My Understanding & Progression with Reflexology

This article is especially for anyone who is interested in studying reflexology or if you are interested in the ‘behind the scenes of reflexology’. 

Reflexology is something that is quite difficult to explain in one sentence. It is both a science (using the concepts of anatomy and physiology of the body) and an art (the pressure and techniques used).

People know basically what it is – that there are reflexes mapped in the feet that correspond to different body parts.

The common know effects of reflexology are: helping with sleep, improving relaxation and improving digestion and alleviating pain. While all these are great, and are signs of the body healing, I came to learn that there is a lot more to reflexology than this.

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What is foot mobilisation?

I have started incorporating Foot Mobilisation into my practice after doing this well worth course. Many people have asked me about it, so I thought I should write about it in a little more than a 2 sentence explanation.

Let’s start by defining the words ‘Foot Mobilisation’ – mobilise means to move, the word mobilisation means ‘the action of making something move or capable of movement.’[1]. It can also mean ‘an act of marshalling and organising and making ready for use or action’[2]. So foot mobilisation can be understood as moving the foot or making it movable. Foot mobilisation is moving the bones of the foot, ‘persuading’ the bones to move back into the correct position for better movement – which effects are the joints and skeletal system.

Body Constitutions

Understanding body constitutions of homeopathy, Chinese medicine and Ayurveda

As holistic health practitioners, we often mention that no treatment is the same because no person is the same. This goes beyond genetics and lifestyle, however, the latter may affect your constitution or your constitution may affect your lifestyle and other things that make you you, particularly your health and the way that you respond to the environment and other stimuli.

Eating the’Yin Yang’ Way

Salads are not always that healthiest option!

The field of food and nutrition is quite complex. It is no wonder people get so frustrated with diets and jump from one diet to the next. Personally, I do not believe in ‘dieting’, but rather to incorporate a way of eating with your lifestyle. Articles on nutrition are often said to be ‘contradictory’. I believe this to be because different people need different nutrition and react to foods differently. What is good for one person is not always good for another. It is difficult to incorporate everyone in a generalised write up.

There are so many lifestyle ‘healthy’ diets that are out there today. There’s the banting diet / paleo foods, rawtarians (raw food diet), acid alkaline, the low-fat diet, etc. Now, I’m not saying that any of these diets are wrong, but I don’t think any of them are completely right for the entire population either.

I recently came across an article about yin / yang balancing and thought I’d do some more research about yin and yang foods. I have found this to be one of the most holistic ways of eating. I personally find that this way of eating lives up to its nature. It is very balanced and logical. I feel many people have lost ‘common sense’ when it comes to food.

Salads for summer and veggies for winter. 

How to support Healthy Bones

I decided to write up about bone health (as well as nails and hair), because in TCM (traditional Chinese medicine), winter is the season where bones, hair and nails is mostly affected. I am sure many can relate with increased skeletal pain and dry, brittle hair and nails.

An holistic health approach is necessary to look after our bones and skeletal system. When thinking of healthy bones we need to think of nutrition, exercise, hormonal balance, medication and the health of the rest of the body.

When it comes to nutrients, most of us assume that more calcium is the answer, but it is not.

“Bone health depends not so much on calcium intake, but rather on its metabolism and utilization. The major players in this regard are vitamin D, vitamin K, and magnesium — which are woefully under-publicized in the campaign against osteoporosis”. [1]

Magnesium is in actual fact the key mineral in bone health, and taken with collagen is even better. One study showed that taking calcium supplements increased bone density by 7%; Magnesium supplements increased bone density by 70% and Magnesium and collagen increased bone density by 170%.[2]

Living in Harmony with Winter

21st June is the winter solstice, the shortest day and the longest night…also officially the first day of winter.

In essence, winter is the season of resting and inner work.

In TCM Winter is associated with the Water element which controls the Kidney and the Bladder. Winter is the season to slow down even more than in autumn. It is the season for quiet and stillness, to be able to listen to our intuition.

The role of the Mind & Metaphysics in relation to disease & healing

Have you ever heard people talking about illness or disease being ‘all in the mind’? How often have people been diagnosed with more serious diseases or illness after a tragic incident?

We are holistic beings – our mind and bodies work together to create an outcome and they work together in order for us to live and create the life that we are living.There is also another more ‘mystical element’ that plays a role in our lives, most holistic health practitioners would call this the spirit or the innate energy source within us. From my research and studies, I would say that the spiritual part of health and disease would be metaphysics. Metaphysics is a difficult term to explain in a few words.

Why do we crave junk food when we are stressed (or upset)?

How often do you find yourself drawn to chocolates, chips, pastries and other high & simple carbohydrate ‘comfort foods’ when you have had a stressful day or in the moment of a stressful situation?

Besides the fact that junk foods are convenient, they are also comforting. A lot of food science and lots of money is spent to make junk food pleasurable for us. ‘Junk foods’ have the right chemical make up to make you want more. They stimulate chemical release of the pleasure neurotransmitter, dopamine, which is also associated with addiction. Dopamine is not the only hormone released. When we eat sugar the brain produces opioids, another group of neurotransmitters (including endorphins) largely associated with addiction because they create a morphine like effect.[1]

Tooth-Meridian-Body Connection

How tooth ache or dental procedures can affect the rest of the body

Just as reflex points on the feet, hands, face and ears correspond to different parts of the body, so do the teeth.

The teeth are connected to the organs via meridian pathways (aka the body’s energy channels). Every tooth is connected to one or more organ(s). This means that every tooth affects an organ and that each organ affects specific teeth. Below are some charts showing these connections.

Health conscious in the 21st Century

Now, more than ever before in the history of human civilisation, it is so important to look after our health.There is a lot that contributes to the state of our health, including stress, the food we eat, exercise and our thoughts and feelings – this all manifests as signs and symptoms on a physical level, in our bodies.

“Look after your body, it is the only place you have to live” – a well known quote from author, entrepreneur and motivational speaker, Jim Rohn. This really is the truth. Our bodies are the only ‘permanent places’ we have to reside whilst we live on Earth. The healthier our bodies, the healthier our minds and the more prolific we can be.