Breathe Dundee

28/12/2025

💚

Castor Oil Packs: Ancient Remedy, Modern Wonder

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your health regimen.

What is a Castor Oil Pack? 🛁🌿
A Castor Oil Pack is a therapeutic cloth soaked in cold-pressed castor oil (from the seeds of Ricinus communis) placed on the skin—typically over the liver, abdomen, or lymph nodes. Covered with a barrier (wool) and warmed with a hot water bottle or heat pack, this ancient remedy has stood the test of time—from Cleopatra’s beauty rituals to 21st-century detox protocols ✨.

Let’s Talk Science 🔬🧠
Why is castor oil more than just an old wives’ tale? Science is catching up:

1. Ricinoleic Acid – The Star Ingredient ⭐
About 90% of castor oil is made up of ricinoleic acid, a rare unsaturated fatty acid with powerful anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects 💥.

Research Highlight:
A 2009 study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology found that ricinoleic acid activates EP3 prostanoid receptors—which are involved in immune function modulation, pain regulation, and smooth muscle contraction. That means castor oil can calm inflammation, ease pain, and stimulate flow—especially in the lymphatic and digestive systems 🌿💪.

Benefits of Castor Oil Packs
Here’s what the research and clinical practice suggest these gooey little wonders can do:

1. Lymphatic Drainage Booster 🌀💧
The lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump like the heart—it relies on movement and flow. Castor oil packs may stimulate lymphocyte production (white blood cells), encouraging better lymph drainage and detoxification 🚿.

Clinical Insight:
A study from The Townsend Letter for Doctors reported increased lymphocyte counts within hours of castor oil pack application—suggesting improved immune and lymphatic activity 🧬.

2. Liver Love & Detox Support 🌿🫀
Placed over the liver, castor oil packs may improve liver enzyme function and bile flow—essential for detoxification, hormone balance, and digestion 🌱.

3. Gut Health & Constipation Relief 🚽💨
One of the oldest uses of castor oil is for constipation relief. Packs applied to the abdomen may support peristalsis (bowel movement) and reduce bloating and cramping 🫃.

Bonus: A study published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice (2011) showed that elderly participants with constipation experienced significant improvement using abdominal castor oil packs ✅.

4. Hormone Harmony & Menstrual Relief 🌸🕊️
Castor oil’s anti-inflammatory nature may help relieve menstrual cramps, support ovarian and uterine health, and even help with fibroids and cysts (when used consistently with professional guidance) 💗.

How To Use a Castor Oil Pack
It’s as simple as 1-2-3: ✨

You’ll Need:
• Cold-pressed, hexane-free castor oil 🧴
• A piece of flannel or wool (about the size of your hand) 🧵
• A protective cloth or sheet 🧼
• Hot water bottle or heating pad ♨️
• Old clothes or towels (because it will get messy!) 🧺

Step-by-Step:
1. Soak the flannel with castor oil until it’s saturated but not dripping 🌊.
2. Place it over your target area (liver, abdomen, joints, lymph nodes) 🎯.
3. Cover with your protective layer 🧻.
4. Add heat and relax for 30–60 minutes ⏳.
5. Repeat 3–5x per week for best results 📆.

Pro Tip: Do not use during menstruation or pregnancy unless cleared by a professional 🚫🤰.

Who Should Avoid Castor Oil Packs?
• Pregnant women (castor oil can stimulate uterine contractions) ⚠️
• Active infections or open wounds at application site 🛑
• Allergy to castor oil (always patch test!) 🧪

In a Nutshell… 🥥💚
Castor oil packs are like nature’s version of a warm hug: soothing, detoxifying, and deeply nurturing to your organs and lymphatic flow 🫶. With modern research backing what ancient cultures knew, they’re a safe, accessible tool for anyone on a healing or wellness journey 🌍✨.

So grab your oil, wrap yourself up, and let the healing begin 🌙.
Because sometimes, the simplest remedies are the most profound 🌿💫.

©️

08/12/2025

❤️

The old healer of the soul said…

It’s not your back that hurts, but the burden.

It’s not your eyes that hurt, but injustice.

It’s not your head that hurts, but the thoughts.

Not the throat, but what you don’t express or say with anger.

Not the stomach that hurts, but what the soul does not digest.

It’s not the liver that hurts, it’s the anger.

It’s not your heart that hurts, but love.

And it is LOVE itself that contains the most powerful medicine.

07/12/2025

I’m going to do all of these today ❤️

🎄✨ Keep Your Lymph Flowing Before Christmas!

A fun, simple routine to help you feel lighter, calmer & de-bloated through the festive season 🌿💚

The Christmas rush can slow the lymphatic system — late nights, richer food, stress, more sitting, less movement… and suddenly the body feels puffy, tight or sluggish.

