Welcome to Denise’s Blog
My Purpose: To launch my new and improved website, here is a Blog page for me to share Foot Reflexology information, stories, and a photo or two, most recent listed first. Enjoy!
Importance of Hydration
September 4, 2022
After a foot reflexology session, make sure to drink at least a couple extra 8-ounce glasses of water that day. This helps your kidneys to flush through any toxins or waste products that might have been released from your tissues during the reflexology session. And it’s a good reminder that keeping well-hydrated is good for your digestion, circulation, joints, and entire body!
The Tin Man
May 10, 2022
I wrote this awhile back, in the simple days before 2016. It used to be on a page of my website, but I took it out to streamline my information. I still like it, though; so here we go:
I always liked the Tin Man (in the Wizard of Oz), in that rusty old can of a body of his. He probably has developed arthritis in the neck and shoulders, hips and knees. He might have high blood pressure and heart disease, and possible diabetes. No wonder he needs a new heart! Foot Reflexology could help his body deal with those chronic conditions. If you think of the oil can as Traditional medicine, Foot Reflexology can work alongside that oil can to help him function better.
Foot Reflexology Can Help with Sleep
a Natural Awakenings article from November, 2019
Sometimes the tried-and-true sleep inducers just don’t work because stress has put the nervous system into overdrive. A good way to calm down the nervous system before it becomes chronically hyper is to have regular foot reflexology, because it soothes the sympathetic “fight-or-flight” nervous system. This allows bodily functions like rest, relaxation and digestion to work better, resulting in a healthier body and better sleep.
Many paths can lead to the sometimes-elusive good night’s sleep. Foot reflexology can calm down the brain, soothe rattled nerves and enable sleep, an all-in-one therapy.
Foot Reflexology Can Help Diabetics
a Natural Awakenings article from December, 2018
Foot reflexology is a beneficial therapy for diabetes in several ways. First, massage of the pancreas reflex zone can improve pancreatic function, leading to better regulated blood sugar and a possible reduction in need for insulin or oral diabetes medications. Second, reflexology directly improves blood circulation in the feet and hands. This can help prevent problems such as delayed wound healing in feet and legs.
Third, reflexology improves nerve conduction and can reduce nerve pain. This is especially important in preventing and treating diabetic neuropathy in hands and feet. For people who do have diabetic nerve pain, foot reflexology can soothe at least some of the pain.
Diabetes can adversely affect many of the organs in the body. Foot reflexology, which enhances the function of organs and glands, can be a valuable part of a diabetic’s treatment and health promotion regimen.
Foot Reflexology Can Relieve Plantar Fasciitis Pain
a Natural Awakenings article from October, 2017
Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammation of the plantar fascia, a fibrous band of tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot connecting the heel to the toes. This fascia can get stretched and injured by overuse, such as running or walking on hard surfaces, climbing ladders or standing for long hours. There are many causes, but wearing poorly fitting shoes or being overweight can also strain the fascia and lead to plantar fasciitis.
The pain is usually in the arch of the foot, near the heel, and is worst when the person just starts to walk after sitting or resting. If not taken care of, it may get worse over time and cause the person to curtail favorite sports or daily living activities.
Plantar fasciitis treatments are numerous. Standard therapies include rest, ice, anti-inflammatory medications, new supportive shoes, orthotics, calf and other stretches, night splints for the foot and physical therapy. The best results tend to come from consistent adherence to the treatment regimen and patience. This condition may take several months to heal.
One therapy for plantar fasciitis is foot reflexology. When added to the prescribed treatments, it can provide much-needed relief of pain. Foot reflexology, or therapeutic foot massage, targets specific areas on the feet known as reflex zones, corresponding to organs and glands in the body. Massaging a reflex zone helps the corresponding body part to function better by increasing blood flow and nerve conduction to the area. Thus, for instance, massaging nervous system reflex zones can decrease pain; massaging lymph system and endocrine (e.g. adrenal) zones can decrease swelling and inflammation.
In addition to enhancing function of organs and glands, foot reflexology massage is soothing to the foot tissue and it can help regain flexibility in the feet. This makes foot reflexology a good addition to the treatment plan for plantar fasciitis. Once the fasciitis has improved, reflexology on a regular basis can keep the feet in good shape.
Foot Reflexology Quiets the Mind
a Natural Awakenings article from November, 2013
Foot Reflexology is known for helping people to relax. Massaging the reflex zones corresponding to the nervous system, the reflexologist helps to calm down the “fight or flight” response. This allows the parasympathetic nervous system, in charge of rest, regeneration and repair, to come to the forefront. Sometimes clients fall asleep, but more often they report being in a calm mental state in which they are not actively thinking or planning, just “being.”
This “mental break” is an added bonus to the health-promoting, pain-relieving benefits of foot reflexology. Some clients come in expressly for the relaxation because they know that quieting the stressful thoughts in their mind gives them, and their body, a new lease on life.
Detoxification
a Natural Awakenings article from May, 2013
Foot Reflexology can help with both renewing health and detoxifying our bodies. It has as its premise that all parts of the body are interconnected. Areas on the feet (called reflex zones) correspond to organs and glands. Massaging these targeted areas sends impulses to those organs which help the organs function better. Blood circulation increases, nerve conduction is facilitated, and the organs are able to get rid of waste products more efficiently. This helps with detoxification.
Working with the kidney reflex zone is especially important for this “spring cleaning.” Kidneys filter impurities from the blood. During a reflexology session, the waste products that are generated from other organs travel to the kidney to be flushed from the body. Improved blood flow to the kidneys from reflexology helps them with their important task of waste product removal. Kidneys also get rid of extra fluid in the ankles and lower legs.
Reflexologists also pay special attention to the lung, lymph system, gastro-intestinal and liver reflex zones when a client comes in for detoxification. Lungs and gastro-intestinal system work to expel waste products. The lymph system filters germs. The liver helps with digestion, metabolic functions, and detoxification. All these organs work together to promote excellent health.
Remember to drink plenty of water after a reflexology session. Water assists in removing waste products from reflexology-enhanced metabolism.