Arthritis self-help with reflexology
This treatment is well know and very popular in Britain, it is also easy to find in Canada, US, and Australia. I am not sure whether it is as popular elsewhere? Reflexology has been used for centuries to help the body heal itself, and has stood the test of time.
I trained many years ago with Beryl Craine, who has done much to advance this therapy not only in Britain, but elsewhere in the world, evening lecturing in China. The wonderful thing about this treatment, its so effective, more and more people are discovering how helpful it can be for their condition.
This treatment may not be suitable for you if your feet are too painful to be touched. Otherwise this treatment is an excellent choice for you. I have a personal recommendation – if you live anywhere near the Bristol area in the UK, find Cilla Moncrief, besides being a reflexologist she is also a nutritional therapist and has had plenty of experience with arthritic conditions.
The best way to find a qualified practitioner is to look up the various reflexology associations in your country (find on the Internet or yellow pages) and they can advise about a qualified practitioner in the area you live.
Reflexology has a similarity to acupuncture (without needles), in a way it unblocks energy pathways and stimulates reflexes, encouraging the body to activate certain responses.
Some people are worried that the treatment will be ticklish, let me assure you no one (even the most ticklish among us) has found this to be the case. Treatments last about 45 to 60 minutes and are generally preformed on the feet, sometimes on the hands. I have treated the hands after a patient had her feet operated on. It enabled her to cut right down on painkillers and the treatments encouraged a speedier healing time. It is a pleasant treatment to have with only fleeting moments of discomfort as the practitioner passes over a problem area.
What do I mean by a problem area?
The body is reflected on the feet like an invisible map. Working on the feet the practitioner knows at all times exactly which reflex area they are working on. For instance – working on the liver area there is a tender spot either revealed by the patient or detected by the reflexologist, it is discovered the patient had a gall bladder removed a few years earlier. Like any wound this operation has left scars.
Other times a patient might have constipation problems, the reflexologist can detect a tightness in the large intestine. Other times the neck and shoulder area on the feet will be very tender, often the patient will reveal that in the past the had a shoulder injury.
Reflexology will suit most people, old or young – as you work the feet the whole body is being encouraged to heal. The reflexologist does not decide what the body needs it is a truly holistic treatment, the body decides what it needs.
Arthritis is a chronic condition and there are many functions involved – the liver, the immune system, the digestive system and so on – this is the beauty of reflexology as the practitioner works the reflex points in the feet or hands, signals are sent back to the brain and it is the brain that decides.
If you can not afford to pay for treatments – here is what I suggest.
First option – Look up those reflexology associations on the Internet or in the yellow pages find out if there any courses or colleges in your area. There are two options – some colleges have clinics for almost qualified reflexologists and the fees are low. Or during training students need to find several volunteers to practice on for free. I remember having to find 6 volunteers who would commit for two months each.
Do not volunteer if you have painful feet – you need a qualified experienced practitioner to check if treatments are possible.
The second option – Find a friend and both join a course to learn for personal use, so you can learn enough to use on friends and family. It is important to find a friend who also wants to learn this way you can do each others feet.