9 Things Reflexologists Don’t Do – and 5 Things we Do
Cure – Reflexologists do not cure. Instead, we promote healing, which can be a very
different thing, depending on the issue.
Patient – Reflexologists do not have patients. Physicians have patients. We have client partners. Some reflexologists have clients. But, whatever we have, we don’t have patients.
Recommend – We do not recommend. Instead, we work feet. We concentrate our energies on facilitating healing.
Advise – Reflexologists do not advise. We support our client partners in their healing path. Our work brings about homeostasis and synchronicity.
Examine – We do not examine. We read feet or hands or ears. .We notice where our findings are located. We work the feet, hands, ears, to bring about healing, homeostasis, and synchronicity.
Prescribe – We do not prescribe. That’s for physicians and other medical professionals. We rely on our hands and hearts to tell us what we find, to encourage healing, to facilitate homeostasis, to see synchronicity.
Dispense – We have nothing to dispense beyond the sessions we offer.
Diagnose – We do not diagnose. Physicians assist us in our healing efforts when they offer a diagnosis. This is important because it’s much easier to overcome a health issue if it has a name.
Administer – We do not administer anything. Instead, we read feet, offer sessions. Our noninvasive sessions have been offered to client partners for ages and ages.
Reflexology for the Spirit practitioners use our hands, brains, and hearts.
We do not need to over schedule our days to be successful. Twenty-five appointments a week is a full time practice for a Reflexology for the Spirit practitioner.
We are not wedded to advertising. Some of us don’t even have business cards. Referrals work well for us.
Because Reflexology for the Spirit works well with other modalities, many of us also practice yoga, massage, Reiki therapy, flower remedies. That means we are always growing, learning.
We honor our heritage. Reflexology for the Spirit practitioners take our traditions back many, many years:
Our history takes us far back in time with beginnings shrouded in mystery. What we do know is that early references to reflexology can be found in China, India, Japan, Egypt, Greece, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Mediterranean, South American and North America.
Historians tell us that Egyptians practiced both hand and food reflexology as early as 2500 BC. If you ever travel to Egypt, please visit the burial ground at Saqqara. The Physician’s Tomb there has a famous wall painting showing two people receiving reflexology.
If you ever find yourself in Japan, be sure to visit the Medicine Teacher Temple in Nara. There you’ll find a stone carving depicting the soles of Buddha’s feet in a carving dating to 790 AD.
In India, there are paintings of Vishnu, the Hindu god’s feet with symbols corresponding to several reflexology points.
Ayurveda is an ancient Indian form of medicine becoming popular in our country. Reflexology is incorporated in Ayurvedic medicine.
Reflexology has been recorded in ancient Chinese writings describing pressure being applied to fingers and thumbs.
From this glorious history and recent twentieth century trailblazers, we now have thousands of people practicing various kinds of reflexology throughout the world.
Reflexologists the world over work in tandem with physicians as our field moves toward integrative medicine in the twenty-first century. Integrative medicine works to heal the total person: the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual.
Reflexology has endured the test of time and is modern as tomorrow in the 21st !century.
Thank you for reading this blog. It has been a long time since I’ve posted an article. I have been working full time/overtime on the new book! It’s happening!
Thurman Greco
Woodstock, New York
Progress of the Book
The book is, at last, being edited! Real book progress is being made. I hope to get it to the publisher soon. I plan to go over it one last time about mid July.
Thanks to everyone for your patience.
Please share this exciting news (for me, anyway) with your favorite media network.
Thurman Greco
Woodstock, NY
Arthritis in the Feet
THE ISSUE – Arthritis in the feet definitely addresses problems we experience as we move forward in life. Arthritis also focuses on a personality living with judgmental attitudes. Control is an issue.
PHYSICAL CAUSES – There are many, many different types of arthritis. Common risk factors include:
old age
overweight
ill-fitting shoes
traumatic injury
If your client partner wants to deal with this affliction and to know his/her specific causes, s/he needs to see a rheumatologist for a diagnosis. This is important. A diagnosis always gives the client partner more power over the health issue. Until a person has a name for the disease, it is more difficult to overcome the problems.
You also need a diagnosis because there are many different kinds of arthritis and you will treat the issue differently based on which type your client partner suffers with.
SPIRITUAL ASPECTS – Where the arthritis attacks the foot reveals much about the involved Chakras. For example, the first chakra would be affected with arthritis in the heel.
If it is in the right foot – your client partner is dealing with past issues. The left foot focuses on the present.
HEALING – The reflexology your regular sessions offer cannot be overestimated. Combine them with Reiki therapy and encourage your client partner to add a few extra reflexology spa sessions.
