not. I fled from the premises in panic, and he’s probably still looking for me now! Had he tried threading I might not have been so alarmed.

Threading is an ancient method that originated in India and is practiced in the Middle and Far East. It is now gaining popularity in Western countries. Apparently, threading is as efficient as it is simple - the therapist uses thin cotton, which needs to be of good quality and strength so that it will not snap easily. Now comes the tricky part!

Holding one end of the thread between your teeth and the other end in your right hand, you use your left hand to form a large L-shape. Then you turn your left hand towards your body, turning the thread over to form twists in the thread which will be used to pull the hair out at the root. You place the thread over the unwanted hair, keeping tension in the thread using both hands and your neck, and then place the hair in the loop of thread just ahead of the twisted section and pull away with your right hand, tightening the thread and removing the hair with the twists.

It is very cost-effective and removes even the finest hair from the root. The treatment has many benefits over waxing and plucking, being very fast and considered less painful than plucking, while at the same time the lack of chemicals and heat make it far less likely to cause irritation than waxing. Threading gives the eyebrow a much clearer defined shape and best of all there is no extensive training involved - it just takes dedication and practice. You’re telling me! Out of idle curiosity, I tried to remove a hair from my arm using the method. Two hours later, I could understandwhy a pair of pliers might be easier! Has anyone else tried threading?

Breakfast caution!
A glass of fruit juice and a slice of toast is probably the start of many’s day, but recent research suggests a little caution. Drinking fruit juice could dramatically reduce the effectiveness of some medicines. A team of scientists from the University of Western Ontario has investigated the effect of orange and apple juice, as well as grapefruit, on pharmaceutical drugs. Researchers believe that an active ingredient of grapefruit juice, naringin, appears to interfere with the way a drug is absorbed by the body.

In fact, naringin, which also occurs in some Seville oranges, has been implicated before in this regard, but I was unaware of its presence in apples. So far, the three types of fruit juice have been found to affect etoposide, the chemotherapy drug, some beta-blocker drugs used to treat high blood pressure, and cyclosporine, taken by transplant patients. [A BBC report]
 
Danish scientists have shown that toasting bread increases levels of the chemical compound acrylamide. Acrylamide has been demonstrated to cause cancer in animals, leading to concerns that it may have the same effect in humans.

The Danish looked at levels of acrylamide in baked and toasted wheat and rye bread, and measured levels of a chemical called asparagine - which when heated in the presence of glucose forms acrylamide - in pre-toasted and toasted breads. They found that residual levels of asparagine reacted significantly on toasting raising acrylamide levels. [Food-e-News]

Come to think about it, my parrot Birdie is very partial to a piece of toast, smothered in thick-cut Seville orange marmalade, and it seems to have done him no harm over 25 years!

Tight fit for diabetics.
My father, who was a most fastidious dresser, would always have several pairs of brand new shoes in stock, some of which he would occasionally give to me when my existing shoes were quite beyond repair. This was most welcome, as we both had the same shoe size, until he became a diabetic in later life when his shoes no longer seemed to fit me, although my feet had stopped growing years ago. I hadn’t given the matter further thought for almost forty years until an article in WDDTY (What Doctors Don’t Tell You) recently caught my eye.

According to researchers from Dundee University, led by diabetes expert Graham Leese, there’s something unusual about people with diabetes - they tend to wear the wrong-sized shoes! They estimate that around 60% of diabetes sufferers are walking around in ill-fitting shoes.

Apart from the discomfort, the habit can lead to serious health problems, including foot ulcers - infections that can even lead to amputation of the foot or leg if the problem is left untreated. My maternal grandfather lost his leg for this very reason, but did they know anything about this seventy years ago?

When the scientists reviewed the footwear of 100 diabetic patients, they found that 63 of them were wearing shoes that did not fit. In most cases, the shoe was too tight, and the researchers believe they know why such tight-fitting shoes are so often being chosen by the diabetic patient.

People with diabetes tend to lose the neural sensations in their toes and feet (my father often used to complain of this, and in his fingers), so the shoe has to be tight-fitting to give the wearer the feeling that it’s a good fit [Int. J. Clin. Pract., 2007; 61: 1900-4]. Be this the case, it might be a wise idea if diabetes sufferers checked their foot size before buying again a pair of wrong-sized shoes.

An alternative cancer therapy that might work.
In 2004, Dr. Andrew Vickers, researcher at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, famously asserted that alternative cancer therapies were no longer unproven - they had been disproven. However, his conclusion has been thrown into question since by new research into a variety of therapies - including those already investigated by Vickers, such as vitamin C, hydrazine sulphate, laetrile and antineoplaston therapy - that has found there are cancer treatments that do offer a genuine and effective alternative to conventional medicine’s options of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery.

Amongst others is the flaxseed, or linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.), diet pioneered by the German biochemist Dr. Johanna Budwig in 1951, which involves the addition of two tablespoons of flaxseed oil to one-fourth of a cup (2oz/57g) of low-fat cottage cheese or other sulphur-containing food, and is designed to boost the immune system and slow growth of cancer cells.

