How to Use This Blog –
This blog offers you something difficult to get in today’s market: insight into your health. It’s not a substitute for an x-ray or an MRI. Nor will it take the place of a blood test prescribed by your primary healthcare provider.
I’m a reflexologist, not a doctor. The information I share and the experiences I relate are based on my research and career. It’s not intended to diagnose or treat a disease.
I do not prescribe medications or treatments of any kind.
Healthcare professionals are trained and work in several different healing systems. I feel they all work toward the same goal: developing and maintaining your good health. Healthcare professionals include Medical Doctors, Doctors of Osteopathy, Naturopathic Doctors, Homeopaths.
The information in these blog posts will allow you to see your health care through the added dimension of a spiritual event or situation. This can enhance your physical situation.
This blog is not intended to replace your primary healthcare provider, or any healthcare provider, for that matter. Instead, this blog adds a layer of personal care to every situation in your healing life.
If you have a health question or situation offering no answer, do not be afraid to dig into the past blog posts. There are several hundred of them.
In the coming months, there will be several hundred more. My sincere hope is that you will join my future posts. If you do, thank you for joining me.
Thurman Greco
PS: Please refer this post to your favorite social media network.
Healthy Blood Pressure – 6 Things You Can Do.
We all have a blood pressure. We don’t see it. We don’t feel it. Unless someone checks our blood pressure, we don’t know we have it. And, unless someone tells us our blood pressure is bad, we don’t even think about it.
That makes high blood pressure a quiet killer. While we go about our lives unaware of the situation, hypertension damages our blood vessels, heart, and eyes. High blood pressure is a set-up for heart disease, stroke, dementia, and kidney disease.
So, pay attention to your blood pressure. When your blood pressure is high, your heart is working too much to do its job properly. This stresses your arteries.
So, what can you do to get your blood pressure down to normal?
For starters, STAMP OUT YOUR CIGARETTES. Smoking, whether cigarettes or pipes, is not good for your arteries. When nicotine reaches your blood vessels, they constrict – which is not good for you.
GET A PET – Statistically, people with pets have healthier blood pressure scores. So, what is the best pet for you? I, personally, love dogs and cats. But you don’t have to get something that barks and meows. Birds, fish, snakes, even a gold fish make good pets. The important thing is to get one that is good for your situation.
DO YOU HAVE A HOBBY? – Find something that you really enjoy and can get interested in. Drawing, writing, skating, running, walking, and a thousand and one other things can be just what you need to calm your hypertension.
GET RID OF YOUR EXTRA WEIGHT. – When you lower your weight you’ll have better blood pressure scores, you will also feel better and look better. And, this is a segway right into the next suggestion:
NUTRITIONAL COUNSELING – Some foods encourage a good blood pressure score. Fruits and vegetables are good. Some people feel oatmeal has magical qualities. You’ll have better luck with this if you get several sessions with a nutritionist whose training aligns with your health needs.
EXERCISE HELPS, TOO! Yoga is good. But, so is anything else you do regularly. This includes almost any physical activity you like. The important thing is to move.
Not included in this list is pills. I think they are important and have been taking my blood pressure medication daily for decades. Just like everyone else I know, I objected to them for a long time. Once I admitted that I needed them, life became better. This is a decision for you to make, though. Everyone I know who takes a hypertension medication, including myself, went through stages of resistance.
After all, it’s hard to face up to needing a medication for the rest of my life. But, once I matured into this reality, my health improved and my attitude about myself certainly got better, too.
Thanks so much for reading this article. There are many other posts in this blog which will help you lower your blood pressure. I hope you get time to check out a few of them.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
Thurman Greco
Maintaining Your Good Health – Inner Fitness for Life
We each have an inner core, a spiritual center needing encouragement, support and protection. Your inner core lets you travel through life with minimal bumps. When encouragement, support, and protection are deficient in some way, you run a risk of developing a lack of self-confidence. There are ways to give yourself a boost. Life is easier with a strong inner core.
THINK POSITIVELY
Put yourself in a positive frame of mind before you even get out of bed. Ask yourself: “What can I be happy about? What makes me happy?”
CONNECT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
Volunteer someplace. Get a job. Read a local paper. Use your library. Get into your community.