A person suffering with arthritis needs nurturing so that releasing the past becomes easier. Forgiving is essential with arthritis, especially arthritis in the feet.
Nurturing offered by your reflexology sessions allows your client partner to appreciate the positive things which life offers. Nurturing reflexology sessions will also help your client partner worry less about perceived limitations. This will definitely lighten the load.
In addition to your reflexology and Reiki sessions, you may want to include an occasional guided meditation focusing on changing direction in life with ease.
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Thurman Greco
Thank you Sangi for the beautiful art work.
Chakras, Insight and Reflexology for the Spirit
heart with wings
We know from our basic reflexology classes that the organs of the body, the skeletal system, the endocrine system, etc., are mirrored on the feet. The same is true of the chakras. Each chakra has a specific place on the foot.
Once we factor in the chakras with reflexology, we come to the heart of the Reflexology for the Spirit concept.
This offers us another layer/healing tool important both to us and our client partners. How does this work?
Let’s say you’re working a person’s feet and you find a hollow. It’s located on the bottom of the foot immediately below the little toe. This hollow is also red. If we were to pinpoint this hollow on the reflexology map, it would be the shoulder.
Looking at the chakras on the reflexology map, we know this is the 4th chakra. So, we know that we have a shoulder issue and a 4th chakra issue.
This is an over simplification of what’s happening with the chakras and reflexology but it gives you an idea of how this is going to work.
The next few posts will focus on the chakras and how they impact our work as reflexologists. Many of you will be well acquainted with how chakra work. Others will be in new waters.
It doesn’t really matter what your experience level is here. What matters is that we, as reflexologists realize that a hollow on the 4th chakra level will have an extra meaning for you and your client. So will a corn on the 3rd toe.
We will not only see what:
crystals,
hollows,
corns,
warts,
athlete’s foot,
redness,
yellow skin
and anything else found on the foot reflects. But, finally, we will gain specific insight into what areas of your client partner’s life the crystals, hollows, corns, warts, athlete’s foot, redness, yellow skin actually affect.
A callus on the heel, for example, is a 1st chakra event. This callus will impact the core beliefs of your client partner.
You will know when you find hollows or crystals or mushiness (or anything else) in the kidney area of the food, that you also have a second chakra event.
Chakras form the total energetic makeup of a person. When working a person’s feet, it’s important to know what each chakra means, how it affects the person’s day-to-day life. Insight into a person’s deeper layers helps them recognize things about themselves which they
may have forgotten,
didn’t feel were important,
or didn’t care about.
INSIGHT IS A POWERFUL HEALING TOOL.
The chakras are all interconnected. They build on one another. What this means is that if one chakra is not balanced, all of them will be affected. The entire body will be affected. When you have a cut on the bottom of your foot, it may result in painful walking which will result in a spine thrown off balance which will affect the health of the entire body. There is a ripple effect.
This also works for the chakras. When the first chakra is unbalanced a person may feel ungrounded which will affect how the person deals with depression (a second chakra issue), which will no doubt affect one’s digestion (a third chakra issue). and on and on.
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Artwork donated by Jennette Nearhood.
Thurman Greco
“Should I Accept Clients Who Smoke?”
What a question!
“Of course. Yes.”
“But, what if they smell of tobacco? I find it very offensive. And, besides, I don’t want my healing space reeking of smoke.”
Well, I stick to my guns here. Cigarette smoking is an addiction. It is a disease. You accept the client and offer assistance, support, guidance as s/he struggles to give up smoking.
Encourage the person to cut down on the number of cigarettes smoked in a day. If you can get him/her to cut back to 5 or fewer cigarettes a day, the final push will be very easy.
When people think of diseases smokers contract, they always come up with the same usual suspects:
lung cancer
throat cancer
COPD
Emphysema.
In reality, the diseases caused are many more and the health damage done is much greater.
Smoking and exposure to second hand smoke is really hard on the immune system. Smoking ages the body faster. This results in
wrinkled skin
clogged arteries
emphysema
cancer
impotence.
The most important reason for not smoking is what it does to the immune system. Smoking wrecks the immune system causing it to become overactive. And, the effects are often easily seen.
It’s not necessary to see a person smoking to know you’re looking at a smoker. It’s also not necessary to smell a smoker either.
The effects of smoking can be seen in the skin, hair, nails, eyes, posture.
The effects of smoking can be heard in the classic smoker’s cough.
You cannot help your client partner stop smoking. What you can do is help with the cravings and other discomfort while they go through the 5-6 week withdrawal process. Reflexology for the Spirit, Reiki therapy, and encouragement can go a long way to support during this time.
Help your client partner become dramatically healthier. Nicotine patches are available. CVS sells a smoking cessation program which helps.
After the 6-week period, you can help your client partner do a cleanse and you can offer support choosing a physical fitness program.
