Self-Care for You, Reflexologist
When you look at your calendar for the coming week…where are YOU on the schedule? If you are not on the schedule, you are not doing the basic self-care things things to protect your career. Self-care is the difference between a two-year career as a healer and a twenty-year career as a healer.
You are the healer. You join the professional organizations. You pay your taxes. You make sure your office is “just right”. You take continuing education classes. In short, you do the things necessary to protect your business.
But, what about you: your body, your spirit, your emotional strength, your thoughts? Where are they lined up here with the bills and the available appointments, and the marketing activities?
For many healers, body workers this is the most difficult thing to do on the entire list. As reflexologists, we’re accustomed to give, give, give. And, we enjoy giving. Obviously we enjoy giving or we would never have taken even the first class.
The bottom line here is that you commit to your own private, inner, personal wellness when you receive a weekly session. You also set an example for your client partners.
Things you can do!:
Begin by filling your spiritual tank. Schedule a session for yourself each week. Every week. Do something. Get a massage. Get a Reiki session. Schedule a session with a shamanic healer. Try out that new chiropractor who just moved into your neighborhood.
Do something! The important thing is to get on someone else’s table at least once a week.
Personally, I receive an hour-long Reiki therapy session every week…no matter what. I also receive a reflexology session every week. The work I do the rest of the week is much better for this hour which I invest in myself.
Thank you for reading this blog.
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Thurman Greco
Cleanse Your Way to Health
Improving your health means doing lots of different things over time to feel, think, look, and act better. Cleanses are popular change-of-season ways to offload toxins collected in the body over the past weeks and months. They work well in conjunction with reflexology sessions which offer a mild cleanse as well.
Water is one of the best cleanses out there. A one-day water cleanse is easy, fast, cheap, and effective.
Begin your cleanse day with a large glass of water. Add a slice of lemon if you want. Then, throughout the day, drink a glass of water. You want to drink at least one large glass of clean water every half hour.
But, of course, the cleanse doesn’t have to be water. Raw, organic, juices of all kinds make good cleanses. A juice cleanse is best if the foods used are organic, fresh, cold pressed, and raw. When the juice meets these qualifications, the most nutrition is available.
Avoid processed, pasteurized, juices if you possibly can and try not to use anything with a shelf life of over two days.
One of the easiest, fastest, cheapest, most effective ways to improve your general health is with cleanses. In my book “A Healer’s Handbook” I write about intestinal, liver, and lymphatic cleanses. But, there are other cleanses out there.
A reflexology session offers a cleanse. Your regular clients receive a mild cleanse regularly as part of their visit.
When you offer reflexology to client partners who are cleansing, please focus on the intestinal tract, the lymphatic system, and focus on the liver.
Remind them of this bonus as you offer them a drink of water at the end of the session.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
Thurman Greco
“A Healer’s Handbook” is available on Amazon, Nook, and http://www.thurmangreco.com
Sustenance! What is that?
Vitamins and minerals are important to prevent disease and retard aging.
Many, many books have been written about which vitamins and minerals we should all be taking. An early draft of my book “A Healer’s Handbook” had much information included in the chapters. I was uncomfortable with the information and removed it. It took months/years to assemble the information and get it in the manuscript. It took only a few minutes to delete it. I’ve never regretted that move.
Years later, the book is now out…without the information. I’m still happy with that decision.
That being said, I’m now going to share information about some nutritional supplements with you. This information is based on my own research, what I’ve learned over many years. I’m offering my professional opinion here. You may not, probably will not, agree with any or all I present. That’s okay. The whole subject is very controversial.
The controversy is based on differing opinions between science-based and belief-based groups. These 2 groups of people see supplements in different ways. Belief based people see supplements as natural products which:
promote health
overcome dietary deficiencies
are preferable to FDA products.
Science-based groups see supplements as being:
of questionable value
and of questionable safety.
