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Archives for June 2011

Jun 27 2011

Reflexology Clinics

The participants of the 2011 Therapeutic Hand & Foot Reflexology Professional Certification have been studying and practicing since February, and are now more than ready to offer their services to the public. If you live within driving distance of St. Augustine, Florida, you may want to take advantage of their offer. If you’ve never received a professional reflexology session before or are a reflexologist deprived of work yourself, there are many compelling reasons to join us. You can:

* receive the benefits of a reflexology session focused on your personal needs. You can choose from a foot session, hand session and/or a combined hand and foot session;

* check out your interest in studying reflexology. Discover how a session from a certified reflexologist differs from that of someone who attended a weekend workshop. Talk to your therapist about their experience in the program;

* take advantage of the unbelievably low cost: $25 for one session; for two (same person), $40; for three (same person), $60.

* spend a fun-filled, relaxing day in historical St. Augustine and its gorgeous beaches;

Here’s the schedule:

Foot Reflexology Clinics:

Saturday, July 30

10:30am            1:30pm            3:30pm

Hand Reflexology Clinics:

Sunday, July 31

1:30pm              3:30pm

Monday, August 1

3:00pm

Combined Hand & Foot Reflexology Clinics:

Saturday, October 1

9:30am             10:45am            2:00pm             3:45pm

Sunday, October 2

10:45am            2:00pm             3:45pm

Sessions are 75 minutes each, including hydrotherapy services. Please contact me at 904/553.4067 or karen@acdemyofancientreflexology.com if you are interested in reserving sessions for yourself. Act now. Appointments are booking quickly (no surprise!).

 

 

 

 

Written by Karen Ball · Categorized: Foot Reflexology, Hand Reflexology · Tagged: Certification

Jun 16 2011

Reflexology and Gout

Gout is an acute form of inflammatory arthritis that occurs in joints and their surrounding tendons. It affects only one joint initially, and usually the metatarsalphalangeal joint of the foot. (This is the joint between the great toe and the rest of the foot that, in reflexology, corresponds to the first zone shoulder line.)

Gout results from hyperuricaemia, a condition of increased levels of uric acid crystals in the blood that develops unrealized over years. The crystals literally cut through the synovial fluid sacks surrounding the joints, releasing the synovial fluid, and leaving the joint unprotected.

There are a number of factors that can precipitate hyperuricaemia and the resulting painful, recurrent gouty attacks on the joints; and much that can be done to prevent and manage an existing diagnosis. I know from my own clinical experience that reflexology can play a notable role in assisting people suffering from this swollen, red, hot, shiny and extremely painful condition. Imagine trying to walk!

One to two percent of the western world is said to suffer with gout. A doubling of the number of cases between 1990 and 2010 is mostly due to the dietary changes in our society (genetics can also play a role) that have led to an increase in metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome, also known as insulin resistance, develops from what has been termed the “rich man’s lifestyle”: a diet high in alcohol, sugar products, meat and seafood, and low on physical activity. Use of diuretics, niacin and aspirin are also associated with the development of gout.

Although it is possible to have hyperuricaemia without the presence of gouty arthritis, it is rare. The body will make every attempt to push toxins externally, away from the body’s core. In the absence of gout, hyperuricaemia may manifest as kidney stones and “tophi” (superficial, painless nodules that result in deformity, if left untreated).

WHAT TO DO

A dedicated multi-factorial approach is necessary to overcome gout. Doctors recommend an avoidance of alcohol, fructose-laden foods and obesity. Exercise, vitamin C, and moderate consumption of coffee and dairy products are known to decrease the risk of insulin resistance and subsequent attacks of gout. Restoring a healthy digestive tract through dietary changes and the use of herbs designed to keep urates soluble provide big benefits to sufferers. During an attack, soaking the foot in a warm epsom salt bath, followed by icing of the joint for 10 to 20 minutes, three times a day is suggested.

Since gout attacks occur more at night, when the body’s temperature has dropped and is tired, sufferers might also want to look at their sleep habits. Get plenty of regular sleep; go to bed before you’re exhausted and keep the body warm.

REFLEXOLOGY’S ROLE

Reflexology can decrease the pain associated with inflammation, support the taxed adrenal glands, help to flush the body of excess uric acid crystals and relax a hyper-stimulated body fighting an attack.

During a bout of gout, the individual will not want you near the inflamed joint. So, if the foot is affected, work the hands. Work the adrenal, kidney and all the lymphatic reflexes thoroughly. Following the Law of Similars, work the metacarpalphalangeal joint on the corresponding hand, including range-of-motion movements. If gout is present in joints other than in the feet or hands, work the reflex for that area of the body. Between attacks, work the affected extremity.

Please note that reflexology will assist in the recovery of gout. It is not a substitute for the lifestyle changes necessary to overcome this painful condition.

Do you suffer from gout? Have you ever provided reflexology to clients with gout? What were the results?

