Words by Ryanne Co / Photos by Roselle Calina
What is the best thing to do after work? My usual answers: eat, drink, or spend all my money on overpriced stuff at the mall, which just so happens to be food and drinks. All that has now come to an end, though, thanks to this new alternative to the usual inuman and lam on routine. Don’t worry. It’s still in line with the treat yoself mentality that comes after every payday: detoxifying your body.
The brainchild of high school friends Gisa Paredes (therapist and acudetox specialist) and Karla Reyes (certified foodie and entrepreneur), detox parties are a collaboration between Healing Minds PH and Swizzle Mobile Bar. It involves acupuncture that focuses on five key points on each of the ears. Originally developed in the South Bronx Lincoln Recovery Center, this method helps alleviate insomnia, anxiety, and depression while simultaneously detoxifying the liver and kidneys.
To complement the treatment, these detox parties come with a bar of food and drinks, so you can enjoy freshly squeezed juices that aim to detox either the heart, liver, or kidney (our favorite was the heart detox!) and snack on delicious finger foods, such as rice paper salad wraps with chicken breast (another of our favorites), baked pita chips with tzaziki dip or tomato basil salsa, tuna and couscous, or vegetable sticks with hummus! Perfect whether you’re a health buff or not!
Pita chips with tzaziki (cucumber yogurt dip) and tomato basil salsa with avocado! (Tip: mix the salsa with the tuna couscous! It’s sooo good)Â
Tuna and couscous with cucumber, tomatoes, mint, and lemonÂ
Everyone’s favorite: rice paper salad wraps with chicken breast
Vegetable sticks with hummus
Ear acudetox usually lasts between 20-45 minutes, making use of needles about a fifth of the size of a normal one. Being of low pain tolerance and a skeptic of needles myself, I was afraid of trying this out at first. Ten needles in my ears? Um, no thank you. The pain is bearable, though (barely an ant bite for about a second or two and it subsides right away), and what comes after is worth it: complete and utter relaxation.
As if in a trance, tranquility starts to flow in your veins—almost literally. You can feel it flowing from your arms to the tips of your fingers. Forget partying after getting acudetox done. This is a high all on its own.
Gisa Paredes, founder of Healing Minds PH, begins the procedure
Complete and utter relaxation ????
Detox party packages can cover ten to sixty people, and all packages come with the detox juice bar and healthy snacks to go around. The best part – well, aside from the food…Â you feel the effects right away! A concrete solution to stress and a great way to begin the healing process, detox parties are a great way to bond with and support those you love, care for, and work with.
Please note that it is best not to get this procedure done while pregnant. For more details or bookings, contact Gisa Paredes at healingmindsph@gmail.com or visit their website at www.HealingMindsPH.com
