Archives for March 2016

Mar 30 2016

Smelly Feet

I’m not talking here of feet that have a bit of an odor from being in shoes and socks all day. I’m talking of feet that their owners warn you about! Strong, acrid odors.

The good news is that there are easy ways for people to eliminate this problem.

The bottoms of our feet are naturally teeming with bacteria that break down substances in our perspiration to create an acid that smells. The moisture from perspiration encourages bacteria to multiply even more.

The Fix:

A one week or two week committed regimen usually does the trick. Here’s one:

Scrub your feet, especially the soles.
Air out your feet as often as possible. Wear sandals if weather and situation permit. Remove socks and shoes when you get home. Change your shoes often.
Brew a strong pot of black tea, let cool and then soak the feet for 10 minutes/day.
Dry the feet thoroughly.
Spray with a combination of tea tree and lemon essential oils. Create a 3% dilution by mixing 15 to 18 drops of the essential oil combination to one ounce of water. Let your feet completely air dry before putting your feet in socks or shoes or getting in bed.

Do you have any tried and true methods that have worked for you or your clients?

Mar 23 2016

Reflexology, Alzheimer’s and Sleep

Alzheimer’ disease is in the news a lot these days – and for good reason. The incidence of attack is growing at an alarming rate with little recourse for treatment and no agreement on what causes this life-changing disorder.

Leigh Baker, DNP and grad of the Academy’s 2015 Therapeutic Hand & Foot Reflexology Certification, offers us a glimpse into the life of someone living with Alzheimer’s and her caregivers in her research case study. You can read her findings and treatment protocol here.

Mar 18 2016

The Heart of a Reflexologist

Recently, I was asked to describe what sorts of people are attracted to my reflexology certification. Who is a good fit? Turns out the answer is both simple, and not so simple!

Participants in the Therapeutic Hand & Foot Reflexology Professional Certification tend to be self-motivated, responsible adults with a passion for reflexology and a strong interest in personal growth and development. That part is simple; however…

they can also be grouped as young adults, elders, healthy and not so healthy, confident and not so confident. Not so cut and dry.

What they have in common though is a sincere desire to heal themselves and through that process to touch the lives of as many other people as possible, to help them improve the quality of their lives.

Through skilled touch and loving respect, grads help individuals confront the most challenging aspects of their lives. These skilled practitioners have learned to appreciate the difficulties inherent in charting a path of recovery through the maze of conflicting information and personal beliefs that get in the way of living a healthy and happy life. They have learned how to gently support their clients’ efforts to reinvent themselves as healthy, happy, self-actualized citizens.

I have no interest in turning out technicians; people who have memorized reflexes and can apply appropriate techniques. My intent is to graduate skilled, compassionate therapists with strong business goals.

If this sounds like you, then I invite you to join this year’s team of eager participants. Adding reflexology to your “tool kit” will enhance the services you have to offer and establish a satisfied clientele who will market your business for you.

Enrollment is happening now! Act today. Classes start April 7.

Mar 16 2016

Reflexology for Migraine Headaches

It would be surprising if you didn’t know someone who suffers with migraines. It is a common disorder affecting at least 28 million people in the United States and millions more around the world. The statistics are frightening; the reality of living with migraines crippling.

Julie Wesling, AAR grad, decided to see if a combination of foot and hand reflexology might help a 43-year-old woman who has suffered with migraine headaches for half her life. You can read Julie’s protocol and the results here.

Mar 09 2016

Every Breath You Take

It’s more than just a great song from Sting!

Have you ever considered what a lifetime of poor breathing does to your body? Or conversely, the vast implications of properly executed breathing?

Each breath either balances the acid/alkaline levels in the body (keeping cellular pH at its optimal level) or sets off a disruption in that homeostasis. When you breathe deeply and correctly from your diaphragm, your body chemistry is kept in balance.

It only takes five or six poorly performed breaths to start to push your pH levels towards imbalance. If not corrected, this disruption of pH has the potential to affect every chemical reaction in your body as well as the efficiency of your metabolism.

Breathing incorrectly for three minutes is enough to decrease the amount of oxygen to the brain and heart by 30%. Doctors and scientists tell us that if we breathe shallowly from our chests for years, we pre-dispose ourselves to a range of chronic illnesses – from heart disease to asthma to chronic fatigue.

I take every moment I can to just stop and inhale deeply a few times throughout the day, allowing my lungs to expand in all directions like a bellows; letting the diaphragm drop and my belly to expand outwards; my rib cage and lungs to push outwards, both in the front and back; shoulders relaxed. And then to just let it go….nice and easy.

Whenever I’m stopped at a traffic light when driving; waiting in line somewhere; walking the beach in the early morning; before I begin to eat; in the morning before getting out of bed and again at night before drifting off to la-la land. Everytime I remember to. To feed my body the food it needs to keep me alive and ticking.

Those seconds of deep breathing (most times with my eyes closed) also give my body a quick respite from the crazy momentum of my mind’s thoughts and my life.

When working with clients – particularly if the focus of the session is the respiratory system – I encourage my clients to take deep, noisy breaths (so many people don’t want you to hear them breathing!) from time to time. Sometimes, I’ll breathe deeply myself to signal their bodies to do the same.

I’ll give extra attention to the reflexes of the diaphragm, lungs, sinus and solar plexus, and watch my client’s breathing change as their body lets go into deep relaxation and natural breathing patterns resurface.

It’s so easy – if we just remember to.

Mar 02 2016

Reflexology And Constipation

Constipation is a condition that plagues many people, and more so at different times in one’s life.

Women experience more difficulty during their menstrual cycle, people taking certain medications (particularly pain meds) often complain of constipation, and those whose lives are more sedentary – especially the elderly (who may also be taking a number of pharmaceutical drugs).

