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Reflexology Educators, Mentors and Coaches since 1991

Endometriosis

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Each month the UCR newsletter discusses a new disease or condition. These items are reproduced here for reference purposes.

Definition: Sometimes tissue from the endometrium (uterine lining) grows in or on other organs in the pelvic cavity. The tissue responds to the woman’s hormonal cycle, bleeding each month.

Possible causes: The cause is unclear, but it has been linked to selenium deficiency, the use of tampons, excess estrogen production, delayed first pregnancy, early puberty and stress.

General Signs & Symptoms: The woman may experience heavy, painful menstruation, pelvic pain or back pain.

Primary Reflexology Target Areas: Complete Reproductive System on both feet

Reflexology Areas of Assistance: Endocrine System and Pelvic Area

Holistic Advice: Normal hormone balance is encouraged with a healthy high-fibre whole-food diet, including essential fatty acids found in evening primrose oil, linseed, and oily fish. As stress appears to contribute to the hormonal imbalances, techniques to induce relaxation, such as breathing exercises can help to cope with pain.

Extracted from “Conditions & Precautions for Reflexologists” manual part of the Universal College of Reflexology’s Therapeutic Reflexology Diploma Program

Choosing a Reflexology education

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So you’ve decided to pursue Reflexology on a more formal basis, perhaps to begin a new career or maybe you want to follow a part-time vocation of helping others to better health. At this point you’re asking yourself, “Where do I start to get education which will prepare me for this new adventure?” Here are some ideas to help you as you begin your journey.

Sit down and answer the following questions :

  1. Why do I want to learn Reflexology?
  2. What do I hope to gain?
  3. What do I like about receiving Reflexology?
  4. How does Reflexology fit in with my personality traits?
  5. Do you wish to practice Reflexology as a gift to your family and friends?
  6. Will I be working, either part-time or full-time on others and charge for this service?

Have you actually had a formal Reflexology session? If not book one now. If possible, book sessions with several Reflexologists. Ask for recommendations. Experience the different styles of each person.

  • Contact different Reflexology educational programs, either in writing or by phone, and request information on what they offer. The shorter hour courses will probably provide sufficient instruction to work on family and friends. They will give you a good idea whether or not you want to pursue the study of Reflexology in more depth. The longer courses will usually prepare you for Reflexology as a career.
  • Review the material. Note the description of the program, the philosophy, costs, dates of the courses. List any questions the brochures leave unanswered.
  • Call the schools to collect additional information. Talk to the instructor and/or staff.
    Find out the instructor’s qualifications:

    • What is the teacher’s educational background in Reflexology?
    • Where did he/she train in Reflexology?
    • How long has the person been teaching Reflexology and where?
    • Does the teacher actually see clients on a regular basis?
    • Ask for phone numbers and contact persons to call to verify this information or an address to write to.
  • Questions to ask about the Reflexology program:
    • What is the schedule for classes–date and time?
    • What is the cost?
    • What is the payment policy?
    • Does the course lead to a more advanced course with the same instructor or school?
    • What subjects are covered in the program? (i.e. anatomy and physiology of the body correlated to Reflexology; anatomy and physiology of the lower leg and foot; Reflexology theory, history, and hands-on techniques; business practices, including documentations and ethics; supervised classroom or clinical work)
    • What is the total number of hours in the program?
    • Does the program lead to a diploma or certification with a written and practical exam?
    • What are the requirements of the practical exam?

Then ask yourself, which program appeals to you? Trust your feelings as well as your logic. Which program reflects your goals, and the level of education that is most suitable for you? Make your decision.

Confirm your decision by calling the school and requesting an application. Complete the registration form, enclosing the deposit (if required) mark the instruction days on the calendar and set aside the money to attend.

Enjoy your Reflexology education. It will change your life!

Reflexology & Cardio Vascular System Research

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B. S. M. Frankel of the Department of Physiology, University of Leeds, England has conducted a pilot study “to identify if reflexology and foot massage affect the physiology of the body by measuring baroreceptor reflex sensitivity, blood pressure, and sinus arrhythmia.” Ten recipients of reflexology work and ten recipients of foot massage work were compared to a control group of four individuals in a single blind study.

Frankel found that “The reflexology and foot massage groups showed significantly greater reductions in baroreceptor reflex sensitivity compared to the control group.

This study found no significant difference in blood pressure after intervention. The frequency of sinus arrhythmia after reflexology and foot massage increased by 43.9% and 34.1% respectively.”

The study examines the link between pressure to the feet and baroreceptors of the heart. The baroreceptor reflex “maintains blood pressure and homeostasis by changes in the autonomic outflow.” It effects behavior such as “sleep, mental arithmetic and exercise” and “physiological processes and reflexes such as aging and the defense reflex.” It also interacts with certain diseases such as heart failure.

The implication of the study is that pressure to the feet impacts these behaviors and processes.

Frankel’s conclusion is that a neuro theory of reflexology should be considered. He states that “foot massage and reflexology could alter the baroreceptor sensitivity by stimulating the sensory nervous system in the feet.” He suggests a mechanism in the nervous system by which reflexology and touch itself may be “therapeutic.” The pressure sensors in the feet are linked to the same part of the brain as the baroreceptor reflex. He hypothesizes that this could be the point of influence.

Frankel, B. S. M., “The effect of reflexology on baroreceptor reflex sensitivity, blood pressure and sinus arrhythmia,”
Complementary Therapies in Medicine, Churchill, London, 1997, Vol. 5, pp. 80-84

New Reflex Discovered!!!

