The Art of Reflexology
Perfect health spells perfect
feet.
Conditions of your feet are related
to your general health. Feet tell stories to the reflexologist about the
patient: about the lifestyle, health risks or problems, even his or her overall
emotional state.
Below I want to describe some conditions of the feet from a holistic point of view.
Repeated pressure and friction on
the skin will cause
it to thicken into a callus as a means of protection.
Foot
calluses are quite common because the skin
on the feet is subject to a great
deal of pressure, especially from ill-fitting shoes or long periods
of
standing.
Calluses grow on flat surfaces and
have no nucleus.
They most often appear on the weight-bearing part
of the foot
such as the heel or the ball, as well as on the tops of the toes. Calluses also
often form on the cushions of the toes – usually the fourth and fifth toes. These
particular calluses have the appearance of
a thick, sharp ’’knife edge’’.
If this thickening is aggravated
by consistent pressure, the buildup of skin will lead to pain and discomfort.
Burning sensations in the callus or congestion and swelling under it indicate
that it is irritating nerve endings. If severe, it may require surgery and is
easily removed by a chiropodist. If the reason for its forming
is not dealt
with, it will inevitably recur.
Advice on self-help for calluses
would include:
·
wearing
correctly fitting shoes,
·
using
insoles in footwear,
·
wearing
felt or foam inserts to lessen discomfort.
From a holistic point of view hard
skin on feet is a kind of ’’protection’’ of the body. It shows an
imbalance
or toxication of an organ. Smokers usually have calluses on the lungs
reflexes and after several treatments the skin gets softer and clearer along
with other detoxication symptoms.
Corns, a common foot complaint,
also develop as
a means of protection. They are cone-shaped, have
no root, and
usually develop on the joints of toes, because of their relative prominence.
At the focal point of pressure,
the skin hardens and thickens. A corn forms in the middle of the thickening
where the pressure is greatest. Recurrent friction irritates the area,
stimulating increased blood supply, which in turn accelerates cell growth.
Corns also develop on the soles of the feetin areas that are regularly subject
to excessive pressure.
Stabbing pain occurs when the
central ’’eye’’ descends into the tissue and the hard skin exerts secondary
pressure onto the sensitive tissue and nerve endings.
Treatment of corns:
·
Avoid
tight shoes.
·
Use
a pumice stone to reduce the thickness
of the corn.
·
Use
silicone pads to alleviate pain and
the occurrence of a corn.
·
Use
a good foot cream twice daily.
·
Be
careful with using corn plasters as they can lead to destruction of healthy
skin.
Corn plasters should never be used by diabetics or by patients suffering
from poor circulation as it may lead to ulcers.
Calluses and corns can point to
problems in
the body related in the zone that they cover.
A corn on the outer
side of the small toe, for example, may reflect an injury to the shoulder.
A
corn on the pad of one or more of the toes can mirror sinus problems.
A bunion is a prominence on the
head of the metatarsal bone at its junction with the big toe. It is caused by
inflammation and swelling of the bursa at that joint. The bursa is a pocket of
fluid enlosed in fibrous tissue that surrounds the joints and serves to protect
them from friction. In this condition the metatarsal joint becomes enlarged and
is therefore subject to pressure and friction from shoes, which further
aggravates the problem and damages the skin.
Shoes are a major problem in this
condition, especially pointed, high-heeled shoes, which thrust the foot forward
and exert an enormous amount of pressure
on the big toe.
Bunions look and feel unnatural
and usually require surgical removal. This treatment is painful and also most
times ineffective. The bunion may reoccur because its underlying cause has not
been addressed.
From a holistic point of view
bunions are caused by
the failure of the spleen to transform and
transport the sugar in the body. (Bunions are located on
the Spleen Meridian.)
It is not an accident that people with bunion problems usually have one of
the
following illnesses pertaining to sugar history: diabetes, hypoglycemia,
sensitivity to sugar, sugar cravings, sugar allergies, pancreatic cancer, or
leaky gut syndrome.
If so, definite dietary changes should be applied, towards more alkaline-forming foods.
Reflexology treatments should be
concentrated on digestive, hormonal, circulatory and eliminative systems.
