“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
Water, Water – What are we to do?
It’s really hard to find clean water. Our water is so filled with toxins that our bodies have become toxic waste dumps.
So, what are we to do? We need it to live.
There are 2 issues here, really. The 1st issue is getting clean, pure water. The 2nd issue is using it:
drinking,
bathing,
nourishing our planet.
So, what are we to do? We need it to live.
Getting clean water can challenging.
For starters, filter it. The filter you choose depends on your budget and your water issues. Filters come in several different varieties:
pitchers/carafes
faucet-mount systems
under-the-sink systems.
To learn about your water toxin issues, use your local county water quality report and advice from local water quality experts.
In the past, I used an under-the-sink system and was very pleased with it.
Now I buy my drinking water. Water in the Hudson River Valley is so special. The product I choose is New York Springs USA water, a natural spring water sourced in the Catskill Mountain area of New York State.
If New York Springs USA is not available, I reach for Mountain Valley Spring Water which comes from the Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas.
It just so happens that these 2 waters are spring fed.
If I’m working or traveling or shopping out of the area and need to drink a bottled water, I’ll go for an ultra purified brand I know and recognize over a spring fed water which I am unfamiliar with.
When in New York City, I drink water offered to me at the restaurant table. Make no mistake about it. New York City water is the best available anywhere. I know this. I live and work in the area. New York City water comes from the Ashokan Reservoir, an extremely well protected and guarded body of water. Catskill Mountain residents love, honor, and are proud of their water. Nothing but the best is good enough for us.
Although we can’t list things like the vitamins or calories found in water, it’s important for our overall health to keep hydrated.
Water offers a natural detox as it cleans toxins out of the body which collect in the urinary tract. Drink enough water often enough to urinate every 2 hours.
Hydration fights fatigue..something we all battle. There are many tired people wandering around right this minute who are not really fatigued. They are thirsty. At the 1st sign of fatigue, drink water and then give yourself a few minutes for your body to react to the needed hydration.
Water helps the body break food into nutrients as it travels through the digestive system.
Sufficient hydration prevents kidney stones.
Water helps strengthen the adrenal glands.
I offer a glass of New York Springs USA to each of my client partners at the end of the reflexology or Reiki therapy session.
As a reflexologist, please encourage your client partners to keep hydrated. Help them choose the best water for their health and lifestyle needs. They will feel better.
http://www.newyorksprings.com
Hot Springs National Park
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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.
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Jennette Nearhood provided the photograph for this post.
Tara Sanders: Healing, Yoga, and Reflexology
healing, yoga, and reflexology
As reflexologists, we add new clients to our practice often. Healing, yoga, and reflexology are important here. Depending on your personality, or your practice, you may ask a few or many questions from them on the intake forms and in the initial interviews.
Trauma is one area of a person’s life which we rarely approach. It is just too hidden, too destructive.
This is wise. Trauma is a subject which our client partners need to bring up when the time is right for them to share. Because nothing is said doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen. It just means that the person isn’t comfortable discussing it.
Because, in reality, 1 woman in 4 has experienced domestic violence and/or sexual assault. Personally, I question the 1-in-4 statistic. No woman reports domestic violence or sexual assault if she can possibly avoid it. Reporting is simply too painful.
When I first spoke with Tara Sanders, a Woodstock based yoga instructor and program director in the nonprofit Exhale to Inhale I was suddenly very alert. I realized that we, as reflexologists, need to be more sensitive to the secrets and hidden traumas of our client partners.
Exhale to Inhale yoga works to empower survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault to heal through yoga. Exhale to Inhale yoga guides women through postures, breathing, meditation. Taught in trauma sensitive style, practitioners are enabled to ground themselves in
their bodies
their strength
their stillness.
As this happens, the women connect to themselves. They work toward empowerment and worthiness. This practice can be transformative for survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence when they shed the cloak of victimhood.
Healers, reflexologists, and body workers have long known that when a person is traumatized, the event is stored in the muscles.
We also know that reflexology sessions are given a boost when combined with other modalities such as yoga, meditation, breathing, Reiki therapy, and massage.
Tara teaches the classes without music. She does not touch the students to correct a posture. Lights remain on throughout the class. These sessions offer survivors an opportunity to reclaim their lives through the healing and grounding of yoga.
Tara uses the yoga classes to help her students feel safe, strong, in the present moment. As she teaches, she is a conduit for healing and healthful programs in our community. Reflexology for the Spirit practitioners are also conduits for healing as we work the reflex points to encourage homeostasis.
Exhale to Inhale is a New York-based nonprofit offering free weekly yoga classes to survivors of domestic and sexual assault. After June 20, Exhale to Inhale yoga classes will be taught free of charge to women in area shelters in Upstate New York.
Not everyone has a Tara Sanders available in the community. However, it’s possible to suggest reflexology sessions offered in tandem with yoga, meditation, breathing classes. Whether or not you are aware of your client partner’s experience with trauma or domestic violence is not important. What is important is that you invite your client partner to experience this boost to your modality. Think of healing, yoga, and reflexology as a package.