I could continue on about this conflict for another 10,000 words…but I’m not.
There are many, many supplements out there. The questions to ask yourself are 2:
Which of these products should I take and how often?
I recommend that, whatever you choose, make sure the products come from reputable companies whose products are routinely tested by independent laboratories for purity. You want to be able to purchase a vitamin, mineral, or other supplement, composed of chemicals which are listed on the label.
You want your supplements to be manufactured by companies which have independent laboratories buy their vitamins or supplements off the shelf, test them in their own facilities, and publish the results.
There are many, many books out there recommending vitamins, minerals, etc. The authors of these books will list the products and then tell you how much and when to take them. I won’t duplicate this information. What I’m doing is telling you what I use, and why I use it. Nobody is paying me to recommend these products to you. I’m not selling them, either.
These are simply the best products I can find.
The first product is one that I feel virtually everyone should be taking.
Wiley’s Finest Wild Alaskan Fish Oil is an Omega-3 Oil. It’s processed from Alaskan Pollack grown in a well managed fishery. The fish is turned into oil and purified, then bottled and shipped out. This Omega 3 Oil is 100% American made.
If you can’t find Wiley’s Finest Wild Alaskan Fish Oil in a store near you, contact Village Apothecary, Woodstock, NY, 12498 and they’ll ship it to you.
I’m really sold on Omega 3 oils. If you are only going to take one thing…make it Wiley’s Finest Wild Alaskan Fish Oil.
Everyone recommends multivitamins. A multivitamin is a basic in our culture now. Like all the other health care professionals, nutritionists, etc. I recommend that we all, at least, take multivitamins.
I take multivitamins every day with lunch.
The multivitamin I take is manufactured in Boulder, Colorado by Nutriplex, a woman-owned, organic company. All Nutriplex products offer whole food nutrition with superior quality and nutritional standards. All Nutriplex products are formulated from evidence-based research.
The name of the Nutriplex multivitamin is Whole Food.
I take 3 Nutriplex products daily:
BFood
Whole Food
Promin.
Whole Food is the multivitamin that everyone recommends. .
BFood is a formula offering B-vitamin nutrition.
I take other nutritional products as well, but these are the basic ones I take. I rely on these products to do the job they need to do.
I hope you feel the same way about the supplements you take.
Thanks for reading this blog.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
My book “A Healer’s Handbook” can be found on Amazon.
Thurman Greco
8 Ways to Get a Good Night’s Sleep
I estimate that one third of your client partners have problems sleeping. Many of them have just given up on getting a good night’s sleep. This is not a good thing because there are many things that a person can do to sleep well…every night, not just once in awhile.
A person who gets enough sleep looks and acts healthier because there is more energy available to do the things to get through the day successfully. So, here are some suggestions that have proven to be successful. Try them. Share them.
- Receive a reflexology session every week. People who get reflexology regularly tell me they sleep better. This is important for practitioners, too. I receive a session weekly. It’s one of the most important things I do in life.
- Reiki sessions are wonderful for sleep. Do you teach Reiki? Attune your clients to be reiki practitioners so they can give themselves sessions every night when they go to bed. Sleep is sure to follow. A well intentioned Reiki therapy session is better than a sleeping pill.
- Have a regular sleep schedule so that you go to bed every night at the same time. Schedule your evenings so that you plan on sleeping 7-8 hours every night.
- An hour before going to bed, turn off loud music, scary TV shows, and consciously wind down.
- Do you have a lot of things to do tomorrow? Before you go to bed, make out a list of all the things you have to do tomorrow. Then, put that list in another room and forget about it until tomorrow.
- Make your bedroom a sanctuary for sleep. This means moving all the clutter and junk to another part of the house. That includes the TV and anything else that is a sleep distraction.
- Take a look at your bedding. When was the last time you bought pillows, sheets, blankets? Does your mattress sag in the middle? Are you sleeping in worn out sweat pants with holes? It’s time to focus on sleep-inducing comfort.
