Hidden Benefits of Reflexology

By Helen Thompson, IIHHT MICHT MIPTI

The holistic therapy of reflexology has been used over the years to promote physical health and wellbeing in many thousands of people from all walks of life, but there is also a subtler aspect to its benefits that can be applied to the more vulnerable amongst us, to expand awareness and enhance everyday living.

When a client of mine asked if she could bring her sister, who had learning disabilities, for a reflexology treatment with me, I was only too glad to concur. When the appointment day arrived, the young lady's mother accompanied her and explained to me that her daughter had been born with learning disabilities (she was now in her thirties) and that the only diagnosis that doctors had given her was that something probably went wrong during birth.

My client appeared in cheerful mood, did not appear nervous, but was unable to reply to my enquiries about her health and lifestyle. Her mother did this for me, telling me she was on the whole in good general health (apart from suffering from a condition called rosacea) and that one thing she constantly talked about was getting married! She loved to look at magazines where there were pictures of brides' dresses and related details and often imagined herself to be dressed in one. However, emotionally she was very detached from people, even her mother and two sisters.

During the treatment, she was unable to communicate to me any tender spots on her feet, which were very smooth & unlined, although I encountered several gritty areas especially on the head area and the pituitary and pineal glands. She did, however, say that she was enjoying it and loved the feeling of her feet being rubbed. I gave her an especially thorough post-treatment foot massage because of this. As they were about to leave, the young lady gave me a really big hug and thanked me for the time I had spent with her. I am quite used to this, but was a little surprised to see the look of astonishment on her mother's face.

The next day, her mother phoned me to say that she had never, ever, seen her daughter give anyone a hug - not even to her - and that was the reason for her amazement at her response to the treatment. She also told me that, during the evening, when her daughter had been sitting upstairs in her bedroom, dressed only in her underwear as she was accustomed to do every night, the mother had called up to her to let her know that she was going down to the shop to make a few purchases. Instead of the short ‘OK’ that she expected, the girl called down to her to wait a moment while she got dressed, and she would accompany her on the walk to the shop. This was so unusual that the mother could hardly believe her ears. The daughter came downstairs fully dressed, and walked to the shop and back with her, lacing her arm in her mother's on the way back. This may sound like a very small breakthrough to many people, but the mother was moved to tears while recounting this to me.

Reflexology treats all the organs of the body through the feet, but not only this - it clears blocked energy pathways throughout the body enabling organs and glands to function properly and in a holistic way. When a blockage is removed from one area, this in turn promotes the free flow of energy to a related area, and so on. It can show benefits to the physical body or, as in this case, to the emotional body so that the heart can stimulate the brain into alternative ways of thinking or behaving. The fact that a client cannot tell us what is felt during a treatment is therefore no indication as to the level of benefit that the treatment can bestow upon the mind, body and spirit.

About the Author

Helen Thompson is a therapist, healer & facilitator based in the West Midlands, UK and who offers reflexology, many types of energy healing, workshops & reiki attunements, and meditation classes to private & corporate clients. Her website can be viewed at www.healingholistix.com

Reflexology: Your Best Foot Forward
An Interview with Certified Reflexologist, Jenny Igram

By Andrew Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac.

Well known metaphysical expert Louise Hay strongly believes that foot problems psycho-emotionally express our fear of the future or not stepping forward in life.

Foot problems can arise suddenly with no apparent rhyme or reason. They can also be the result of an injury from direct trauma to the feet or from ill-fitting shoes. Foot and hand reflexology is a scientific art, based on the premise that there are zones and reflex areas in the feet and hands, which correspond to all body parts. The physical act of applying specific pressures using thumb, finger and hand techniques result in stress reduction, which causes a physiological change in the body. Reflexology is the application of, specific pressure by the use of the practitioner's hand, thumb and fingers to a reflex map resembling the human body, which is believed to exist on the extremities (1).