Hopefully one day soon, there will be more Tara Sanders yoga teachers in communities everywhere.
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Jennette Nearhood provided the media.
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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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
Michele Garner donated the artwork for this post.
In a Perfect World…
We would all be disease free
Our brains would stay sharp
We would all experience good energy levels
Physical fitness would be very common
Everyone would feel young.
But, we don’t live in a perfect world. The question is this: How can we be disease-free physically fit, have sharp brains, experience less stress, feel young?
One way is to honor our immune system. It is our immune system which keeps us healthy, disease free, physically fit, mentally sharp.
People visit reflexologists regularly as they strive to prevent as much disease as possible. And, they are correct to do this. As reflexologists, we work to facilitate homeostasis – bring balance.
Focusing on the immune system is important, not only for the diseases we think about: colds, flu, etc., but for many other diseases we consider to be lifestyle or aging diseases:
MS
thyroid disease
colitis
rheumatoid arthritis
diabetes.
When the immune system is out of balance, it can become overactive. An overactive immune system participates in the aging process as it encourages autoimmune diseases.
As a Reflexology for the Spirit practitioner, you are important to the health maintenance of your client partners. Your client partners will be healthier when their immune systems function at peak levels. An immune system functions at its peak when it successfully fights off viruses, bacteria, parasites.
Encourage your clients to contribute to a healthy immune system. As a reflexologist, you offer sessions and you also work to ground your client partners so they can do everything they need to do to keep themselves healthy:
breathe properly and therapeutically
eat a diet which is healthy for the individual
sleep sufficiently
exercise
smell the flowers
This is really what Marge d’Urso meant when she emphasized that reflexologists work with the whole client partner as we offer homeostasis.
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
Other blogs by Thurman Greco:
photograph by Jennette Nearhood
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
Buyer Beware – 6 Things to Know About Eating Better
In another time I lived in the interior of Venezuela – 50 miles from headhunters in 1 direction and 50 miles from a grocery store in another direction.
Milk for my family was delivered weekly by a Spaniard who owned an area dairy. I got to know him and his cows very well. It wasn’t that I considered him to be so interesting or entertaining. I was afraid of getting milk infected with tuberculosis. I had 2 toddlers and I was doing everything I could to keep them healthy.
Most of us, when asked, will admit to eating a nearly perfect diet. Delve deeper, and you’ll find that everyone’s diet is different. You’ll also find many of the diets are not healthy…some are not even safe.
It’s hard to know which is the correct diet. There are thousands out there. Many are touted as being the best. We can go into a large book store or library and find an extremely generous selection of cookbooks, each promoting a different way of eating. Top off that with the TV Food channels and the internet and everything becomes confusing.
So, what do you do as a reflexologist when your client partner begins to discuss diet or ask questions about digestion issues?
I offer a few sane suggestions for your own diet as well as that of your client partners, friends, neighbors, and anyone else trying to eat better:
Eat whole foods that are fresh and locally grown. I realize that you may have heard/read this before but I offer new twists on the same old sentence.
Eating locally grown food is important. It’s important to not only know that the food is locally grown, but it’s important to know which farm the food came from.
Can you afford a CSA? If your household is too small, split a membership.
Eating locally grown or raised foods includes
fresh vegetables
fresh fruits
whole grains
beans
fish
lean red meat
dairy products.
When you eat whole, fresh, locally grown foods, you’ll be eating food which experiences less processing, packaging, and shipping.
Foods grown in your area can be picked later, and eaten sooner. Overall, this means a better product.
When I think of fresh foods, I think of health promotion. It’s much better to eat an apple from nearby than to eat pears, apples, strawberries or whatever from South America or China.
And, if you know the farm this food comes from, you’re even better off because you’ll know about the pesticides used. You’ll never be able to learn what pesticides were used on food that came from Chile or China, or any other foreign location, no matter what the label tells you. Our government sends few to no inspectors to faraway places to verify what they say they do.
When you eat whole, fresh, locally grown foods, you’ll be eating better quality food offering the opportunity to protect your heart, stabilize your blood sugar, boost your brainpower, and generally improve your health.
Farmers shipping their products long distances focus on growing foods that travel well as opposed to products that taste better.
Begin your quest for locally grown food at a farmers market.
Don’t be shy. Ask your grocery store produce manager where the food comes from. It goes without saying that we need pure foods if we can get them. Organic, non-GMO, etc., are important.
At the very least, buy organic when you can. Here again, it helps to know which farm the food comes from. The term “organic” doesn’t mean what it did in times past. Many farmers claim to sell organic foods today that could not make that claim in the past. This is because the government has relaxed the organic designation guidelines.
If you’re on a budget, it’s important for some foods to be organic. Foods needing to be organic include:
apples
bell peppers
celery
chard
cherries
domestic blueberries
imported grapes
kale
lettuce
nectarines
peaches
potatoes
spinach
strawberries
Foods that do not necessarily need to be eaten in the organic state include:
asparagus
avocados
cabbage
cantaloupe
eggplant
grapefruit
kiwi
mango
onions
pineapple
sweet corn
sweet onions
sweet peas
sweet potatoes
watermelon
We eat many foods over time. I’ve only listed a very few items. However, the 2 lists offer insight into what constitutes a food needing to be organic and a food that may not.