- Get a pen and journal notebook. Early in the evening, every evening, spend a few moments writing about one thing that you feel thankful for.
Thanks for reading this blog post. I will be offering more sleep tips throughout the coming year.
The book “A Healer’s Handbook is available as an ebook on Amazon an d Nook. The paper version is available on my website: thurmangreco.com. So far, the response to the book is very positive.
Thanks again.
Thurman Greco
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.
Thanks for reading this blog/book.
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Artwork donated by Jennette Nearhood.
Thurman Greco
Calm…and Nurtured
To be as healthy as possible, your immune system must be calm and nurtured.
Your immune system is a warrior – fighting off dangerous and threatening diseases. Help your immune system protect you by making your life, the environment you live in feel safe.
Begin with the space you spend the most time in…your home.
Make sure your home/apartment/wherever you live is allergen free. That means the air you breathe is clean, the water you drink and bathe with is clean, and you have as little mold, mildew, and insect presence as possible.
Environmental pollutants and toxins irritate your immune system which means they are bad for your health. Exposure to unknown chemicals can negatively affect your entire life. The 3 most threatening toxins:
molds,
insects such as cockroaches,
dust mites.
Begin to calm and soothe your immune system by doing a walk-through of your home. Make a list of any and all things needing attention:
water stains,
trapped moisture
evidence of pesticides and rodents
mold.
Clean all carpets, rugs, upholstery, curtains, bedding to include blankets, throws, bedspreads.
Have your water tested.
Mask unwanted noise if you live on a noisy street.
After you have gotten rid of the toxins and pollutants, it’s time to make your home environment a peaceful oasis. This won’t take a lot of $$$. It will take attention instead.
Create places where sunlight can stream in during the day and where the area is dark at night. Fill your place with smells and aromas which will feed your soul:
fresh flowers,
home-baked bread
scented candles
a favorite essential oil
wind chimes
music you love..
Use colors in your surroundings which offer peace, calm, soothing feelings. The idea is to create a space which makes you feel happy the moment you enter it.
Create a meditation corner. It doesn’t have to be large – You only need enough room to sit or recline comfortably without being bothered. If you can have a space where you can put up your legs for a few minutes each day, you will be refreshed and nourished – something we all need.
Thank you for reading this blog/book.
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Jennette Nearhood provided the photograph for this post.
WhiteHawk Shares Her Reflexology Chart
Please meet WhiteHawk.
Reflexology wouldn’t be what it is today without the many charts created by reflexologists over the years.
The charts are, to my mind, all accurate and all wonderful. They vary greatly depending on the abilities, skills, and experience of the reflexologist creating them. When I say this, I mean not only the skills, abilities, and experience of the reflexologist but also the skills, abilities, and experience of the reflexologist as an artist.
Several years ago, I found the work of WhiteHawk. She is not only an accomplished reflexologist but also a wonderful artist. She has a website that shows a few of her gorgeous paintings.
WhiteHawk has a chart. I contacted her and received permission to share this chart with you. As you study it, you’ll notice a few points that are exclusively “WhiteHawk points.” These points are hers alone, as far as my research reveals. These points represent healing places which WhiteHawk has successfully explored in her career.
When you examine/study a new chart for the first time, please take note of any special points. Use them on your client-partners. See how they work for you. Special points on WhiteHawk’s chart include the jaw, hernia point, Ha-Ku point, and shoulder tension.
The WhiteHawk Ha-Ku point is important. It is found on some hand points but never on feet. The Ha-Ku point can also be found on some ear points. I’ve used this point and find that it works in my practice.
And, of course, WhiteHawk’s shoulder tension point can become very important in your practice. I don’t know how it is for your practice, but my client partners have a lot of shoulder tension.
Thanks for reading this blog/book.
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Thurman Greco
Reflexology chart shared by WhiteHawk.