INCLUDE EXERCISE OF SOME KIND…EVERY DAY
In 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon discovered the Fountain of Youth in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. The Fountain of Youth still exists and keeps people everywhere healthy. There is at least one branch of it in your neighborhood, located on the sidewalk or roadside where you can walk every day. If that’s not a good option for you, the other nearby branch is in your local fitness center. You’ll be healthier and your body will thank you if you visit one of these branches every day.
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
De-cluttering is a bit of a fad and it’s okay with me. This grounding and uplifting exercise has become part of my daily schedule. I spend fifteen minutes every day clearing out clutter in a room. There are books written about it. Reading one is a good idea if you need a starter boost. Whether or not you read a book about de-cluttering, your inner self will be more fit when you adopt this habit.
REVIEW YOUR SITUATION
Now might be a good time to journal about important events in your life. Or short stories. Or poems. Or anything that seems appropriate for you. You don’t necessarily need to focus on what happened to you. The important thing is what you did with what happened to you.
SUPPORT YOURSELF
Do something nice for yourself. Think nice thoughts about yourself. Your nice thoughts about yourself are a treat, a gift you give you give to yourself. You deserve it.
Thank you for reading this blog post. Please share this article on your favorite social media network.
Thurman Greco
Five Things You Can Do For Your Good Health
Good health is not that hard to achieve. Really. When it comes down to a bottom line, five things are essential to establishing and maintaining your good health.
NOT SMOKING IS ESSENTIAL.
Do you smoke? Reduce your habit to five cigarettes a day. When you are down to five, you can get to zero with little effort.
Join a smokers’ support group.
Hypnotherapy and Biofeedback both offer successful results for many smokers.
The bottom line is this: Do whatever you have to do to give up this habit.
MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT.
This is a high priority. Losing or gaining weight to reach your ideal weight for your good health gets harder with every passing year so the younger you are when you work on your weight, the easier it will be.
Weight Watchers is a good support group.
An interested nutritionist can help you reach your desired goal and include specific foods contributing to your continued good health at the same time. You’ll get twice the bang for your buck with a nutritionist.
An example of this: If you need to gain or lose weight and you have heart health issues, a nutritionist can work on the weight issues along with your heart issues. I don’t know about you, but I love to be able to do a couple of things together. I get all involved in the different aspects of synchronicity.
EAT MANY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.
Many wellness gurus teach five servings of fruits and vegetables are a minimum number for a well nourished person to eat daily. This five serving recommendation is easy for me to pass on. And, it’s also easy to have fun with.
I like the concept of thinking about which five fruits and vegetables will be on my plate today. Planning ahead for each day’s selection gives them focus and importance.
I also like the idea that advance planning gives me a chance to play and experiment a bit. You can do this too. It’s easier than you think. All you have to do is choose one new vegetable or fruit each week.
Take it home and learn what it’s called. What countries is it commonly grown in? Learn how to cook it, store it, combine it with other foods, and finally how to eat it.
If you learn about one new fruit or vegetable each week, your dietary skills will be vastly different in a year. Adventure!
EXERCISE REGULARLY.
This can be a drudgery or it can be fun. Your good health options are open here. Participate in one or more activities regularly. The point is to keep yourself active daily as you go throughout your life.
You can put in as much time or money as you want here.
You can also combine exercise with other daily habits. I wear an exercise watch which beeps when I’m not moving enough. It also congratulates me when I’ve gone beyond my daily goal.
I went out and got a second job which requires that I stay off my seat and on my feet. So, I’m making money while exercising. I enjoy this a lot.
AVOID STRESSORS.
This can be a biggie. Stress contributes to many health problems. Like the sleep suggestion a few pages back, you’ll find a chapter on stress later in this book. Things like meditation, walks, laughter, sharing, singing, nature bathing, journaling, drawing can help you avoid stress.
Stress relief is important – just as important as your diet and exercise.
Thank you for reading this blog post. Please refer it to your favorite media network.
Thurman Greco
When Healing Occurs
Healing is physical, symbolic, mythical, energetic and spiritual.
All at the same time.
The most obvious healing level is the physical one. This is where your body fights a disease or issue by overcoming symptoms, boosting your body systems, changing your DNA.
Chiropractors heal on the physical level when they make adjustments. Physical therapists work on the physical level when they move muscles on your body. Physicians work on the physical level when they set bones.
MYTHICAL HEALING
Mythical healing occurs at the soul level and is perceived through dreams and ceremony. Mythical level events inform reality and can include dream interpretation.