Here is a quick, enjoyable daily routine to keep your lymph moving gently all the way to Christmas:

⭐ 1. Warm Water Magic (Morning)

Start your day with warm water + ginger or lemon zest.
This wakes up digestion, thins lymph fluid & reduces puffiness.

⭐ 2. Neck Drainage (30 seconds)

Clear the “lymph sink” behind your ears → down your neck → across your collarbone.

⭐ 3. Christmas Steps (5–10 minutes)

Take a short walk — in the house, garden, mall or office.
Your calves are your second lymph pump!

⭐ 4. Belly Breathing Reset

Deep breathing opens the diaphragm and stimulates the vagus nerve — a huge lymph booster.

⭐ 5. Anti-Bloat Afternoon Snack

Choose one:
• cucumber
• blueberries
• pineapple
• warm peppermint tea
• a cup of warm broth

Simple, soothing, lymph-friendly.

⭐ 6. Legs-Up Christmas Chill (Night)

Lift your legs up the wall for 3 minutes.
Instant drainage for heavy calves, ankles & feet.

💚✨

A gentle lymphatic routine helps you enjoy Christmas feeling lighter, clearer, and more energised — without overwhelm.

02/12/2025

STOP the winter blues creeping in ❄️

I’ve put together the perfect Winter Warmer to help you melt the chill away and give your mind, body & soul a proper reset and get you ready for the festive season 💃🏻

We’ll start with an aromatherapy back, neck and shoulder massage using a gorgeous winter blend of oils we’ll choose together — whether you need something uplifting to brighten a gloomy day or something deeply relaxing to help you unwind 😴❤️

Then you can pick your next treat: choose between hands, face or feet reflexology ✨
And to finish, a calming Reiki session to leave you grounded, balanced and totally restored.

All of this cosy goodness wrapped up in 90 minutes… for just £60.

Message me to book in ❄️❤️

28/11/2025

Happy Friday Deals 💃🏻❤️

DM to arrange this brilliant deal. Buy it for yourself or treat your loved one to 10 sessions of Reiki for my best prices EVER 🧘🏼‍♀️❤️‍🩹

Have an amazing Friday 😊

Sending loads of love to you all ❤️

27/11/2025

Gratitude: A Quiet Shift

Being thankful is more than a polite response
or a momentary feeling;
it is a quiet shift in the way
we move through the world.

When we pause to acknowledge the good
woven into our days,
something inside us softens.
Gratitude moves our attention away
from what is missing
and toward what is already present in our lives.
It steadies the mind,
loosens the grip of worry,
and makes room
for a deeper sense of well-being.

In noticing the small kindnesses,
the fleeting joys,
and even the hard lessons
that shape us,
we begin to see our lives
with more clarity.

This simple act of being thankful
doesn’t erase challenges,
but it reminds us
that we are more than our struggles.

Gratitude opens a space
where resilience grows,
where contentment can take root,
and where we can meet each day
with a little more peace.

~ 'Gratitude: A Quiet Shift' by Spirit of a Hippie

✍️ Mary Anne Byrne

~ Art Unknown via Pinterest

27/11/2025

Who remembers this wee menace? 🐐🤣❤️

23/11/2025

Winter Shows Us How to Pause

There are times when we all need to slow down, to pause.
Winter shows us how to do this well.
In winter, the world softens;
trees, bare and patient,
hold meaning in their emptiness.

We, too, remember how to sit silently,
how to listen,
how to be still.

Even the smallest creatures follow quiet rhythms,
slowing down,
resting,
hibernating.

Time loosens.
Breath becomes visible.
Steps become meditation.
Silence lingers in the hush
between moments,
between footsteps,
between heartbeats.

In that hush, we meet ourselves,
no longer running,
no longer demanding more than the moment gives.

Slowing down is not retreat.
It is nourishment,
a chance to stand still,
to notice light,
movement,
the gentle turning of time.

Stillness is not empty;
it is life,
unfolding
slowly,
softly,
patiently.

~ 'Winter Shows Us How to Pause' by Spirit of a Hippie

✍️ Mary Anne Byrne

~ Art by Hayk Shalunts

22/11/2025

Absolutely amazing, in depth description of the pituitary 👣❤️🤲

THE PITUITARY GLAND in REFLEXOLOGY:
A tiny organ with a giant influence

As Reflexologists, we often discover very quickly that endocrine gland reflexes tend to be sensitive, sore, or surprisingly reactive.
There is a logic behind this: endocrine glands are small, made of delicate, highly vascular and innervated tissue, and work under constant physiological pressure.

None of them (except the te**es) lie near the surface of the body; instead, they live deep within protective muscular and bone structures. Their reflexes mirror this nature. What is anatomically protected requires Reflexological depth to be reached, and the deeper we go, the more likely we are to meet resistance, tension, or pain.