Although little research has been done regarding the effects of reflexology on constipation, many, many people swear to its effectiveness.

Kelly Estapa, a graduate of the Academy’s 2015 reflexology certification program decided to test the hypothesis with a 6-week case study with an 85-year old subject. Here are the results.

Mar 01 2016

Why I Love To Get Up Every Morning

Ikigai is a Japanese concept meaning “a reason for being”. According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai. It’s why you were put here on earth; your raison d’être; your purpose in life; why you get up every morning.

It is said that finding one’s ikigai often requires a lengthy self-examination. And I can attest to that, because I have only just discovered – or rather, recognized – what my true purpose is in this lifetime. (Yeah, maybe I’m a slow learner!)

I have practiced and taught reflexology for 30+ years, and have loved every minute of it. I feel blessed to have played some small part in helping others to feel better. That work has rewarded me financially and in the nontangible ways that have built a life of meaning, fulfillment and happiness.

But that, it turns out, is not my ikigai.

My true ikigai is to inspire others to recognize their value and gifts, and to give them the tools to express themselves in a way that brings joy into their lives and makes it possible for them to create a successful life on their own terms. If I can inspire someone to his or her greatness, I have served well.

It really has been a lengthy search for me to discover that. A search that I have enjoyed and have never been able to define until last month, when some specific writing assignments given to me in a course I was taking slowly unraveled the truth – MY truth.

My truth – my passion – is to inspire others on their chosen path of self-inquiry. I believe very strongly that from that path of self-discovery will arise strength, confidence and a life worth living.

I also believe that the more empowered, confident and happy people are, the more creative the ideas and innovations that are birthed. An army of inspired possibility-seekers is what will save this planet.

Therefore, the mission of the Academy of Ancient Reflexology is to create an environment in which people learn how they can improve first the quality of their own lives – and then others – through the vehicles of reflexology, aromatherapy, service and self-awareness.

No matter where you are in your life – whether you want to embark on a new adventure or enhance an existing wellness-based practice – you can create a viable business for yourself doing what you like to do that also serves other people. I know you can, because I did.

You don’t need a University degree (I don’t have one.) and you don’t need thousands and thousands of dollars to do it (I didn’t have that kind of money.)

All you need is a heart, your hands and a desire. A desire to make a difference – to change the world – one sole at a time.

I can provide the rest. I know I can because I’ve been doing it for years.

I can teach you the hands-on skills, powerful communication skills and proven business strategies based on integrity that will provide you a life and livelihood that you will be excited to get up every morning to face.

Would you like to work the hours you set in an environment that you create? You can. Like me, you can love “going to work”. (Frankly, for me, there is barely a separation between ‘work’ and ‘play’.)

When I have been asked what I would do if I suddenly came into possession of millions of dollars, I honestly must say, “Nothing much different than what I’m doing now.”

I LOVE what I do; how I spend my days – and the icing (chocolate, of course) on the cake: people pay me to do it!

So, here are FIVE REASONS why I want to connect with more people and share what I know and love:

1. It pains me to see people who are unfulfilled, whose lives either bore or disappoint them, who believe they have no value, who have barely scratched the surface of their potential.

I want people to realize their value, to feel good about themselves and what they have to offer; to feel successful (however you define that), and feel empowered.

That’s what it really all comes down to for me. I want people to feel their own personal power, and then to go out and share their talents with a world so desperately in need right now.

I know it’s possible for all of us because I did it for myself. Believe me, I was not born with this level of confidence and fire in me.

I can help you uncover your spark, just as others showed me the way. My purpose here on earth is to inspire others to be the best they can be.

2. For years I have read people far more educated than me state “The number one priority needing fixing to save the world is….”.

I’ve watched myself sitting on the fence about this, incapable of choosing just one, so have made small contributions to a number of deserving organizations over the years. All the issues seem equally important – environment, inequality, violence, justice, population growth, healthcare, water quality – the list never ends.

I have always believed though that, as one of the fortunate ones, it is my obligation to give back. I want to give back.

Maybe it’s the growing examples of terrorism we are experiencing now that has finally led me to land on one that has the ability to grow people capable of making sound decisions regarding all the rest: EDUCATION.

I could go on and on about this topic, but won’t right now, other than to say that, as a white female born in the western world, I have been given opportunities that are denied half the population in many parts of the world.

My declared intention is to contribute to the education and empowerment of the 60 million girls around the globe who are denied the basic right of safe access to education.

Beginning this year, the Academy of Ancient Reflexology will donate 10% of its income to the Malala Fund to help all young women find their voices and contribute to a more sustainable, healthy future for us all.

3. I truly believe that relaxation is the basis of health (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual), and I don’t know anything that helps the body and mind to relax more than reflexology. I doubt that anyone would argue with me when I say we all could do with a little more relaxation in our lives!

4. Reflexology is easy to do and to learn. It not only relaxes the body’s muscles, but also supports every single operating system in your body to function more optimally. What an amazing gift to be able to give your family, friends and the people in your community who are struggling with their health. Do you know people with digestive issues? Respiratory allergies? On blood pressure meds? Battling thyroid imbalances? Reflexology can support those struggling systems.

5. And finally, I am 66 years old. I’ve been practicing and teaching reflexology for half of my life. It’s time for me to pass the torch!

I created the Therapeutic Hand and Foot Reflexology Professional Certification program in the mid-1990’s. It’s based on the values and intentions of much of what I’ve shared here, so it’s probably not for everyone.

If you are searching for a path to a new business venture or a way to differentiate yourself from other wellness-based practitioners, I suggest you first take this short quiz to determine if the Academy’s program is right for you.