Save $2,500 a Week on Wellness

You may have read recently about singer/actress Cher spending $2,500 a WEEK on beauty and wellness treatments.

Ouch!

Reportedly, the money goes for LED treatments as well as an on-call homeopath, naturopath and spiritual adviser.  I'm sure most of you don't spend $2,500 a YEAR on wellness treatments.  And there's really no reason you should. 

LED stands for "light emitting diode" and has been used in light boxes for SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and pain relief to treatments for acne and wrinkles--depending on the color/wavelength of the light used. 

The treatments can run about $100 a pop.  You could invest $300-400 (the approximate cost of 3-4 treatments) in an LED Skin Rejuvenating Light with DPL Therapy or Tanda Regenerate Anti-Aging Starter Kit for at-home use which would save you some serious cash over the long haul.  If you're really handy, you could buy some 660nm and 880nm LED bulbs at Radio Shack and build your own LED DPL.

Although some patients have reported good results with the painless and non-invasive therapy, Real Age reports that LED DPL results are negligible and that there's little clinical evidence to support anti-aging claims.  Plus studies that DID have favorable findings also came with warnings against hypo- and hyperpigmentation.  Like most trendy "miracle cures," the value to cost ratio makes LED therapy sketchy at best.  As far as anti-aging goes, you're better off avoiding excessive sun exposure and wearing sunscreen.

There--I've just saved you $300 or more!

As for homeopathy, there are many who swear by the healing philosophy of "like curing like."  Western medicine is mainly "allopathic"--which means it works to treat symptoms rather than working with the body's immune system to effect a cure.  Anti-histamines block histamine production, decongestants relieve congestion.  With homeopathy, diluted substances that create the symptoms being experienced are introduced into the patient's system, thus enabling the body's natural defenses to overcome the illness.  The underlying principles are similar to vaccines, where a weakened or dead form of a microbe is injected into the patient to stimulate the body's immune system to build defenses against it.

If this sounds like an intriguing form of medical treatment to you, there's no need to employ an on-call homeopath like Cher--just check out the homeopathic remedies at MotherNature.com.  And as far as naturopathy goes, I've found Dr. Weil to be a no-nonsense source of useful information on natural herbs and healing.

That's probably $1,000 or more a week saved vs. Cher's regimen...

Finally, spirituality is an important part of general well-being--whatever high power or supreme being is part of your belief system.  Whenever I'm in the need of a spiritual lift, I like re-reading Illusions by Richard Bach, Rob Brezny's Pronoia or even the children's classic, The Velveteen Rabbit. 

The point is that spiritual guidance and/or uplift can be found in a number of sources--whether it's a support group, place of worship, meditative yoga or contemplative stroll in nature.  No advisers (or cost!) necessary.

If you had almost unlimited funds, would you be spending $2,500 on facials?  What wellness treatment, practice or product WOULD you indulge in if money were no object?