Beautiful obsession
Cindy Jackson has spent nearly Pounds 60,000 on cosmetic surgery, but she is equally committed to a quest for spiritual beauty
Cosmetic surgery has helped me to reach a point where I'm happy with my physical appearance. I had my first operation, to widen my eyes, ten years ago. Since then I've had 28 operations-including three face-lifts, two nose jobs and cheek implants.
"Before that, whenever I looked in the mirror, I saw so many things that needed doing - a hooked nose, thin lips, a double chin, love handles, saddle-bag thighs and cellulite on the backs of my legs. The cosmetic changes have certainly helped me to feel better about myself on a purely aesthetic, superficial level - but there's more to it than that. I believe that true health and beauty is based on the holistic integration of the mind, body and spirit. All of these three factors have to work together and when one lags behind, the other two suffer.
"For the last nine months I've been seeing a healer once a week. I find this really helpful both physically and mentally. After my last operation, I could literally feel the heat from the healer's hands over my bruised and tender face. Most people don't realise that having cosmetic surgery is like being in an accident and it can take weeks to get back to normal. The healing helped speed up my recovery.
"Healing also makes me feel calmer and focused. At times I even feel as if it enables me to access a much higher level of spirituality. This is important to me, because having pretty much sorted myself out physically, I'm now ready to try and achieve a deeper level of inner transformation. Of course, I can't prove that any of this works, I just know it does - as much as I know that I've had plastic surgery when I look in the mirror.
"Apart from healing, I also have acupuncture as and when I feel I need it. It keeps my energy levels balanced and helps my body to recuperate better after an operation. Sometimes, though, I get really tired of other people's cynicism. It irritates me when the papers are full of stories that denigrate alternative medicine. Polarising alternative therapies and conventional medicine is as bad as trying to separate intelligence and beauty. In an ideal world they should complement each other. I subscribe to both types of medicine and therefore have first hand experience of how well they work together.
"I like to keep fit and exercise regularly, although I'm no great fan of the gym. I just think it's very old-fashioned and misguided. especially for women, to waste valuable time shopping for the right workout clothes, then driving to the gym only to spend the next hour or so doing a mindless workout. Personally, I find spending 45 minutes on a Stairmaster mind-numbing and counterproductive to my spirit. How can exercise be any good for you if your mind is in neutral while you're going through some rather boring motions with your body?
"I'd far rather play tennis where at least I can also engage my mind. Or, take my cat, Cato - who's half leopard, half-domestic - for a walk and watch him chase butterflies in the park. I like my exercise to be as natural as possible. Also, because I tend to work indoors a lot, it's especially important for me to regularly get out into the fresh air. There's nothing like a brisk walk to energise and oxygenate the system. I also find it very therapeutic to meditate or read while I hang off my anti-gravity machine for about ten to 15 minutes every day. Hanging upside down stimulates the circulation and re-aligns the spine. I also have a mini-trampoline for improving balance and co-ordination.
"While I'm careful about my diet, I'm not fanatical. I don't want to spend a lot of time and energy thinking about what I'm putting in my mouth. At one time I used to be totally vegetarian but after ten years, my body could no longer cope. I started to get very weak and depressed. I slowly started to re-introduce meat into my diet and this seemed to do the trick. These days I eat a little bit of everything. I try to avoid fat and eat as much organic food as I can.
"I'm a great believer in the power of the mind. There is now so much information and so much going on in the world that this creates countless situations and opportunities which may either be positive or negative. We all have a choice about what to follow. As far as possible, I try to fill my life and mind with what's positive - people, activities, situations. I try to look for the good in life and discount what's bad. This attitude means I'm simply too busy to notice the negative."
Cosmetic surgery has helped me to reach a point where I'm happy with my physical appearance. I had my first operation, to widen my eyes, ten years ago. Since then I've had 28 operations-including three face-lifts, two nose jobs and cheek implants.
"Before that, whenever I looked in the mirror, I saw so many things that needed doing - a hooked nose, thin lips, a double chin, love handles, saddle-bag thighs and cellulite on the backs of my legs. The cosmetic changes have certainly helped me to feel better about myself on a purely aesthetic, superficial level - but there's more to it than that. I believe that true health and beauty is based on the holistic integration of the mind, body and spirit. All of these three factors have to work together and when one lags behind, the other two suffer.
"For the last nine months I've been seeing a healer once a week. I find this really helpful both physically and mentally. After my last operation, I could literally feel the heat from the healer's hands over my bruised and tender face. Most people don't realise that having cosmetic surgery is like being in an accident and it can take weeks to get back to normal. The healing helped speed up my recovery.
"Healing also makes me feel calmer and focused. At times I even feel as if it enables me to access a much higher level of spirituality. This is important to me, because having pretty much sorted myself out physically, I'm now ready to try and achieve a deeper level of inner transformation. Of course, I can't prove that any of this works, I just know it does - as much as I know that I've had plastic surgery when I look in the mirror.
"Apart from healing, I also have acupuncture as and when I feel I need it. It keeps my energy levels balanced and helps my body to recuperate better after an operation. Sometimes, though, I get really tired of other people's cynicism. It irritates me when the papers are full of stories that denigrate alternative medicine. Polarising alternative therapies and conventional medicine is as bad as trying to separate intelligence and beauty. In an ideal world they should complement each other. I subscribe to both types of medicine and therefore have first hand experience of how well they work together.
"I like to keep fit and exercise regularly, although I'm no great fan of the gym. I just think it's very old-fashioned and misguided. especially for women, to waste valuable time shopping for the right workout clothes, then driving to the gym only to spend the next hour or so doing a mindless workout. Personally, I find spending 45 minutes on a Stairmaster mind-numbing and counterproductive to my spirit. How can exercise be any good for you if your mind is in neutral while you're going through some rather boring motions with your body?
"I'd far rather play tennis where at least I can also engage my mind. Or, take my cat, Cato - who's half leopard, half-domestic - for a walk and watch him chase butterflies in the park. I like my exercise to be as natural as possible. Also, because I tend to work indoors a lot, it's especially important for me to regularly get out into the fresh air. There's nothing like a brisk walk to energise and oxygenate the system. I also find it very therapeutic to meditate or read while I hang off my anti-gravity machine for about ten to 15 minutes every day. Hanging upside down stimulates the circulation and re-aligns the spine. I also have a mini-trampoline for improving balance and co-ordination.
"While I'm careful about my diet, I'm not fanatical. I don't want to spend a lot of time and energy thinking about what I'm putting in my mouth. At one time I used to be totally vegetarian but after ten years, my body could no longer cope. I started to get very weak and depressed. I slowly started to re-introduce meat into my diet and this seemed to do the trick. These days I eat a little bit of everything. I try to avoid fat and eat as much organic food as I can.
"I'm a great believer in the power of the mind. There is now so much information and so much going on in the world that this creates countless situations and opportunities which may either be positive or negative. We all have a choice about what to follow. As far as possible, I try to fill my life and mind with what's positive - people, activities, situations. I try to look for the good in life and discount what's bad. This attitude means I'm simply too busy to notice the negative."