Recently a thoughtful friend gave me a gift voucher for a clothing and style analysis. I had been wanting this done for a while since presentation is part of conveying expertise and authority in business. Another friend, fashion writer Gala Darling, accompanied me on the consultation and wrote about the experience for her readers.

Something, I took away from the experience was how some clothing colours could make you look sickly and others actually took away my energy. That is, I actually felt weaker wearing that colour.

Some of you may be familiar with the muscle testing or energy testing which shows how the body is stronger or weaker in response to thoughts, feelings and things. I had never thought about testing the clothing I was wearing to see if it was making me stonger or weaker.

Yet even without using muscle testing, you can check in with yourself about how a specific piece of clothing makes your feel. There may be a reason you don't like that shirt you got for Christmas. If you feel it is taking away your energy then freecycle it or throw it out. Your health is worth it.

In our culture, we are bombarded with imagery showing 'perfect' bodies. Stick figure female models and perfectly buffed male models in glossy magazines impress on us how we should look. However, like me, I'm guessing your shape, size, ripples and curves don't fit the fashion stereotype.

In my practice, I help clients accept and appreciate their own body by having them stand in front of a mirror and tap on the aspects of their body that they do and don't like.

While tapping on the indicated tapping points, say the following words:

Now continue with a few rounds of tapping starting with the things you don't like about your body and then alternating with the things you do like as follows:

Head: "My nose is too big"
Eyebrows: "My eyes are to close together"
Side of Eyes: "My chest is too small"
Under Eyes: "My skin is too dry"
Top Lip: "My bum is too big"
Chin: "I do like my calves"
Collarbones: "I like the sparkle in my eyes"
Under arms: "My thighs are too big"
Wrists: "I like the colour of my hair"

Continue tapping for several rounds with all your likes and dislikes, then return to tapping on the karate chop point and say:
"Even though my body isn't the same as everyone else's, I choose to appreciate it anyway."
"Even though my body has its weak points, I'm now noticing and paying attention to its good points also."
"Even though I've always felt uncomfortable with my body, I deeply and completely accept my body and treat it with the respect I deserve."

Are you the type of person who wants scientific proof before accepting something as fact? Are you sure that clinical trials guarantee your safety?

My guess is, as a reader of this newsletter, you tend more towards making up your own mind rather than relying on white-coated experts to tell you what's good for you or not.

A recent article, Health Studies Are Worthless to Those Who Care About Health by Steve Pavlina, points out some key considerations to keep in mind when presented with scientific studies and trials.

It's always good to remember the Latin phrase "Que Bono?" - who benefits? - and ask it whenever you see something like a clinical trial. Or, as someone once said, "There are three types of lies - lies, damn lies, and statistics." Think about who benefit's and make up your own mind.