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Archives for November 2015

Nov 25 2015

The Physical and Metaphysical World of Plantar Warts

Plantar wartI think that, of all the pathologies that I discuss with students, plantar warts stimulate the most interesting of conversations.

Let’s start with myth #1 that you can get a wart from kissing a frog or a toad. Come on now, who goes around kissing frogs anyway? False.

Myth #2: Warts have seeds that spread themselves and roots whose tentacles reach wide beneath the surface of the skin. False again. The truth is, the virus that causes plantar warts can spread itself and by doing so “seed” the growth of more warts.

So, what is the truth about warts?

Verruca Vulgaris

Common warts, verruca vulgaris, are caused by one of the 150 related varieties of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a pathogen that can infect the mucocutaneous membranes of the body.

The virus produces excessive growth of benign, hard, crusty protein particles by targeting the keratinocytes in the skin. Keratinocytes are the predominant cell in skin and form a barrier against invading pathogens. The virus makes its way into the body when cuts or scrapes are present to weaken the protective barrier created by the keratinocytes.

Warts do not typically create a strong immune system response. They therefore tend to grow for months or even years without much attention brought to them. Although slow, they are tenacious; removal methods must be thorough.

Warts look like hard, cauliflower-shaped calluses, so it’s important to be able to distinguish the difference between the two. They present often at joints – think fingers and knuckles – or on the sole of the foot, where they are known as plantar warts.  Plantar warts that grow together in a cluster are known as mosaic warts. mosaic warts

Plantar Warts

Standing and walking puts pressure on plantar warts and tends to force them deeper into the tissue, with the added pressure often resulting in pain to the affected area. Plantar warts in themselves are harmless, although in many cases they are too painful to ignore.

Differences Between Plantar Warts and Calluses

  • Plantar warts grow anywhere on the bottom of the foot; calluses develop on areas of the foot that bear the most pressure when walking and standing.
  • Plantar warts grow randomly and usually affect one foot only; calluses grow more-or-less symmetrically on both feet.
  • Plantar warts have a speckled appearance, indicating a capillary supply; a callus is gray, yellowish or whitish, depending on the person’s skin tone.

Prevention and Treatment Options

Although it can take months or even years, warts usually go away by themselves. Most people prefer to take some sort of action rather than wait for their natural decline.

Some folks treat warts themselves, while others consult with podiatrists or dermatologists. Treatment options are topical (application of salicylic acid or liquid nitrogen, essential oil application); some involve more invasive procedures (lasers, scalpel incisions, immunotherapies). Combative therapies are best provided by a trained and licensed practitioner, as “self-surgery”, even aggressive use of a pumice stone, can result in a secondary ring of warts surrounding the original annoyance.

Another strategy that seems to work is simply wrapping the wart in duct take. Yup! You read right. Follow the link at the bottom of this post to read a study that compared duct tape wrapping to cryotherapy.

Even more interesting are the seemingly crazy folk remedies that work. As bizarre as these may sound to you, people swear by the results they have gotten. Here are some that I have heard in my many years of teaching:

  • Rub a sliced raw potato (or raw onion or raw garlic) over the wart; bury the veggie in the back yard. Don’t tell anyone where!;
  • Wrap a horsehair around the wart before going to sleep;
  • Get someone to chant over your wart in Russian and then spit on the wart;
  • Apply a paste made of baking powder, crushed vitamin C and castor oil;
  • Soak warts in pineapple juice;
  • And the best: “sell” your warts to a “wart lady” (yup, those people exist!)

As far as I’m concerned, if it works, go for it! The above folk remedies cost literally nothing and are non-invasive. Since little money is spent on wart research, maybe these decade-old folk remedies serve to prove the psychoneuroimmunology connection between beliefs, thoughts and our physical bodies.

Providing Reflexology

Because any skin that flakes off or any blood that seeps out from around a wart can potentially carry the virus, warts are often discussed as contagious skin conditions. Please keep in mind though, that this is a very slow-acting, almost lazy, pathogen, so a practitioner would have to work hard to “catch” someone else’s warts, starting with the existence of a cut or sore on the therapist’s hands.

Reflexologists should consider all warts a local contraindication when offering their work. Minimize direct contact with warts; do not apply pressure on the wart. If your client has undergone some invasive procedure on their wart where leakage of fluid is possible, insist that s/he bandage the area before expecting you to work.

Pay extra attention to the reflexes of the lymphatic system to support the body’s attempts to destroy the virus.

Share Your Remedies

What remedies have you and/or your clients used to rid yourselves of warts? I suspect there are far more than what I’ve listed above, so do share!

Focht DR, Spicer C, Fairchok MP: The efficacy of duct tape vs. cryotherapy in the treatment of verruca vulgaris (the common wart)

Written by Karen Ball · Categorized: Foot Reflexology, Hand Reflexology, Aromatherapy & Essential Oils · Tagged: Foot reflexology, Essential Oils, Hand reflexology

Nov 11 2015

Grads Speak Out!