SYMBOLIC HEALING
When a client comes to me with pain, I engage that person in a dialogue which is symbolic healing in action. I ask a few questions:
How long have you had this pain?
Is it constant or intermittent?
What are your pain’s size and shape?
What color is your pain?
What does it look like?
What does it sound like?
What does this pain feel like?
What is its smell?
What makes it better and what makes it worse?
What other symptoms go with this pain?
When did it begin?
Where does it hurt?
Once you have identified your pain’s sound, I invite you to make a chant using this sound.
Symbolic healing works through your words. Talking about a health issue promotes healing. Talking with a psychiatrist or psychotherapist is symbolic healing. Speaking with a physical therapist about your shoulder pain is symbolic.
Guided meditation is symbolic healing.
ENERGETIC HEALING
Energetic healing uses no words. Examples of energetic healing include massage, reflexology, Reiki therapy, Chakra healing, and other types of bodywork.
BLENDING
Chiropractors, Physical therapists, and Physicians work on the symbolic level when they consult with patients verbally. Describing your heathl issues with a physician is symbolic healing.
Thank you for reading this article. Please refer it to your preferred social media network.
Thurman Greco
Eczema – a skin condition we all need to know more about
Spiritually, if you have eczema, you have a negative attitude toward unpleasant events in your life.
Eczema is a fairly common skin condition becoming more and more common. Your skin becomes inflamed as it reacts to soaps, detergents, household chemicals, food, house dust, and other irritants.
Itching, red, inflamed skin is the first step. It’s followed by flaking skin and a rash appearing on legs, hands, face, neck.
In children, eczema likes the inner knees and elbows.
If the condition doesn’t improve within a week, you need to see a medical professional.
Looking at the bigger picture, eczema is also a reaction to stresses in and around you. And, we can probably all agree that life is becoming more and more stressful.
The best way to treat eczema is to identify, remove, and avoid the allergens. Your goal is to control and relieve symptoms.
Looking beyond the emotional, mental, and spiritual stress, we are all more and more stressed by the chemicals we come in contact with daily. The soaps we clean with and the food we eat are becoming more and more laden with more and stronger chemicals as time goes by.
Eczema begins as itchy blotches on your skin. The redness begins later. The three culprits here are allergies, stress, and immune system overload.
These three situations respond positively to regular reflexology, Reiki therapy and chakra healing sessions.
An important first step in treating eczema beyond regular sessions is for you to identify the triggers which set off your bouts of eczema. These may be animal dander, anger, cleaning products, drugs, foods, fragrances, poor circulation, house dust, .
All is not lost. You’ll benefit from a little sun every day.
Because eczema is a situation resulting from immune system overload, a clean environment is critical. This includes your air, body, car, home, work place, water.
When toxins are cleaned out, your health will have a chance to improve. Then, your reflexology sessions will be able to more effectively manage eczema’s side effects.
Eczema responds to conventional medical treatments as well as mind-body therapies. In addition to reflexology, Reiki therapy, and chakra healing, meditation helps.
Although this may seem like a daunting task, cleaning up your body and the environment is easier than you might think. For starters, throw out all your cleaning supplies and cosmetics and replace them with non-toxic products which won’t exacerbate the problem.
A good next step is to clean up the diet by cooking and eating only the foods which have no artificial colors, flavors, additives.
It has been said that health begins and ends in the colon. A colon cleanse followed by a liver cleanse is in order. When your environment is cleaned up and your body cleaned out, it will be easier to cope with stressful situations.
CHAKRAS:
Eczema is a fourth chakra issue.
REFLEXOLOGY SYSTEMS TO WORK:
immune system, nervous system, lymphatics, digestive system, circulatory system, liver, solar plexus
ESSENTIAL OILS:
bergamot, frankincense, geranium, helichrysum, juniper, lavender, myrrh, neroli, peppermint, sweet orange, tea tree, yarrow,
EFFECTIVE FIELDS OF HEALING: Conventional Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naturopathy, Homeopathy, Herbalism
PREVENTATIVE MEASURES: Keep damaged skin moist using an oil-based cream. Apply emollients liberally and frequently.
TREATMENT GOAL: If you can avoid the itch-scratch-itch cycle and avoid potential infection, your situation will be much better.
Thank you for reading this article. Please refer it to your preferred social media network.