Staying away from boxed and canned foods is important. They are often filled with additives which are not good for the human body. Many boxed and canned items aren’t even foods. They’re products which have been manufactured to eat. In the 21st century, just because something is sold in a food store to eat doesn’t mean it’s a food.
Food shopping in today’s world not only involves selecting items which are foods – whole, fresh, and local – but also being careful where you buy these items. Just because a store claims to be health oriented doesn’t mean that everything it sells is nutritious or even safe.
Approach each item with a questioning attitude. Read the label. If there are a lot of words which are hard to pronounce, return the item to the shelf.
Your grocer is in business to make $$$. Food is put on the shelves to sell. Just because it’s on the shelves doesn’t guarantee that it’s healthy or even safe.
This doesn’t mean that eating can’t be fun. It can be. It’ll be even more fun once you know exactly what you’re eating.
If you can, buy your breads from a local bakery which uses organic whole grains.
Become knowledgeable about your dairy, meat, and fish products. If at all possible, stay away from fish that are farmed.
If you eat meat, eggs, cheese, try to get products coming from animals that are free range, organic fed.
Purchase eggs coming from cage free hens.
Ham, bacon, and smoked fish should have no synthetic nitrates or nitrites.
Meats should be hormone free, free range grazed, and antibiotic free.
I realize that not everyone has access to these foods. We can’t eat what we don’t have access to. I also realize that these foods may be expensive. We also can’t eat what we can’t buy. Everyone faces choices when it comes to food shopping. Staying away from processed foods can free up some funds for fresh, whole, local.
It’s okay to be a food snob only wanting the most nutritious, healthiest food available.
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Peace and food for all
Thurman Greco
9 Important Questions to Ask About Pain
Ubiquitous, pain. Everyone suffers with pain occasionally. Some of us suffer with pain constantly.
Pain comes in many forms:
Pins and needles
Searing
Hot
Cold
Constant
Deep
Screaming.
Everyone has names for pain.
Reflexologists, whenever a client partner begins to discuss pain with you, ask the following questions:
How long have you had this pain?
If your pain is not constant, does it come and go on a certain or random schedule?
Do particular activities initiate the pain?
What does it feel like?
Does it have a shape?
What does it look like?
What does it sound like?
What does it smell like?
Is there a story connected to this pain? Do you know it?
Is there a word that will help you heal?
Now, speak to your pain.
Ask your pain if you can work together to heal.
Is there a word to help you heal? Pause a moment to receive this word.
Then, find out what color this word is going to be. Now, repeat this word several times as you experience the color bringing relaxation to your entire being.
As you experience this, know that relaxation is important to pain because when we relax, we heal.
Often, just going through the above questions offers relief. Sometimes we have pain which has a past life origin. These questions can help reveal this situation. People who have tried everything with no luck are able to have breakthroughs.
But, even if the questions don’t seem to offer immediate insight, they are very powerful and are quite helpful.
Reflexology can be a powerful pain management tool if used in the right way. In the near future, I’ll be offering a series of posts sharing pain management sessions.
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Media provided by Renee Ruwe
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
7 Ways to be Light, Vibrant, Joyful
.Surround yourself with things, people who make you feel light, vibrant, and joyful.
This can be a variety of things. For some, this can be
colors,
music,
books,
plants.
But, whatever it is, surround yourself with things that make you feel great, good, vibrant, joyful.
You may find yourself painting your walls or bringing more flowers home or showcasing a shelf of your books. The important thing is that you are releasing endorphins when you seek joy, renewal.
As a reflexologist, let the good, vibrant, joyful attributes be visible in your practice and your healing space. This effort will reflect itself in what your client partners take away from your sessions.
Spend a little time becoming aware of these endorphin moment(s). Once you know what makes you happy, you can put more focus on that outcome. When you are focused on a joyful outcome, you can be happy for longer periods.
Laughing comes easier.
Gratitude comes easier.
You’ll also be able to focus on the things in your life that you enjoy. Your happiness will multiply then, because what you focus on grows. You will encourage homeostasis.
As you share your happiness, others will begin to enjoy these moments as well. So you’ll create a ripple effect for your friends, neighbors, family, client partners. This can have far-reaching consequences of the positive kind.
Happiness is a rare commodity these days. Find it. Share it. Spread it around.
One of the pluses of being light, vibrant, and joyful is that these attitudes don’t take a lot of $$$. Happiness comes with gratitude and a smile. It can begin with a small plant or a book by your favorite chair.
Enjoy sunrises and sunsets and delicious smells like grass and fresh leaves.
If you feel that being light, vibrant, and joyful is difficult, it’s time to do something for someone else. The happiest people I know are those who have learned to share a most precious commodity: a smile and a little time.
Tap into your creativity. This will allow you to relax, have more fun, and explore life’s wonders.
Thank you for reading this blog/book. This is a series of articles focusing on ways to enhance wellness for yourself, the reflexologist, and your client partners.
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
