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 Can a foot massage improve your general health?
Well the Ancient Egyptians, Indians and Chinese all believed it could. It was these civilisations that first developed the complementary therapy we know today as reflexology.
Photographer, Lloyd Wright, who accompanied me on this job, is one of them. He had a kidney transplant 18 months ago after more than two years of dialysis. He says the first person to suggest he had “bad kidneys”, a year or two before his medical diagnosis, was a reflexologist.
Similarly, a medical friend told me of a patient who first discovered a breast lump after it was suggested to her during a reflexology session that she may have a problem in that area. It planted a seed that made her go and do a self-examination . . . and could have saved her life.
Even the former Casualty actress, Cathy Shipton, who played nurse Duffy in the BBC series, is convinced that having reflexology on the set of the show in Bristol helped her to become pregnant.
Cathy had been trying to have a baby for four years, but four months after having twice weekly reflexology sessions she became pregnant.
My session was less dramatic but I was impressed by some of Adam’s findings. “You’ve quite a lot of crunchiness below your toes,” he told me as he manipulated the sole of my right foot. Admittedly it was quite uncomfortable in the same way a back massage can be when the masseur is working on knotted muscles.
“That tells me you’re carrying a lot of tension in your shoulder.” The same “crunchiness” was evident behind my left toes too. Cynics might say it was just a good guess that a journalist, hunched over their computer for much of the day, would suffer from shoulder problems. But the crunchiness wasn’t imaginary and quite inexplicably, the aches I usually rely on yoga to resolve, disappeared in the immediate aftermath of my reflexology session.
Each time I yelped as Adam hit a tender spot, he was able to tell me which part of the body that particular part of the foot related to. There were some things I couldn’t relate to which makes me wonder whether some of it may be auto-suggestion. What I’m sure reflexology does do though is to focus your mind more fully on your body which, with our busy 21st century lifestyles, is something we probably rarely take time out to do. And having your feet massaged and “de-crunched” is certainly a great stress-buster.
Source: Feb 24 2008 Pauline Holt, Sunday Sun, UK
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