Humankind has always turned to the ocean for balance and well-being. Ancient Egyptians understood the power of long soaks in seawater. Greek philosophers Euripides, Hippocrates, Plato, and Herodotus praised its therapeutic value. The Greeks and Romans used seawater for general hygiene and physical care, and they even built temples in seawater where soldiers retreated to recover after battle or during celebrations to receive underwater massage. Today, we still desire this stress-free experience of relaxing at the seashore while our worries melt away.

The first documented account of scleroderma was in 1754 by Dr. Carlo Curzio of Naples, Italy, who described his 17-year-old patient with the following condition: “Her complaint was an excessive tension and hardness of her skin over all her body, by which she found herself so bound and straightened she could hardly move her limbs. Nor could she fully close her eyelids or open her mouth, due to the firmness of the skin and membrane.”

Existence is a song. Everything vibrates, from the smallest of molecules to the very universe itself. Where there is vibration, there is sound.

Empower means “putting power into,” and it can also mean “bringing energy and enthusiasm out of.” So the first step in empowering people is to refrain from doing anything that disempowers them or reduces their energy and enthusiasm. The deepest need each person has is for self-esteem — a sense of being important, valuable, and worthwhile. Everything you do in your interactions with others affects their self-esteem in some way.