WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?Many people relate feet to tickling ~ Reflexology does not tickle! For the physical application, talcum powder or lotion is used to give the practitioner a suitable surface to work on. Ideally in a reclining chair or similar, and with suitable ‘relaxing music’ in the background, firm pressure is then applied to the feet on precise reflexes. Some areas may feel tender, sometimes very sharp, bruised or hot. These types of sensations indicate to the practitioner that the corresponding area in the body is out of balance. A skilled practitioner will feel areas that are ‘out of balance’ themselves – generally feeling hard, lumpy, gritty or crunchy. However, it will almost certainly not be a physiological issue, as the patient will have experienced no pain until precise pressure was applied. The degree of tenderness will dictate how ‘out of balance’ the corresponding bodily part is.
WHAT ARE THE CAPABILITIES OF REFLEXOLOGY? Stress related and Chronic conditions are generally accepted to be those suitable for treatment with Reflexology. My philosophy on this is very simple – “If you have a condition where the body is capable of healing itself, but is not doing at that particular time, then Reflexology should be able to ‘wake the body up’ and make it. If however, the body has a condition that the body cannot deal with (e.g. acute conditions) then it is unlikely that Reflexology will be able to assist with that particular condition. It may, however, be useful for general stress associated with the main issue” I personally feel that it is absolutely essential that all Reflexology practitioners understand the above, and moreover that General Practitioners and Specialists not only understand their own limitations, but also the limitations of all other practitioners, complementary or otherwise. Only in this way can we achieve integrated medicine. The conditions that I tend to see are :- HEADACHES, MIGRAINES, STRESS, CHRONIC FATIGUE, M.E., LOWER BACK PAIN, IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (symptoms include a combination of feeling bloated, pain, wind, constipation and diarrhoea). SINUSITIS, PERIOD PAINS, IRREGULAR PERIODS, HEAVY PERIODS, MOOD SWINGS, CYSTITIS, THYROID DISORDERS, NEURALGIA, SCIATICA, THRUSH, ENDOMETRIOSIS, INFANT BEDWETTING, INFERTILITY, CONCEPTION PROBLEMS, POST-NATAL DEPRESSION, CHILDRENS' HEALTH ISSUES plus many more. A collection of non-life threatening conditions, but ones nonetheless that are extremely distressing for the client. For example in the case of headaches, Reflexology is absolutely ideal because it can deal not only with issues of Stress, but also Hormonal, Neuralgia, Digestive and Sinus at the same time. Only in the case of a skeletal root cause, would you not expect to reach a permanent solution using Reflexology. However, your G.P. is there to diagnose and should always be consulted in the first instance.
IN CONCLUSIONMy vision of integrated medicine is that all practitioners, complementary or otherwise, should have quality standards applied to their discipline, and that they should all understand their own capabilities and each other’s limitations. Only in this way would chronic and stress related conditions be appropriately directed by G.P.’s and Specialists to the correct Practitioner for the best possible results. It is my belief that where appropriate, if there is a more gentle, natural way of treating a condition, (e.g. Reflexology), then this should be tried first. However, this will only happen if all healthcare practitioners communicate effectively.
A session lasts for approximately 1 hour and costs £31 |