Written by Karen Ball · Categorized: General · Tagged: Foot reflexology

Jun 11 2011

Barefoot Running

I am often asked what I think about barefoot running, a term that refers to either running barefoot or in “barefoot five-finger running shoes”, that mimic the experience of running with naked feet. The controversy with barefoot running is the issue of whether or not it increases or decreases the risk of injury.

Enthusiastic athletes are evangelical in their praise of barefoot running, claiming that the practice has cured them of running-related injuries. Many exercise scientists, citing numerous research studies, beg to differ; others support the new and popular practice. I am grateful for a recent article of unbiased, evidence-based perspectives that informed me enough to be able to respond intelligently to queries posed to me.

Here’s the gist of what I learned: Shoes alter how we move. In shoes, foot stride is longer; more force is put on the heel than the rest of the foot. The force of that repeated pounding travels upward through the bones, making the runner susceptible to stress fractures and other skeletal injuries.

Barefoot running – done correctly (“correctly” is the operative word here) – shifts the impact of landing towards the forefoot, away from the heel. Impact is lighter. The force moves through the muscles and soft tissue, rather than the bones. That lays the individual open to an increased likelihood of muscle strain and/or tendinitis.

The above information is useful if you give reflexology to runners. Helping athletes understand the source of foot injuries and pain may be as simple as looking at what they wear (or don’t wear) on their feet, as much as how they run and on what surface.

The evidence for or against barefoot running does not seem to be definitive enough to make bold, blanket recommendations to runners – at least not for me. The article provides a lot of good information and links to even more, so, if you work with runners, you may wish to read it yourself. Or you might steer your curious clients towards the article and let them reach their own conclusion.

Are We Built to Run Barefoot?

 

 

Written by Karen Ball · Categorized: General · Tagged: Foot reflexology

Jun 09 2011

Plantar Fasciitis – Start Taking It Seriously!

Why, you might ask, should I take plantar fasciitis seriously? Most early symptoms are not much more than an inconvenience, a dull annoyance in the heel.

Although the condition is referred to as an “itis”, plantar fasciitis is actually a form of tendinosis; a condition that results in necrosis. Necrosis refers to tissue death, and plantar fasciitis is a degeneration of collagen that leads to eroding and death of the fascia. The tissue is not just hurting; it’s dying! And that’s why we should pay attention.

The plantar fascia is a strong thick, broad, inelastic band of longitudinally-oriented connective tissue that runs from its origin on the medial tubercle of the calcaneus to its insertion on the proximal phalanges and flexor sheathes. Healthy plantar fascia serves as a shock-absorbing bowstring to support the longitudinal arch of the foot.

Plantar fasciitis is a degeneration of this fascia, characterized by pain, thickening and sometimes inflammation in the early stages. It develops from overuse and stress, resulting in fatigue and micro-tearing of the tissue.

The classic symptom reported by sufferers of this stubborn condition is “morning pain”: intense, sharp, stabbing, burning pain in the heel upon weight bearing after extended rest.

There are so many factors credited to the development of plantar fasciitis that it can make your head spin! To make matters worse, some of the contributing forces listed in medical journals seem to contradict themselves. As an example, the following are named as “root causes” of plantar fasciitis: high arches/low arches; tight calf muscles/loose calf muscles; supination of the foot/pronation of the foot; going barefoot/wearing shoes. Add to that: weight gain, sudden increase in activity level, excessive external rotation of the hip joint (while walking), laterial tibial torsion, age, gender, heel spurs, knee pain, bone tumors, and/or femoral anteversion (leading to internal hip rotation), and you have a very complex picture of biomechanical explanations from which to determine the cause. The biomechanical variables are not even limited to the foot and lower leg. They continue right up to the lower spine.

Regardless of the cause, the most important treatment strategy for plantar fasciitis begins with a committed daily home regime of rest and ice (lots of both) and stretching. Over the many years I spent working with people with plantar fasciitis (and recovering from my own bout with it), I found that even the most stubborn of cases responds favorably and quickly to a combination of reflexology (either conventional or Thai), stretching, and release of impingement of the peripheral nervous system along the S1 nerve pathway.

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of foot pain for which professional care is sought. The success my clients received from my customized session (combined with faithful observance of their “homework”) actually changed the direction of my clinical practice. I became known as the “go-to person” in my town when your feet hurt. I built an entire practice around helping people with foot pain due to plantar fasciitis – and you can, too.

In the training Plantar Fasciitis: Prevention and Protocol participants explore the predisposing factors and causes of plantar fasciitis; learn the assessment skills necessary to rule out other common foot pathologies; determine a successful course of action based on individual client history and symptoms; practice a 60-minute hands-on session based in foot reflexology; develop a self-care program to repair and prevent further occurrences; and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of medical interventions such as NSAIDs, corticosteroid injections, ultrasound, prolotherapy, extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) and surgical fasciotomy.

There is one training available still this year in Gainesville, Florida on July 9th and 10th. Beginning the end of August, I will fly to Canada to present the plantar fasciitis workshop in Vancouver, Regina, Toronto and Halifax.

 

 

 

Written by Karen Ball · Categorized: Foot Reflexology · Tagged: Foot reflexology

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