Thurman Greco
Woodstock, New York
Longevity Breathing – an Easy Step to Better Health
I often go through a good bit of my day without even thinking about how I’m breathing, forgetting completely that the easiest and most powerful way to stay healthy and promote good longevity is breathing right.
When we’re faced with traffic snarls, an unhappy coworker, a missed deadline at work, lack of exercise, or children with stuffy noses, automatic stress responses are all too common. Our breathing becomes shallow, rapid.
Heart rates speed up, neck muscles tighten, teeth grind, and on and on.
There is something you can do.
You can learn – and practice – proper longevity breathing techniques.
There are many different breathing techniques. I use one, in particular, a the moment I realize that stress is staring me in the face.
I always use it when I’m in a doctor’s office and I know I’m going to get my blood pressure checked. I don’t have White Coat Syndrome, but my blood pressure definitely rises when the cuff is put on my arm. Sometimes, my blood pressure even rises when I walk into the doctor’s office.
So, I just cut this increase off at the pass. I use this longevity breathing technique anytime I need to calm myself and control my emotions. Here is what I do. And, you can do it too.
I breathe in deeply through my nose while mentally telling myself it’s time to be calm and lower my blood pressure.
When you breathe in deeply through your nose, focus the origin of this inhale deep in your abdomen. Hold this deep breath for a few seconds.
Then, exhale slowly as you breathe out. Remind yourself that you are breathing out stress. Let your inner self know that you are lowering your blood pressure when you exhale this deep breath.
This deep inhale and exhale pattern works in traffic, in the doctor’s office, at work. It works anywhere you see stress running straight toward you.
Take about four inhale-exhales and mentally check in with your body. Observe how your body is calming itself.
Take about four more inhale-exhales if you need. The goal here is to be calm, grounded, solid, alert.
You can train these inhale-exhales to work for you. Practice them when you aren’t super stressed. Practice them several times daily at randomly selected moments. The goal is to become comfortable with the results of this breathing pattern.
Thank you for reading this article. Please share it with your preferred social media network.
Thurman Greco
Woodstock, New York
Your Longevity – And a Healthy Living Attitude
The first step toward achieving your longevity goals is a healthy living attitude.
Healthy living is much easier when you feel what you’re doing is important and when you feel like you’re going to succeed when you develop your new healthy habits. Optimism is the necessary ingredient in a healthy living attitude.
Healthy living is a journey toward a goal. You can travel on the healthy living attitude express every day if you know in your heart that you’re going to be successful.
One of the hardest things to do in life is lose weight. The only thing harder is keeping it off. And, really, the most important ingredient in this whole lifestyle change is your healthy living attitude.
I know you can do it. I know you can adopt whatever habits you need to achieve your longevity goals. I know you can do it because I did it. And, the one thing that made the difference was my healthy living attitude.
I tried many times throughout the years to lose weight – to no avail. Diets were depressing. Blah. Blah. Blah.
This last try was different. Why? I experienced an attitude adjustment which worked! I’m not sure what happened. I was just ready to be free of all the extra pounds. It was just time. I was ready to let go of all the excuses that I’d been clinging to for years: my bum thyroid, my menopause, a business which sapped my strength every day and took over 80 hours a week on a slow week.
I woke up one day and realized I wanted to be free. I faced up to the fact that I was both the problem and the solution.
At that moment, my diet unfolded in front of me. And, I was off and running… away from failure, extra pounds, doubt. The healthy living attitude took control.
I began cutting out carbs and started talking to my thyroid. I also spoke to my body. I knew the extra weight surrounding my body was no longer a necessary part of my self. My new authenticity simply didn’t require so much protection.
My healthy living attitude was all I needed to protect me.
I dieted for seemingly ever. I didn’t buy a single new outfit for at least six months. And, it was all okay. Walking around in roomy clothing was fine for me. I was free! I was proud of the pounds I lost.
No one can do this for you. When you have the right attitude about your family, your work, and your health, you can do just about anything. You will see that all the parts of your life are connected and you can succeed at anything you care about doing.
When the time is right , your path will reveal itself to you. Your job will then be to show up as your authentic self and do the work. When this happens, know that your success is already making its way to you.
You will learn to access your energy system for direction, energy, motivation. You will be inspired to follow the directions. If something surfaces which doesn’t resonate with you, leave it be. Work with those things which touch your authentic self as you become comfortable with your healthy living attitude.
