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Reflexology for Granny's Aching Feet
By Danielle GaultWhen we have tired feet, the rest of the body joins in. It’s no surprise to people, especially seniors who have been walking around on their feet for many years, that we feel we die from our feet upward.
When our feet ache, we feel it all over. When we give in to these aches and pains and slow down our activities in life to accommodate them in an attempt to cope with the discomfort, we actually increase the slowing down of various systems within the body and create more discomfort for our bodies. Systems that begin to slow down - such as the circulatory system, the respiratory system, the digestive system, and the cardiovascular system - affect the whole body and we begin a cycle of decreasing the strength and function of all our systems. How can Reflexology ensure that this slowing down process is counteracted?
Benefits Of Reflexology
Reflexology is a natural healing art based on the principle that there are reflexes in the hands, ears and feet which correspond to every part, gland, and organ in the body. Through application of pressure on these reflexes, Reflexology can benefit us in three basic ways:
1. by improving circulation within the body,Let’s take a look at each of these benefits as they relate particularly to seniors. It is true that seniors are more active today than our grandparents were years ago. But as we age, aches and pains appear and our active lives often slow down as we attempt to get relief. This, of course, can lead to a decrease in circulation within the body, which can start a whole chain of events of deterioration within the total body system. For example, poor circulation affects the rate of digestion.
2. by relaxing tensions in the body and thereby relieving stresses in the mind, and
3. by promoting the natural function of the related body parts.
* The slower the digestion, the more back up of waste forms in the colon thereby increasing congestion and mucus.Taking all this into view, when Granny’s feet ache, we had better pay attention because the body is trying to tell us that all is not right in its world. Circulation is the key to a healthy body and a healthy mind. There are many natural healing suggestions to help increase circulation but Reflexology is one that I have seen to be a safe, easy and effective way to stimulate the body naturally.
* Congestion and mucus leads to a build up of toxins in the system and toxins begin a process of inefficiency of energy usage in the body.
* The build up of toxin places increased effort on the respiratory system that in turn places increased effort on the heart and blood flow within the system.
* These two systems, if less efficient, slow down the body’s ability to clean out the waste and the lymph system becomes overtaxed.
* The liver, kidneys, and skin attempt to get rid of the waste but have to work overtime putting more stress on the entire system.
* The whole system with all these demands and pressures slows down. As it slows down, it in fact reduces the circulation creating a cycle of ever-increasing effects until the system, in its attempt to get out of this chain of events, breaks down.
Stagnation Is The Culprit
Circulation is life and stagnation is death. When a system gets stagnant, like a pond with little circulation, stagnation takes on a life of its own and breeds continued stagnation. Any system that is moving in one direction, according to Newton’s first law of motion, continues to move in that direction unless acted upon by another force. When people’s bodies slow down, they continue to slow their body down by sitting or resting more often. Until they change this pattern, the slow-down effect continues, which makes matters worse.
Take the case of my own father who was always active. He started having problems with his respiratory system and was struggling to breathe. This made him not want to task his system; so he sat more. The more he sat, the more he sat. And the more he sat, the less efficient his system became, which, of course, promoted more sitting and promoted other effects on his body. The other effects we call aging but are what we can really think of as giving in to the aches and pains. If we fight these aches and pains by keeping the circulation as efficient as possible, we can counteract or slow down the process so often associated with aging.
Tensions Need To Relax
Sure the natural order of life is to slow the system down a bit but not to slow it down and promote disease. We always want to remain vital and healthy and circulation is an important key to achieving this. Through Reflexology, we can naturally promote circulation by stimulating reflexes in the hands, ears and feet thereby naturally relaxing tensions in the body. Tensions can show up in many parts of the body and we have to be ever vigilant in our attempts to work with, and understand the meaning of, these tensions.
By working with these tensions, for example, we understand that the body is trying to provide us with feedback that we are out of balance. Various parts of the body have various messages according to psychosomatic therapists, or mind-body gurus.
FEET TENSION: When we have aches and pains in the feet, our system is trying to tell us that we are out of balance in how we understand our world. The aches and pains are drawing our attention and asking us to review our world and perhaps make some adjustments. We start to make adjustments by re-evaluating the components that comprise our life and then decide to change some things such as what we do and with whom we want to be involved. With my father, for example, if he could see that his world was getting smaller, he could decide to go out more and get more involved with others. This understanding would have kept him more active, more involved, and given him more meaning to his life which he was missing. As we pull away from life, our bodies join us as we make lifestyle choices negotiating our way through this journey on planet earth.
SHOULDER TENSION: If there is tension in the shoulder area, perhaps we are carrying life’s burdens to a degree that is not supporting us any longer. In this case, we may want to look at how we are feeling about the people and things around us and make some adjustments to how much we want to take on. We have to review what we can manage with ease and what we have to let go of because it isn’t serving us to hold on any longer. We have to ask, “Are we taking on other people’s problems and making them our own?” If the answer is yes, to create balance, let go, give it up, and get on with your own life’s work.
URINARY SYSTEM TENSION: If we are having problems with our urinary tract, perhaps we are overly sensitive to the criticism of other people and they are “pissing us off”. In this case we may want to take some action to work through our resentment in a way that will alleviate the tension within our own system. We have to be careful around tensions that come from resentments as the event isn’t what kills us but the resentment of the event will eat away at our peace of mind. Resentments deteriorate our health as we review our interpretation of the event over and over again in our minds increasing our anger at every repetition and review seeing the other person as bad. I often remember a quote from Dr. Bernard Jensen, a world-famous chiropractor and naturopathic doctor, who said, “I’m going to love you whether you want me to or not, because it’s good for me.” Never let the other person get at you. Change your perception of the event by asking yourself what could that event teach me about myself – you may as well put a positive spin on it for the health of it.
Bringing The Body Back To Balance
Whatever the tension, if it is blocking us in some way either psychology or physically, we need to address it. Bring awareness to every tension and imbalance and promote peace and relaxation as much as you can in your life. Reflexology is not a cure all but it is a non-invasive way to get the circulation going in the whole system. With increased circulation comes an increase in the relaxation response. With increased relaxation of the body and mind, comes the ability to see and engage in more possibilities for problem solving. With the increased relaxation effect, we move the system from stagnation to circulation; we resolve our tensions with greater ease and facilitate a healthy state of mind and body, thereby slowing the aging process by continuing to be active, at peace, and balanced.
Reflexology provides relief from stress and supports the body’s natural ability to heal itself. When we keep our systems flowing, we improve our circulation and we promote the natural functions of the related body parts, thereby providing relief for granny’s aching feet and her corresponding aches and pains.
A degree in Psychology and a post-graduate diploma in Human Resources Development combined with many certificates in the natural healing arts including Yoga Teacher’s Training and Reflexology qualify Danielle Gault as a health and human resources development specialist. She uses psychological models and the natural healing arts for enhancing energy, focus and vision. Trained in eastern and western psychology, Danielle sees people as a whole system and uses many approaches for raising awareness for dealing consciously with personal and professional issues. Her Yoga certificates are held with the Yoga Centre Toronto, Ananda Ashram in NY and the Federation of Yoga Teachers of Ontario and her Reflexology certificates are with the Reflexology Association of Canada. For information, call Danielle at (905)844-2495 or go to her websites at: wellness-training-services.com or management-training-services.com.
Danielle has authoured three books: Natural to My Soul, The Well-Tempered Life, and You As An Independent Business Person in the Natural Healing Arts, which can be purchased by contacting Danielle at dgault@dbreflections.com.
