Quite a few people are into the Asian wellness practices perhaps because they seem like a more natural approach than the Western medical services that we have come to accept as the tried and true. I sit somewhere in the middle of all of it and I can give you a very good reason for my reluctance to jump into the water with both feet on eastern and western medicine. (Pun intended.) I believe, in most cases, that people are often their own best doctors if they make an earnest effort to get in touch and in tune with their bodies. This is not such a difficult task if you are willing to pay attention to habits (good or bad) and maybe even make notes about reactions to the world around you. How your body deals with environment, what you eat and breathe, hygiene and the way you take care of yourself plus the status of your interpersonal relationships is a determinant for your health- not necessarily what Dr. Oz says !
This month I want to focus on a particular practice that I feel has a good basis- which is acupuncture. Many people who will not go for this extreme in Eastern practices should know that there is a way of using the sound principle of this practice without the extreme of using something as invasive and potentially dangerous as needles to cause the effects. Below, you will see a scaled down graph for both feet. This graph concerns the portion of your foot which makes contact with the floor or ground. It is specifically a reflexology chart which is used by reflexologists. This chart is the basis of the 5,000 year old practice that's used by acupuncturists and reflexologists alike. This only concerns the feet, in truth, and not the hands although there is a corresponding chart for the hands which are pitched toward licensed manicurists like myself. When the hand charts came out with the book titled, The Reflexology Workout I recognized the practical use but it is not necessarily the same meridian lines which intersect throughout your body as is laid out in the Asian practice which I studied in another book originally- Reflexology by Maybelle Segal. Traditionally, it only involved the feet.
In a nutshell, the foot chart will show how every area on your foot corresponds with another area of your body through these unseen meridian lines. The core of your body organs can be located in specific areas on the heel to arch to the top portion of the bottom of your foot while the face, neck and sinuses correspond with your toes and instep. If you decide to study this further on your own, I urge you to buy or borrow the two books I just mentioned to get a more detailed run-down on this branch of holistic practices. If you intend on using the services of a reflexologist I urge you to educate yourself first because it is not regulated by any board, medical or otherwise that I know of- certainly not in Colorado- and you need to know if, in fact, the person attempting this practice on you has credentials to do so. Educating yourself will be important if not crucial.
Personally, I have self-educated myself in the practice and use the back-up of my Cosmetology State Board manicuring licenses as the proper credentials and have done very well. Many people that have come to me for pedicure/reflexology services have stayed loyal to me for decades! Acupressure is the art of manipulating and putting a little more pressure through massage to these points on the foot which corresponds to another area of your body. This will either stimulate or cause the organ or area in question to respond through pressure-touching to normalize. That is the basic theory behind it. It is not invasive in the way that acupuncture can be, obviously, so you are not risking infection of any kind from a licensed practitioner.
Why are the feet or hands the primary target? Our branch of reflexology uses the theory that the sole of your foot is the map of your entire body. Originally it was termed zone therapy by reflexologists who may massage your entire body. If a pedicurist/reflexologist finds extra sensitivity to pressure in one spot, for example, or find a tiny knot it can target trouble for another area of your body. An example would be that if I were to find sensitivity on the midpoint, far right side on the bottom of your right foot there may be some trouble with your spleen! But if I find a knot on the same area on your left foot you might have gall bladder or liver damage.
The act of massaging may stimulate some blocked meridian lines to detoxify or liquefy a blockage. If believing that what happens on your feet can affect your heart or head seems too farfetched you can also grasp the fact that when you were once tinier than a tadpole the cells that became your feet were once very close to those cells that formed the rest of you. Reflexologists have, in effect, proven that it's possible that stimulating nerves in the feet causes reflexive actions in other parts of the body and, if nothing else, may at least indicate some internal problems you may be unaware of at present but could mean trouble in the near future.
Each and every person who comes to me for additional reflexology services gets a free booklet which will show you a precise chart with what I have found, what areas I have stimulated and instructions for doing follow-ups along with additional information on the different kinds of foot workouts you may do on your own. I always like to make sure that I have educated my client well. Knowing is believing and happiness personified. Believe it ! .
Don't hesitate to leave a comment if you have any questions !