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If someone gave you information identical to information you already have, how much would you value the information given? Well, you might put a small value on it because it confirms your knowledge and maybe helps you feel more secure. But it is unlikely that you would pay much for it.

It follows that the most valuable information could be the most different from the information you already have.

But there is a problem: New information could be different and useless or different and useful. We apply our minds to decide.

If you decide to dismiss new information summarily, then you are using the Semmelweis Reflex. The Semmelweis-reflex is the automatic rejection of the obvious, without thought, inspection, or experiment.

Even if initially you object strongly to new information, you may find that your objections are satisfactorily answered later.

ORIGINS OF THE SEMMELWEIS-REFLEX

Dr Ignaz Semmelweis was a Hungarian physician who discovered in the 1840s that puerperal or childbed fever could be virtually abolished if doctors washed their hands in

a chorine solution.

In the 1840s puerperal fever typically caused a 10-30% mortality rate in maternity hospitals throughout Europe. Semmelweis reduced the mortality rate in the division of the obstetric clinic where he worked in the General Hospital of Vienna from 18 percent to 1 percent. But he failed to convince his colleagues and superiors.

Instead of listening to him and disinfecting their hands, they hounded, persecuted, and fired him – for daring to suggest that they wash their hands properly. In the autumn of 1860, after the dismissal of Semmelweis, in the same ward where he had demonstrated how to virtually eradicate childbed fever, 35 out of 101 patients died.

In a book published in 1861, Semmelweis presented his statistics and findings. He sent copies to medical societies and to leading obstetricians in Germany, France, and England. Despite his copious and undisputed statistics, he was completely ignored.

Thirty years after Semmelweis’ discovery, Lister and Pasteur succeeded in convincing doctors that they should disinfect their hands.

The Semmelweis-reflex is the automatic rejection of the obvious, without thought, inspection, or experiment. The results that Semmelweis produced made it obvious that his possible discovery needed to be inspected, experimented with, and thought about.

Ear Trivia

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The colour of an egg depends on the colour of the hens ear lobe! Hens with white ear lobes lay white eggs. Hens with red ear lobes lay brown eggs. Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshires and Plymouth Rock chickens lay brown eggs. White Leghorns and Brown Leghorns lay white eggs.

The average ear of corn has 800 kernels, arranged in 16 rows.

Cats have amazing hearing ability. A cat’s ear has 30 muscles that control the outer ear (by comparison, human ears only have six muscles). These muscles rotate 180 degrees, so the cat can hear in all directions without moving its head.

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

The little lump of flesh just forward of your ear canal, right next to your temple, is called a tragus.

When a Hawaiian woman wears a flower over her left ear, it means that she is not available

The smallest muscle in the body is located in the middle ear, the stapedius is a miniscule 1.27 millimeters in length. It controls the tiniest bone in the body, the stapes or stirrup bone. The stapes and two other bones conduct sound vibrations through the middle ear. The stapedius is innervated by the facial nerve (VII).

Only 1/3 of the people that can twitch their ears can twitch only one at a time.

Your ear bones are the smallest bones in your body.

The ear bones are named the hammer, anvil and stirrup. You can see that a trip to the blacksmith was probably a common occurrence for the person or people who originally named the bones!

Tinnitus is a condition where a person hears sounds that appear to come from inside the head. In many cases no cause can be identified, and the sounds can be so distracting they keep the sufferer awake at night.

Many animals have muscles which can move the outer ear, so ears can point in different directions. This ability is virtually non-existent in humans.

Sound can also be conducted to the inner ear through your skull and its contents. Usually you hear your own voice partly through your head like this and partly through the air, which is why your it may sound strange to you on a tape recording in which all the sound will have travelled through the air.

Hearing impaired people may be assisted by hearing dogs, which will usually have a brightly coloured collar and lead.

The ear also contains semi circular canals, structures which help us to balance.

Snakes lack a middle ear and so ‘hear’ by sensing vibrations along the ground.

Understanding Holographic Principles

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One common way of explaining How Reflexology Works is based on holograms. So what is a hologram and how does it work?

The Short Explanation
Holograms are made by exposing a piece of film to laser light, which is then scattered by the object being holographed. The film is also exposed to light coming directly from the laser (the reference beam). The two beams of light interfere when they reach the film because they have taken different paths and are no longer in phase with each other. The film simply records this interference pattern, which is the hologram. To reconstruct (view) the image, the hologram is illuminated by a beam of light, which is diffracted by the interference pattern on the film. This reproduces the original surface pattern of the object in three dimensions.

Holograms are truly 3D. Certain holograms permit one to walk all the way around the projected image and see it from above and below, as if the image were real. The other remarkable property of holograms is that one can cut away a small piece of the holographic film, hold it up to laser light, and still see an entire, intact, 3D image of the photographed object.

A hologram when viewed under the illumination of incoherent light such as the light from an incandescent light bulb reveals nothing. The observer sees only a smoky haze, the result of the laser-produced interference pattern.

If the holographic film is viewed with illumination from a source of coherent laser light, it reproduces the reference beam that helped to create the original interference pattern, and the object being photographed is revealed with all it’s 3D characteristics.

If a small piece of that holographic film is now cut a way and examined under the illumination of laser light, a smaller, yet intact, original object can be seen. The reason for this is the fact that the hologram is an energy interference pattern. Within this pattern, every piece contains the whole. That is, if one could take a hologram of an apple, cut the film into fifty pieces, then each piece when viewed through the laser light would reveal it’s own miniature apples.

So how does the holographic principle relate to the human body? See article Applying the Holographic Principle to the Human Body for details.