A heel fissure develops when the
skin on the edge
of the heel splits – usually due to the fact that the skin is
excessively dry and is being pinched in ill-fitting shoes. If the fissure is
deep, pain and bleeding can occur, and it may also become infected.
A self-help remedy for cracked
heels is frequent softening the hard skin in warm, soapy water and using pumice
stone or pedicure files. Afterwards apply a good foot cream generously. Check
and change your shoes
if they don’t fit well.
As the heel is the pelvic reflex,
issues in this area are expected, for example: uterus or prostate problems,
infertility, heavy menstrual bleeding, tendencies to hemorrhoids or a spastic
colon.
In this case reflexology massage
brings about rebalancing the whole system and the pelvic area in particular.
When the endocrine, reproductive, lymphatic and nervous systems get back to
normal, cracked heels are no longer a problem.
Flat feet can be caused by
numerous factors. They are often inherited but may also develop due to
weakneses in the joints, ’’overloading’’ the feet, or as a result of
a long
illness. In childhood this condition can occur if growth is too rapid or if the
child is malnourished or overweight. The weaker the foot, the greater
the
possibility that this condition will develop in consequence.
Hallmarks of a fallen arch are
fatigue and pain, ranging from a sore arch to aches up to the knee. Flat feet cause
heavy style of walking and it also affect the spine. The spine becomes more
vulnerable as the foot no longer acts as an efficient shock absorber. Foot
pain, ’’burning’’ soles and lower back pain are common signs of this
kind of foot trouble.
Overstretching and weakness of
muscles and tendons place a strain on the bone strcture. Another issue is that
nerves and blood vessels, usually protected from contact with the ground by the
shape of the arch,
are now subject to pressure and their condition
deteriorates, affecting the reflexes in this area: mainly digestive, urinary
and hormonal systems.
Reflexology massage relieves the
pain, improves circulation of blood and lymph in feet, tones up
the systems and
organs that are affected by this condition.
Treatment:
·
Specific
foot exercises should be used
to build up muscle strength.
·
Commercial
arch supports are also available.
HIGHLY ARCHED FOOT (PES CAVUS)
The highly arched foot are usually
stiff, which limits maneuverability and prevents efficient
functioning of the foot. This
condition tends to be transmitted genetically and often only requires well-fitted
shoes or metatarsal arch support to correct the weight-bearing pattern. The
head of the metatarsals may ache because of the shape of the foot, and calluses
may develop since so much pressure is exerted on the toes and ball of the foot.
Because of the exaggerated height
of the arch, the toes will not have correct contact with the ground when
standing. The unnatural shape and position of the toes – they are curled under
in a configuration known as a ’’clawfoot’’ – makes them particularly susceptible
to external pressures and prone to corns and calluses.
The upper part of the
spine (thoracic) and chest can be affected.
In addition to the possibility of
hereditary influences, this condition could also be the result of nerve and
muscle imbalance.
Reflexology massage relaxes the
feet, balances muscles, tendons, stimulates reflexes of the spine, chest, neck,
head and others to get back to the balance.
Treatment:
·
Insoles
and orthotics can provide relief
to sore arches.
·
Silicone
pads can help to reduce the pain that arises from corns.
·
Wear
wide fitting shoes.
Athlete’s foot is a contagious
fungal infection in which the skin around the toes becomes itchy and red, then
white and moist and begins to flake or peel off. Toenails may become yellow and
distorted in severe cases. The fungus thrives in warm, moist condtions, and is
often picked up in swimming pools and changing rooms.
Twenty species of fungi
may be responsible
for athlete’s foot.
Its presence indicates a
weakened immune system.
Treatment:
·
Wash
regularly feet and dry thoroughly.
·
Expose
feet to the air, by for example wearing sandals, going bare- or sock-footed, as
often as possible.
·
Socks
should be of natural materials, not synthetics.
·
Tea
tree oil or lemon juice can be healing.
During a reflexology session the infected
area is
not touched to avoid spreading the infection.
A reflexologist
concentrates on toning up the immune system and adrenal glands (they produce
natural antibiotics).