Recently, I asked grads of the Academy if they would share what they have done with their reflexology training after completing the Therapeutic Hand & Foot Reflexology Professional Certification. You know, how it impacted or influenced their lives; that sort of thing.

Below is Shea Nicole de Oliveira‘s story on how she stands out in a large population of massage therapists in her area. As always, it is written in her upbeat, positive way of living her life. Go Shea!

Shea-Knight★ I completed the Academy’s Therapeutic Hand & Foot Reflexology Professional Certification in 2010. I was able to jump in last minute, just a week before it began, and I’m forever grateful that I did!

I built my reflexology practice in the beginning in two places. I had a private massage practice in Winter Park, Florida and I also had a part time job at Massage Envy. I used both places to get as much practice with reflexology as possible!

All my massage clients were very regular with their appointments; mostly deep tissue clients, all visiting between one and four times per month. I knew their tissue very well.

I began to use reflexology before massage for as many as I could convince to try (which was not difficult at all), and the results were what locked in my love for reflexology for good. It was night and day to me and to them – the change in their tissue, the depth of relaxation, and many other physiological benefits depending on what reflexes and systems we focused on. I began to recommend to every client that we do reflexology first for every session; from then on, my most popular session booked to date has been a 2-hour session (one hour reflexology followed by one hour massage).

I went on to study Thai foot reflexology with the Academy, and absolutely fell in love with that, too. I had been practicing Thai massage for a few years and resonated with the principles, so when I realized there was a way to marry Thai massage with reflexology, I just had to know!

I set a goal to offer 108 Thai reflexology sessions in a short period of time and I gave away the first 27 of them for free. This helped tremendously to build my reflexology practice, and it gave me enough experience with the protocols that I will surely never forget! (There is much more to the fascinating story of how Shea perfected and introduced Thai foot reflexology to the Orlando area. Read it here. ….Karen)

In 2012 I became certified to teach foot Reflexology workshops for the Academy. I have co-taught numerous workshops with another colleague and friend.

Currently, I work as Vice-President of Integrative Wellness for a national spinal rehabilitation care company, and I teach reflexology to our massage therapists so that they may use this healing art with our patients.

I am excited to see where the field goes and am ever grateful to be a part of it. Five years later and I still trade regularly (weekly when possible) with a fellow AAR graduate!

Reflexology has kept my feet on the ground and my head on my shoulders more than many other therapies I have used for my personal life, so it’s an absolute joy for me to share it with others. Next, I want to learn more about reflexology with aromatherapy! I’m always looking for more opportunities to train with AAR! ★

SheaKnight@me.com

 

Written by Karen Ball · Categorized: Certification, General · Tagged: Thai reflexology, Certification

Nov 04 2015

Work Smarter, Not Harder

love your handsTaking care of your hands starts well before you’re in the clinic. It involves awareness of the other activities you engage in that stress your hands.

Do you pluck guitar strings? Grip gardening shears all weekend? Struggle to open large-mouthed jars? Work on a computer for hours on end? Couple these with your age and gender (muscle mass and strength decrease with age; women are more likely to suffer from musculoskeletal injuries than men)[i] and you’ve got more than enough reasons to apply the motto “Selfcare is healthcare” to your life.

#1 Take care of yourself.

  • ŸManage your work schedule; don’t fatigue your hands by seeing more clients than your body can handle.
  • ŸIf it hurts, don’t do it! Use a different technique or take a break from working.
  • ŸGet regular hand reflexology and forearm massage sessions!
  • Take time to stretch and strengthen the muscles of your hands and forearms everyday.

#2 Work smarter, not harder.

  • ŸThe goal of reflexology is to relax. Include other approaches to help you to accomplish that goal: sedating, nervine essential oils, warm hydrotherapy, music.
  • ŸBegin your sessions with paraffin. The warm penetrating wax will soften the tissue, allowing your digits to sink in with less effort.
  • ŸMix it up to work points: Use a thumb or both the index and third finger together (they’re the strongest) or a knuckle.
  • ŸSet boundaries with clients. Apply only as much pressure as you can comfortably give without hurting yourself. To see tricks on adding more pressure with less effort please watch these two videos: More Pressure, No More Effort and Giving More Pressure on Points.

What sort of tricks do you employ to take care of your hands?

 

 

[i] Laura L. Tosi, Barbara D. Boyan and Adele Le. Boskey, “Does Sex Matter in Musculoskeletal Health?: The Influence of Sex and Gender on Musculoskeletal Health,” Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, 20015; 87:1631-1647

 

 

Written by Karen Ball · Categorized: Hand Reflexology · Tagged: Self-care, Hand reflexology

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