Articles

Please enjoy the hundreds of articles that Dr. Borten has written over the past 20+ years. There’s something for everyone, including explorations of spirituality, learning from the natural world, exercise and stretching, nutrition, psychology, posture, breathing, pain management, Eastern medicine and philosophy, and much more.

There’s nothing plain about this vanilla… I have a confession… I’ve always had a challenging relationship with vanilla scented products, a relationship that over the past decade has not shown any signs of improving, UNTIL NOW! Because of this, I was a little reluctant to…

The holidays can be challenging to stay focused and retain your health and wellness goals. Tis the season for spending time with the family. Many family celebrations and traditions center around food, and the busy schedules don’t leave much time for exercise, so it is…

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! The Dragontree Spa would like to announce our Q & A for a Spa Day Winner! Congratulations Kim Fournier, who is our 1st Place Winner!!!!! The Dragontree Spa would like to THANK everyone who submitted entries! It was such a difficult decision I…

Lately I have been catching myself falling into a negative thinking pattern, a reactive stance to nearly everything that comes my way.Some say, seeing the glass half empty as opposed to half full. I’m fairly convinced this has led me to feeling more tired, more grumpy, just…

In the traditional system of Indian healthcare called Ayurveda, the doshas relate to all things- even the seasons. Vata is often called the “king” or “queen” of doshas in part because of its incredibly destructive properties. We live in a Vata culture, it is the Vata time…

Recently, I sampled the Livia Ultralift Eye Treatment and was totally blown away! This stuff was amazing…I almost instantly felt the area around my eyes firming up!Many years ago (too many to count) my lovely friend Constance, explained to me the benefit of using an “eye…

“I give myself, sometimes, admirable advice, but I am incapable of taking it.”~ Lady Mary Wortley Montagu The above quote describes my former relationship with my instinct.  That is, throughout my life I have had an acute awareness of what is right or wrong for me…

It’s true!  We have some awesome new lotions that I’ve had the pleasure of sampling as we’ve been packaging them in our work area at the airport.  Coming to work is great, but walking into the office to be greeted by the warm smells of…

  A couple of weeks ago  I had the exceptional privilege of going to New York and attending  an amazing event hosted by the beautiful and talented Marie Forleo.  She is worth checking out. Through the event I was lucky enough to network with some…

So I decided to focus my day, for myself, on what really moves me. What is it that invokes so much passion and joy that I am beaming. Today it was sunshine, nature, hiking to a vista, spending time with laughter,contemplation, a lovely companion, and…

Who would like to start their day with an hour-and-a-half Aromatherapy massage to thoroughly soothe every inch of your body. Then, gently re-emerge with a cardamom, milk and honey foot bath. Meanwhile, your burdened head, neck and shoulders will receive the extra 30 minutes of…

Who has dealt with pain?  I know I sure have.  I have dealt with many back pain issues usually coming from my sciatic nerve.  However, in the last year I have been dealing with lower back pain that is not from my sciatica. I have…

Infant massage has been shown to reduce infants’ pain, stimulate weight in preterm infants, and improve infants’ rest-activity cycle, among other results. In new research, investigators looked at the effect of meridian massage on physical growth and infants’ health as perceived by their mothers. Meridian…

A few years ago, I decided to try creating my own positive affirmation to create new though patterns. I remember reading cheerful ones, cheesy ones, weird sounding ones,  wonderful ones,  and ones that didn’t quite fit. So I figured I’d come up with some on…

Greetings Facebook Fans!  The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa thanks all of you for becoming loyal fans.  Now that we have reached 1000 fans we are going to give away a fantastic spa package called the Shakti.  The lucky winner will start with a warm milk foot bath,…

Not being someone who is particularly sentimental I was surprised to find myself so moved and motivated by all the friends, family and spectators that came out to cheer the Portland Marathon runners on. Running for 26.2 miles (meaning somewhere between 3 and 5+ hours…

Listening. What does this mean? It means so much more than merely opening up ones ears.Listening includes opening ones ears to what the other is saying as well as paying attention to subtle or even overt cues such as body language, eye contact, gestures and…

Sometimes the most simplest of human tasks can be changed to give us the most benefit.  Take for example the idea of washing your face…..recently I learned some new information at a workshop given by our estheticians about when to wash your face. I learned…

“Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself.” ~Cicero Deconstructing Cravings The body is an amazing source of intelligence. It is always there for you, pumping blood, never skipping a heartbeat, digesting whatever food you put in it and maintaining homeostasis. Is this reliable, intelligent…

I can think back about 3 ½ years and come up with almost nothing that hasn’t changed. The majority of us fear change.  It’s understandable to be uncomfortable with unknown territory.  But, I’ve been through so much of it in rapid succession that it almost…

I’ve talked to so many people recently with overly sensitive skin, or symptoms like rashing, flaking, break outs, sunburn, eczema, hyperpigmentation … you name it!  This mask has covered all the bases for nourishing, cooling, and healing irritated skin. The key ingredient is Spirulina, which helps…