The nervous system is the key to access, control, and releasing subtle energy patterns which are apart of the body's nervous system. It is thought that stimulating some of the more than 7,000 nerve endings on the foot can unblock and increase the flow of this vital energy to various parts of the body and therefore promote healing. The reflexology theory is consistent with the theory behind acupuncture and acupressure, in which mapped points on body parts such as the ear, body or hand are treated to affect corresponding remote organs or body zones.

"Many of our health issues revolve around stress", says New York Reflexologist, Jenny Ingram. “Stress can manifest mentally, emotionally and or physically. Reflexology is a primary relaxation technique. Reflexology can dissipate the effects of stress while it helps the body relax”; Jenny Ingram, who is a licensed acupuncture, Oriental medicine and Chinese herbologist, discovered the many equivalent relationships in reflexology and Chinese Medicine.

Chronic conditions seem to respond especially well to Reflexology. In China, where reflexology is accepted by the central government as a means of preventing and curing diseases and preserving health, over 300 research studies have shown reflexology provided some improvement to 95% of the over 18,000 cases covering 64 illnesses studied. (2).

Jenny uses Reflexology to gently improve lymphatic drainage and venous circulation. “Most all my clients get reflexology for different reasons but a shared response is how it can sooth, calm, balance and boost their entire body”.

Reflexology can address a variety of needs. There has been thousands of documented case studies from around the world which have demonstrated the benefits of reflexology. Pain, congestion, stress or overactive states within the body can be balanced. pms, migraine, sinus, colic, menopause, constipation/diarrhea, back pain, neck pain, sciatica, shoulder pain, asthma, stroke, menstrual Irregularities can all benefit from the power of reflexology.

The stress of everyday standing and pounding on the feet, a more serious disorder which is also accompanied by pain or the emotional feelings of just being “stuck” or “unable or willing to move forward” in life, are all great reasons why you should call Jenny Ingram or your local reflexologist. You'll be happy you did!

References
1.American Reflexology Certification Board

2. Journal of Chinese Medicine -vol. 12 issue 35 1999 pg. 34


***Certified Reflexologist Jenny Ingram is currently accepting new clients. Her thriving practice is located in New York City and she can be reached at 917 941 2646

Romance Tips: Creative Gifts

excerpt from What's Your Heart Telling You? Finding Love and Romance - The Workbook and Journal

Our website readers, clients, patients and friends have all chimed in wanting to be apart of this Love Manual and workbook so I have given them a chance and have compiled an interesting list of gifts to romance with!

Make your love a gift from scratch; it is more meaningful and personal. - Submitted by Mark

Keep a scrapbook of memories (pictures, bus/plane tickets from when you visited your love, pressed flowers, etc.). Once it is full you can give it to your love. - Submitted by Lisa Wilson

For my boyfriend's birthday I went out and bought a ton of marbles, all different sizes, and sat down with a fine (FINE, FINE, FINE) permanent marker and wrote things on them. I wrote the day we meet, the funny sayings we have, I love you, our names, our silly nicknames, etc. He will look at them from time to time and he said that it really meant a lot to him to have me spend so much time on such small details for a gift. - Submitted by Jenny

Surprise her with an ankle bracelet. Sit her down, rub her feet, tell her you appreciate her, then put the bracelet on her ankle. - Submitted by Butch Pendleton

This year for Valentine's Day I'm writing a fairy tale based on our relationship. I'm going to draw pictures and make it into a book by attaching all of the pages with ribbon. - Submitted by Andrea

Last year I received the most romantic gift from my boyfriend. It was a sculpted heart that he ordered from the web site - a big red heart with his love message inside. - Submitted by Dana

Buy your sweetheart a teddy bear and leave it on their bed with a little note saying: "You can hug me when _____ (write your name here) isn't here." My boyfriend did this for me and I cuddle up to my bear every night, in fact I can't sleep without it! - Submitted by S. Kregs

My boyfriend bought me the cutest stuffed animal and put it in the driver's seat of my car with the seatbelt strapped around it. - Submitted by Princess Angel