Through trial and error, your inner authentic self will guide you to your success. You will achieve your goals and you will learn that you are not broken. You are, instead, finding yourself.
Thank you for reading this article. Please refer it to your favorite social media network.
Thurman Greco
Woodstock, New York
Thank you for reading this article! Please refer it to your favorite social media network.
Thurman Greco
Woodstock, NY
Longevity and the Fountain of Youth
In 1513, Ponce de Leon discovered the fountain of youth in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. Fortunately for us all, the fountain of youth still exists and there is a branch of it in your neighborhood. It is the sidewalk where you can walk daily as you exercise. It can also be found at your nearest fitness class.
The truth is that the best thing you can do to assure that you live a long and healthy life is move, move, move. Exercise is where it’s at!
A good exercise class or activity is one that you enjoy, can practice at least three times a week, and is one which strikes the right balance between enthusiasm and safety. You are doing yourself no favors if you experience sports injuries. The fountain of youth is one where you move, move, and move.
Everybody has excuses to not be physically fit through regular exercise.
Teens are distracted from exercise by schoolwork and the powerful pull of a social life.
Young adults in their 20’s seem to be physically fit more by accident than anything else. After all, young people are busy with careers and social activities.
Careers and family relationships are the major pulls of adults in their 30’s and 40’s. People exercising in this age group are often motivated by vanity. For some, health and longevity concerns become important as muscle strength declines. Issues surface such as slower reaction time, shortening ligaments, loss of elasticity. People in their 30’s and 40’s need to use warm ups, stretching more often.
If a person in the 50-to-60 age category continues to ignore the fountain of youth, daily life becomes more difficult when the time comes to get out of a chair, lift and carry objects. The quality of life improves when people rely on regular exercise routines. Regular exercise improves the life of a retiree! Go Fountain of Youth!
Exercise which supports physical fitness makes the difference between independent living and an assisted living facility for a person in the 70-to-80 age group.
The good news is that we are never too old to enjoy the benefits of the fountain of youth. Exercise is always there for us – no matter what our age! It ‘s never too late to discover the fountain of youth for yourself.
Whatever your age category, get off the sofa and move for just 30 minutes a day.
Thanks for reading this article. Please share it with your preferred social media network!
Thurman Greco
Woodstock, New York
Winter Solstice Meditation – December 21, 2018
On December 21st, the date of the annual Winter Solstice, please take a moment wherever you are to join in with all mankind to focus on a vision of peace and healing for all beings on Planet Earth.
December 21st is the day when all beings on Planet Earth begin again with annual re-birth. All beings on Planet Earth honor the turning point of the year. We use our new energy for peace and healing throughout the planet.
In celebration of this annual Winter Solstice Meditation, find a quiet place where you feel safe and can focus on the annual renewal of all beings on Planet Earth.
As you get calm, focus on the re-birth happening all around us all.
May the collective energy of all living beings join together in love and gratitude and use our newly reborn energy for peace and harmony in all lives on the Planet Earth.
With the celebration of this year’s Winter Solstice, may all beings on Planet Earth know we are connected and may we all work together with mutual respect and harmony.
May all beings focus on the continuing deepening and understanding offered by the re-birth of the Planet Earth through the Winter Solstice.
With the Winter Solstice, may all beings on Planet Earth join together in focusing on spiritual healing for all living things.
Encourage your breathing to become centered and grounded. Breathe in a breath composed of positive healing, love, understanding, and respect for all beings on Planet Earth.
As you exhale, let go of all things negative. Release all feelings of negativity which may possibly impact your life and that of your loved ones in the coming year.
As you inhale, focus on positive aspects of your life which you can improve during the coming year.
Exhale to release all feelings of negativity which may not support the rebirth offered by the Winter Solstice.
With this meditation, breathe in centering and grounding feelings which will benefit all living beings on earth.
Visualize a healed planet. Visualize a clean, uplifting environment for all beings on our earth. See a glorious sphere . There is radiant blue water. The lands have no borders. All beings traveling do so in perfect harmony on a perfect path.
When it is time for you to leave this place of perfection and serenity, you may choose to bring this feeling of peace back with you to the outer world.
Return to your surroundings now. Be awake, alert, and feel wonderful…in perfect peace where you are.
Thank you. Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
Please share this article with everyone you know.
Thurman Greco
Woodstock, New York