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
5 Ways to Be Connected
The human immune system is a fast responder. It knows immediately when/if we are having emotional or spiritual problems. And, of course, this response affects our health.
If wellness is important to you…and I think it is because you’re a reflexologist, then one of the best things you can do is pamper your immune system. This works for your client partners also. No one is exempt on this.
This we know: there is a direct correlation between negative emotions, disease, and accelerated aging. Appreciation, sympathy, understanding are important to all of us.
Inner peace is important to being well – being grounded.
One thing in life which promotes inner peace and groundedness is an appreciation for nature and seeing the connection that all living beings share.
There are several ways to promote this connectedness:
WALK IN THE PARK. Actually, a “walk in the park” is the generic term for any activity which gets you positively involved with nature That can include biking, hiking, museum going, or anything else which makes you aware of how connected we all are.
GET A PET. This is a biggie if you can do it. Not everyone lives where pets are allowed. But, if you can…a dog or cat is awesome. Pets offer something which humans seem to be unable to offer: unconditional love.
A pet will:
improve your immune system function,
give you a more positive outlook on life,
lower your blood pressure
love you unconditionally.
What more can you ask for?
KEEP A JOURNAL. For some this can be a challenge. But, this journal is not for anyone but yourself. So, don’t worry about the spelling, punctuation, paragraphs, etc.
The purpose of your journal is to make a note of special moments which sustain you when you’re feeling low. Such moments include:
a cat’s purr
a baby’s smile
a smell of a flower
a compliment
a smile from a stranger
When you record them, you may notice that these special moments occur more often than you thought.
BREATHE. This is a biggie. Breathe in while while mentally repeating a positive phrase such as “I bring positive energy into my life.” Hold your breath for a moment and then exhale as you repeat “I radiate positive energy.” Consciously breathing for a couple of minutes each day can have a profound impact on your life.
Many people go through their whole lives not even thinking about how they breathe or what their breath does for them. Honor your breath.
INCORPORATE SURPRISE. Try to do something unexpected every day. Compliment a total stranger on a haircut or a jacket or something. It doesn’t matter what, really. Just say something complimentary to someone who is totally not expecting anything.
Leave a small token for someone who is not expecting anything…and keep it a secret if you can.
Offer to walk someone’s dog.
Say “Thank you.”
GET INVOLVED. This can mean walking a dog at the local pound or hosting a food drive for your local food pantry. There are many, many groups out there where people are working to make life better for us all. Volunteering is an extremely positive way to go through life.
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please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
Michele Garner donated the artwork for this post.
The Fountain of Youth
On April 12, 1513, Ponce de Leon landed on what is now Florida. He is believed by many nowadays to have been seeking the Fountain of Youth.
Whether he was seeking a magic potion or not is irrelevant because he never reported discovering such a Fountain of Youth. And, today, it’s pretty well agreed by all leaders in the health field that a Fountain of Youth does indeed exist. However, we don’t drink it.
The Fountain of Youth is called Exercise.
Are you interested in being healthy?
Do you want your body to last a long time?
Do you want to have an active daily life?
Exercise daily!
Begin your journey to wellness and longevity and homeostasis by choosing an activity you’ll enjoy doing.
Walking is a good first choice. It costs very little to walk. Walk a few minutes each day. Begin by walking about 10 minutes the first day and then increase both the speed and the length of each walk until you get to a brisk 30-minute session each day.
When you walk you experience a mild detox and you heal on some level.
Organizing a walking group is a good way for you as a Reflexology for the Spirit practitioner to motivate client partners, neighbors, friends, to become healthier. Walking is a social event as you see the same people on your walk every day. It’s fun to see how everyone’s doing on your walking route.
There are literally hundreds of exercising options: gym, cycling, running, swimming. It really doesn’t matter what you choose – the fountain of youth can be found in pretty much any activity that you’ll like well enough to do at least 3 times every week. What matters is that you move. Whatever your age, the state of your health, moving helps.
It’ll be even better if you can do your favorite activity in short bursts throughout the day if you are sedentary.
Yoga is a good choice because you compete only against yourself. It keeps you well stretched. Many people “grow” an inch or 2 when they take up yoga.
Whatever activity you choose, when you move, you get the blood circulating. The brain and nervous system become more active. It’s harder for muscles to go into atrophy. The immune system gets a boost.
Regular exercise helps you feel better about yourself, increases your energy level.
Some forms of exercise, if they are “right” for you, can be very grounding. This is important for a Reflexology for the Spirit practitioner. Encourage not only yourself, but your client partners to find that activity which is physically challenging as well as spiritually uplifting – this is the fountain of youth!
Guideline: Move – partake of the fountain of youth!
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
