Alternative medicine may not always works as effectively as traditional western medicine, but they can't harm you, right? Not true. Recent studies recently found that one in five Ayruvedic medicines contains poisonous metallics like lead, arsenic and mercury.

Of hundreds of Ayurvedic remedies purchased from 25 different websites in the USA and India, 21% contained detectable levels of at least one of these metals, and of that 21%, half had higher levels than would be considered healthy.

Ayurvedic medicine is an ancient practice that promotes overall health using a balance of medicine, meditation, exercise and diet, and while it can be part of a healthy lifestyle, it's always a good idea to talk to your doctor first before taking any kind of remedy, natural or not.

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I'm not sure I have time for this in the morning, but it definitely sounds like a luxurious way to start the day! This daily morning self-massage is part of Ayurvedic daily routine and seems simple enough to do. All you need is a sink full of warm water, a bottle of massage oil, and an old towel to stand on. Start at your scalp and move down, massaging your face, ears, throat, neck, and then onto your limbs. Afterward, step into a warm shower and enjoy the heat, washing only what you need to with soap so that the oil sits on your skin.

According to Grace Wilson, the author of the post, the massage will protect and nourish your skin and will also help release toxins that accumulate in the tissues.

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As stressful and tense as work is for most of us, you'd think massages would be more common. I'm sure it doesn't help that there are so many different kinds available, or that it's a little intimidating to walk into a massage facility (usually a spa or healthcare setting) and try to figure out what exactly you want. And since they're not exactly cheap, it would really suck to end up with a style you didn't like.

But massages are getting more and more common, and these days massages aren't just for relaxing -- people are now seeking them out to treat health issues. Many people, including office workers and corporate leaders, are using massages as a treatment for repetitive strain injuries, chronic pain, and generalized discomfort related to too much time spent working at a desk and on the computer (not to mention stress). Patients are talking with their doctors about treatment options for these issues and doctors are actually recommending and prescribing massages. And as the pile of medical evidence grows in regard to conditions helped or relieved by massage, more and more insurance companies are stepping up to offer coverage. The proof? The number of people who reported having massages that were covered by insurance doubled (from 5% to 10%) between 2005 and 2006.

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I'm fascinated with the idea of the detox, as it seems a concept rooted deeply in the human psyche. My four-year-old, Everett, has been periodically detoxing since he could reach the carrots at our local organic produce store. When he's feeling badly, he'll eat nothing but oranges, bananas, carrots and water -- a sharp detour from his usual diet of toast, hot dogs, ketchup and potato chips.

So I was thrilled when I saw a friend, Jessica Ashley, was delving deep into an Ayurveda detox on her ParentsConnect blog. She's just completed a two-week cleanse; avoiding caffeine, alcohol, refined flour, refined sugar, animal products, raw vegetables, fermented foods, and vinegar. While at first she could only mourn her "creamy, sweet coffee" and insist that she did not eat beans!, by six days in, she was feeling good but overwhelmed by the concept of a liquid diet. "I drank tea and more tea and more tea until water sounded like an extra dirty gin and tonic on a hot summer night," she writes.

It's really fun to accompany Jessica on the detox; I especially laughed out loud at her accidental trip to a raw foods restaurant with her family. ("Raw foods, according to Ayurveda, are hard to digest and leave behind a lot in the intestines.") Way to go Jessica! I can't wait to try that Carrot Subji.

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