Weekendin Singapore Feb '14 | Issue 11 | Page 92

inthePINK inthePINK The Complete Detox The Answer Colon Cleansing What is it? The body is like a stream that needs the flow of fresh and clear water for proper irrigation. Colon hydrotherapy is also known as colonic irrigation, a procedure that cleanses the inner wall of the colon (a part of the large intestines), by evacuating waste and encouraging the digestive system to function more efficiently. A healthy colon is essential for a healthy body. For those who have normal bowel movements, there is still waste in the colon, which does not get completely eliminated. Colon hydrotherapy helps the removal of waste remaining in the colon which elimates the acumulation of toxic waste and exourages the large intestines to carry out it’s natural peristaltic action, promoting a clean, healthy body. The procedure involes a soothing flow of purified, temperature regulated water, inserted gently into the colon through a thin rectal tube, stimulating the colon’s natural peristaltic action to release softened waste. The inflow of a small amount of water and the release of waste may occur several times during a session. The removal of waste encourages better colon function and excretion. Lavender Not just aromatic flower, but for culinary and other usage Estimated price: From S$180 per session Excess Body Fat The Answer The HYPOXO—Vacu Training System is a system designed to target and burn fat. What is it? This specialised treatment comprises of three different machines—the Slimming Suit, Vacuum Dome and the Active Suit. 400 vacuum suction cups are used to accelerate blood circulation to activate your lymphatic system, draining out toxins and firming your skin. The 400 vacuum suction cups are applied to areas of your belly, back and hips. 200 vacuum cups apply suction and 200 apply pressure to your skin tissue. The Vacuum Dome is designed for the best comfort of your body. Lying on a bed designed to provide your body with the best posture, you are sealed within a dome shape and the ergo metre is set to create and maintain a vacuum status. 20 minutes of training will burn 1,000 calories inside this vacuum atmosphere, which can be monitored and adjusted by the computer processor to achieve the maximum status for fat burning training. The body’s problem zones experience increased blood circulation through the vacuum suction process. Fatty acids are broken down to fat molecules and absorbed into the blood stream and supplied via the blood circulation to the exercised muscles, which in turn convert the fat molecules in the blood into energy and burns fat. Estimated price: Per session S$150 Weekendin 92 Lavender, having garnered past Herb of the Year awards by the International Herb Association, is an aromatic Mediterranean native. The two most commonly produced types of lavenders are English lavenders (Lavandula angustifolia) and lavandins (L. x intermedia). English lavenders produce seed; lavandins do not. Seed of the cultivars Munstead, a popular compact variety, and Hidcote, a slow-growing variety with very gray foliage and dark-purple flowers, are offered in catalogues, but the plants produced from seed don’t produce uniform stands. Hidcote plants, grown from seed, will not look the same as those produced from cuttings. The flowers have different shades of purple rather than being deep purple and there will be slight differences in growth habit. Though seed-grown English lavenders can be used in the landscape, the plants will look uniform in height and flower colour. Lavender Lady, a 1994 All-American Selections winner bred by Burpee Seed and available from PanAmerican Seed, is a seed-produced cultivar that is uniform in plant habit and will flower the first year. Lady is hardy to USDA Zone 5. Some retailers are finding that more of their customers are asking for cultivars by name. Some of the popular cultivars of Langustifolia include the dark-purple Hidcote, Lodden Blue’ and Royal Velvet; white Nana Alba; and pink Rosea and Hidcote Pink. Because of plant variability from seed, propagate these cultivars vegetatively to ensure they are true to the type. The best vegetative cuttings for both English lavenders and lavandins are taken from non-flowering new growth. Cuttings should be taken in late summer, although pre-flowering stem cuttings taken in the late spring can also be successful. Cuttings can be dipped in a rooting compund and placed in flats filled with perlite. Supplemental bottom heat should be used during cooler weather to maintain a medium temperature of 65F— 70F. Misting the cuttings may not be necesaary, but the cuttings should be kept under at least 45% shade until they are rooted. Rooting occurs in four to six weeks. Botrytis can be a problem on cuttings taken late in the season. Production time for vegetative-propagated lavenders is six to eight weeks after transplanting rooted cuttings. Use a well-drained medium with a pH of 6.5. Crop time for Lady is usually five to six months everywhere but in the South, where it’s two months less. Sow seed in a well-drained medium at a germination temperature of 72F. Germination is best with light. A slight covering with coarse vermiculite provides better germination and plant stands. Germination takes five to ten days. The hypocotyls can stretch very rapidly under low light, so be sure to move the seedlings to Stage 2 conditions immediately after germination. Seedlings will need an additional month of growth before they are ready for transplanting into finished containers. Transplant the seedlings into a well-drained, pH neutral medium and grow on at 60F—65F nights, 72F days. Seedlings may be transplanted slightly deeper than they have been grown in the plug trays if necessary to compensate for stretched hypocotyls. The medium should be allowed to dry o WB&WGvVV