According to two recent studies, it is a strategy that seems to work. In one, flaxseed oil not only slowed breast tumour growth in experimental mice, but also counteracted the carcinogenic effects of soy protein [J. Toxicol. Environ. Health A, 2007; 70: 1888-96]. The other study, which also used mice, demonstrated that the oil slowed the growth of cancer cells through its anti-oestrogenic effect on oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer [Clin. Cancer Res., 2007; 13: 1061-7]. 

An unlikely absolute.
Among a wealth of unusual products which are often produced only on demand is the alcohol-extraction product of raw Linseed Oil. This kind of perfumery material represents the results of various perfumers’ study of natural flowers and their fragrance. In their intense search for notes with which they can duplicate certain of nature’s fragrances, perfumers often have to use materials other than the conventional flower extracts or straight synthetic chemicals.

Linseed Oil Absolute is an example of just such a situation. When the perfumers tried to duplicate the finer notes of lily, lilac, orange-flower, jasmin, tuberose, gardenia, etc., they found that the conventional amyl cinnamic aldehyde was not satisfactory. Even modifications with hexyl cinnamic aldehyde, undecanolide, etc., did not solve the problem. Rancid castor oil (Ricinus communis L.) has notes similar to the unwanted notes in amyl cinnamic aldehyde and Beeswax Absolute, Absolue Cire d’Abeille, does not lend the natural fatty-greasy odour of the flower petals. Linseed oil (raw, but not rancid), however, definitely has notes like those of the flower waxes, notes which are particularly distinguishable in “enfleurage” type absolutes.

Only raw (i.e. unboiled and unoxidized) linseed oil, which is hydraulically expressed from the seeds, can be used for the preparation of absolute. The raw (crude) linseed oil is a yellow oily liquid of faint odour, which oxidizes easily upon exposure to air. Poppy seed oil (Papaver somniferum) has a similar odour.

Linseed Oil Absolute is a yellowish to light amber coloured, oily liquid of mild, fatty-oily odour, reminiscent of the odour of freshly expressed oil. The odour is also rather like the slightly fishy-animal-like smell of fresh cod liver oil.

The absolute is not commercially available, but it can be prepared upon request. Its use is limited to the flower oil duplications already mentioned and similar perfumery problems.

Ever wondered about the origins of Cajun cuisine?
Who are the Acadians? asks Sarah Gates.

Acadians are a French-derived  population that was deported to Louisiana in the 18th century from the French colony of Acadia on the east coast of Canada. Acadie was the French name for Nova Scotia. In the bayou of southern Louisiana, the word Acadian was colloquially mangled into Cajun. Today, Acadiana starts roughly west of the state capital, Baton Rouge (named for the red posts Native Americans would plant in the ground to mark a trading post), runs north as far as Alexandria, and goes all the way to the Texas border. It is this population that, together with other nationalities, gave Cajun cuisine its unique melody of aromas. They brought their French ingredients, which were added to the French cooking already in place in Louisiana. Added to this was a sprinkling of seasoning from Spain, one of the seven flags that flew over Louisiana at that time. Stirred into this mixture was the marvellous black influence from the slave cooks and the melodies of taste from the Irish Channel in New Orleans. Influences of Sicilian and Jewish cooking were also thrown into the grand melting pot.

The Acadians, not accustomed to a peasant lifestyle, had to learn to live off what was caught and grown in their new home and, along the way, they learned about new and unfamiliar ingredients from Native Americans, such as filet, which is comprised of ground dried sassafras (Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees). Cajun food was much simpler peasant fare; it was not directly influenced by classic French cuisine.

For example, Cajun gumbo would tend to be darker and smokier than Creole varieties due to a roux that has been cooked for hours in an iron pot. This use of aggressive flavourings and strong seasonings served to mask the gamy off-flavours in the foods they were eating, particularly those affected by heat such as chicken, rabbit and locally raised pork. Because Cajuns tended to live further away from the source, shellfish such as oysters were less commonly used. Thus, cayenne pepper, high doses of salt, capsicum, onions, celery, garlic and a local spicy-smoky version of andouille sausage were common culinary facets. Cajun cuisine was also characterized by long marinade times using aggressive rubs with up to 60% salt. After sitting for several hours, the meat is then seared to create unique Cajun flavours. In addition, Cajuns cultivated their own corn and rice, and even today rice and gravy is a very common meal because, in Cajun country, rice is still grown nearby.

Creole cuisine, in contrast, is characterized by many New Orleans classics such as oysters Rockefeller, paella and jambalaya (a “melting pot” of the various rice dishes that the Spanish and Africans brought to the region). Creole styles, which heavily reflected classic French cooking, applied heavy, often butter- and egg-bound sauces in the tradition of Auguste Escoffier to wild game and seafood dishes. Paired with local seasonings, these indulgent tastes create signature Creole flavours.

Finally.....
Anyone for a Cajun sausage gravy omelette?! 




 

charles@essentiallyoils.com

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