For our anniversary, I made my boyfriend a book. I got a 1 inch, 3 ring binder (a photo album could also work) and I got clear plastic folders to stick in the binder. On 100 pieces of computer paper I wrote reasons why I love him. I had 100 reasons in all and on each page were a different reason and a picture of us. I decorated the front with stickers and little pictures of me. He loved it and looks at it all the time. Another idea is to put on the back of the pages quotes or song lyrics that fit your relationship. - Submitted by Jessica

Make ten envelops with different things written on the outside (like "When You Miss Me" or "When You're Sad") and put something appropriate in each one. Then give them all at once to your boyfriend and make him wait until he's feeling those certain ways to open them. It's pretty funny to watch them get impatient! - Submitted by Sarah Anne

Make your own massage oil. Buy some sweet almond oil at the grocery store, and some of your favorite essential oils (recipes all over the internet). Mix them together and pour into a nifty little 4 oz bottle (preferably colored glass) and give your sweetie a homemade, edible massage. The effort will truly be appreciated! - Submitted by Jennifer Hauserman

A special friend of mine gave me a gift one Christmas that I will always remember. In the box was a velvet bag containing a beautiful wooden hand mirror. With the mirror was a note saying, "I wanted to give you the most beautiful thing in the world for Christmas. I looked and looked, but could not find anything more beautiful than you." Talk about heart melting romance! - Submitted by Britt

My wife and I have been married for three years. Every year I have followed the tradition of: 1 year = paper, 2 years = cotton, 3 years = leather, and so on. On our first anniversary I got her airplane tickets (paper) to a quiet beach in Florida. She had no clue we were going. At 7:00 in the morning on a Saturday I woke her up and gave her an anniversary card and in it was her gift. As you can imagine she was in shock, crying, and jumping up and down with joy. We only went for two days, but it was nice. For our second anniversary I did something a little more difficult. I got her cotton underwear. But I had to do more then give it to her in a gift box. So, I bought 8 blank cards and in each card I wrote a clue or a riddle or a puzzle for her. They all lead her to a store or a business in our town. The hard part was getting people in the store to play along. When she arrived at the store the person working had to give her the next clue. I also had a little gift waiting at each store (for example, a CD at the music store). She loved it! - Submitted by Matt C.

You know the saying: "If it is carved in stone it must be true". Find a stone and carve a little message in it such as: "I Love You Andrea" or "I love You Bob", and then give it to your honey. - Submitted by Brian Stettler

My boyfriend had to go across the country to a speech competition, so I decided to make him a care package. I got a small box and put in a luv pop for him when "he needs a little loving", a penny "for good luck", a paper star I made because "no matter how he does, he'll always be my shining star", a stone with "love" on it so he will be reminded that he's loved, a picture of us together, a phone card, and a love letter for each day that he's gone. I sprayed the box with my perfume, taped it shut, and made him promise he wouldn't open it until he was on the plane. He loved it! - Submitted by Emily

For my boyfriend's birthday my friends and I blew up a bunch of balloons and I wrote something that I liked about him on each balloon. At 5:00 in the morning on the day of his birthday I put the balloons in the back seat of his car with his presents on the front! He loved it and said that no one has ever done anything that nice for him! - Submitted by Kylie

Gather pictures of your wife/girlfriend/boyfriend from the first day you saw them, to the now and make a card using a color copier. (Be sure to use at least one wedding picture if married.) Make sure the card is covered with pics inside and out. Inside the card write: "I'd do it ALL over again!". This would also work with a small photo album. - Submitted by Mr.Romance

Get a shoe box and leave it blank on the outside. Decorate the inside with whatever you want, but don't forget to put a picture of you on the bottom side of the lid so when he opens it she will see your picture. Then in the bottom write a note telling him that this box is full of blown kisses that he can take out and use when ever he feels blue. - Submitted by Shar Czerwonka

Make her a jigsaw puzzle. You will need to get a picture of the two of you enlarged, and a piece of 1/4" wood the same size as the picture. I downloaded a jigsaw puzzle creation program and used it to get a template for the pieces. Trace the pieces on the wood and cut them out on a jigsaw. Then glue the picture on and use a razor to cut the picture to match the pieces. - Submitted by QM