Among all endocrine glands, the pituitary gland is unique, not only because of its size (as small as a pea) or its strategic location (buried in the sella turcica at the center of the cranium), but because of its role as the master regulator of the entire endocrine system. This is why, in Reflexology, stimulating the pituitary can be both powerful and transformative.

Finding the 10 Pituitary reflexes: the most watery spot in every toe

To reach the pituitary reflex effectively, we must consider its real anatomical position: deep, central, protected. On the feet, I locate what I call the entrance point in the watery, soft, bulging tissue in the center of each toe, NOT JUST THE BIG TOE. Anatomically, this makes sense, at least for me...: the brain and cranial structures project into all the toes, and the pituitary, being central, can be reached from multiple angles.

Although stimulation can be done on any toe, the reflex responds most precisely when we apply slow, deep, and continuous pressure into that watery zone, allowing the tissue itself to guide the depth. The sensation may be sore, but the effect can be remarkable.

The Pituitary as a therapeutic ally

In practice, the pituitary gland becomes one of the most valuable allies in clinical Reflexology.

When working on a painful area of the foot, especially in acute pain, simultaneous pressure on the pituitary reflex often reduces the pain perception instantly, acting through central modulation.
This is also the reason why the pituitary reflex is a cornerstone of my technique Endocrine Balance, where I attempt to establish a feedback dialogue between all endocrine glands. In the body, the pituitary supervises the rhythm of stimulation, inhibition, and stabilization; in Reflexology, we can echo that role by “calling all glands to report,” supporting a subtle but meaningful internal recalibration.

What about pituitary dysregulation?
Common pathologies.

Because the pituitary governs multiple axes of hormonal communication, its dysregulation can manifest in various ways. Some well-known pathologies include:
Hypopituitarism: generalized hormonal deficiency affecting energy, weight, fertility, mood, and metabolism.
Hyperprolactinemia: often linked to headaches, menstrual irregularities, infertility, or unexpected lactation (galactorrhea).
Growth hormone disorders: from acromegaly to GH deficiency, with effects ranging from tissue overgrowth to metabolic dysregulation.
ACTH imbalances: contributing to Cushing’s syndrome (excess) or adrenal insufficiency (deficit).
TSH dysregulation: impacting thyroid stability and contributing to hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.
Diabetes insipidus: from impaired vasopressin production, resulting in extreme thirst and urination.
For us, Reflexologists, these conditions often manifest as intense reactivity in the gland reflex, heightened sensitivity, or changes in tissue texture.

A central tool in TOP II and general sedation

Within the TOP II methodology, designed for chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and autoimmune diseases, the pituitary reflex plays a crucial role in general sedation.

My technique TOP TEN uses it as part of a sequence that shifts the body from sympathetic overdrive toward parasympathetic safety. When the pituitary reflex is activated together with vagal pathways and serotonin-modulating reflexes, the nervous system receives an unmistakable message of calm, coherence, and quietness.

Maternity care

In maternity Reflexology, the pituitary is nothing less than essential.
During pregnancy, its influence on oxytocin, prolactin, and hormonal balance helps regulate gestational physiology, and during the last four weeks before the expected date of birth, the pituitary plays a crucial role in promoting uterine activity and preparing the body for the onset of labor.
During labor, it supports the development of ongoing contractions, not as an induction but as a reinforcement of a physiological process already in motion.
In breastfeeding, pituitary stimulation enhances prolactin production and oxytocin secretion, facilitating milk production and emotional bonding.
In the postpartum period, it aids uterine involution and hormonal stabilization during the cuarentena.

Pleasure, mood and neurotransmitters

In my Circle of Pleasure technique, the pituitary gland becomes the conductor of neurotransmitter optimization. Its capacity to regulate serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin makes it a key reflex point for enhancing well-being.

When paired with the cardiac plexus, solar plexus, heart, and ge***al reflexes, the result can be a profound sense of pleasure, safety, and internal harmony.

Women's health: a lifelong companion

Across the entire sexual and reproductive lifespan, from adolescence to menopause, the pituitary reflex supports hormonal rhythm, menstrual regularity, ovulation, and transitions such as premenopause and menopause.

And... it is essential in the treatment of PCOS, PMS, irregular cycles, anovulation, and countless other conditions that rely on stable hormonal communication.

Thanks for the read

19/11/2025

GIFT VOUCHER SALE 💃🏻❤️

Discounts are available on Gift Vouchers until Sunday 23rd Nov.

DM to arrange ❤️

Gift vouchers can be posted out, dropped off, collected or emailed and they have no start or end dates so can be used any time at all by you or your person 🤩❤️