by Lynne Booth(more info)
listed in reflexology, originally published in issue 175 - October 2010
Hand reflexology is especially helpful for migraine, and all headaches, especially as there are several options for discreet self-help. Reflexology is an holistic therapy based on the application of pressure, primarily, but not limited to specific areas on the feet hands or ears, which aims to cause a physiological response in the same area of the body. Many different situations can cause a headache including bowel disorders, intolerance to certain foods, stress, travel, light and strong sun, the menopause or PMT, as well as structural problems causing musculo-skeletal issues. The Reflexologist will work other specific areas of the hands or foot to support the problem such as the bowel, neck or eye reflexes as well as targeting the spinal reflexes, including lower lumbar and pelvic reflexes. Stress is a common factor in headaches; pressure on the adrenal reflexes can help to calm the body and reduce an adrenal rush.
Many clients over the years have come to see me in the hope of curing severe headaches and in some cases reflexology has been successful in alleviating some or all or the symptoms. However, there have been certain individuals who are extremely difficult to help for a number of reasons. I remember finding the ileo-cecal valve and digestive reflexes very tender on the foot of a young man and asked if there was any correlation between what he ate and the increase of severe migraines. It appeared that he would often have a blinding headache after eating a lot of cheese. He would often say that a little bit of cheese never did him any harm and that may have been the case, but he was reluctant to limit himself to small portions. He seemed content that reflexology helped him to cope with the symptoms rather than the possibility that he could eliminate them by cutting out cheese altogether for a while and allowing the body to de-toxify and heal itself. There is a lot of truth in the old adage "One man's meat is another man's poison".
Another client began feeling better generally after 6 reflexology sessions and her headaches were less frequent or severe. As her health and energy had improved considerably I enquired if she had stopped the proprietary analgesics she had been taking daily for years. She replied that, although she was feeling better, she did not want to risk the headaches returning so continued to take the same medication. Gradually she found the courage to trust in her health and it was only then did she begin to reduce the pain killers. It is the role of a practitioner to firmly advise a client to move from their perceived comfort zone into better health and life-style, but however prescriptive one wishes to be, the therapist has to sometimes work a slower pace to avoid alienation.
Method - Self-help for Migraines and General Headaches
•Work the neck reflexes situated at the base of each thumb (or big toe) in a pinching movement using your index finger or thumb to relax the muscles and relieve stress;
•Finger-walk the reflexes up the medial side of the thumb (or big toe) to ease the cervical spine;
•Work the lower lumbar spine and pelvic reflexes to ease tension from the entire body;
•Press the adrenal reflexes to balance the body: either to lower an adrenalin rush or to boost a sluggish system;
•One of the most holistic reflexology techniques is the VRT Diaphragm Rocking which is an excellent release for headaches or insomnia. See instructions below.
•Pinch each centre of thumb nail, nail-on-nail and hold for 30 seconds to balance the body and conclude the treatment. It is also helpful to hold third nail on third nail.
Migraine Headache Case Study 1 by Lynne Booth
Lucy, aged 27, came for VRT and reflexology after suffering fortnightly debilitating headaches. She was very stressed and her shoulder reflexes were tender. Her bowel reflexes were also tender to the touch and I asked her if she suffered from constipation or irritable bowel, but she said she had no problems. Her neck, head, lumbar reflexes were also extremely tender, so I treated these as a priority, plus Diaphragm Rocking and stimulation of the adrenals for stress reduction. As I worked the transverse colon reflexes, she said her abdomen had "gone warm", which suggested to me that the body was treating this as a priority condition. I asked her again if she might be constipated, as this was the indicated via the reflexes, "Certainly not", she replied, "I go regularly about every 4 days!" This is an interesting example of how the Reflexologist was guided to the root cause of the problem via the reflexes. A toxic bowel is often the source of headaches, and Penny's overall condition rapidly improved once she addressed the need for drink more water and to add more fibre to her diet.
Migraine Headache Case Study 2 by Lynne Booth
I was called to a woman in her twenties who was lying in a darkened room with such a debilitating migraine that she could not move or bear any light or noise. She had also been violently sick and felt very nauseous. I ascertained from her family that she had suffered from these headaches periodically and had even been hospitalized on very strong pain killers. There was no question of vertical, or even conventional, reflexology at first, so I just gently held her toe nail, nail-on-nail, for several minutes. VRT Nail-working, where the central pituitary point is gently pressed, is a simple and profound technique which seems to direct energy where the body most needs it. Soon she spoke and said "The cluster is diminishing". I then began to gently work her toes and spine and worked each hand, firstly holding her thumb nails and then worked her hands. I stroked the stomach and digestive reflexes to ease the nausea, and after 20 minutes left her sleeping soundly. Within in an hour she had no head pain or sickness and got up, showered, had some dry bread and water and reported that she felt totally energized and recovered. This was indeed the case as the migraine symptoms did not reappear. In previous migraine attacks the woman had been confined to bed for days, so the rapid return to normality was exceptional for her and exceptional in my experience regarding an almost instant response.
Self-help VRT and Diaphragm Rocking - a profound hand and foot reclining technique for stress, headaches and insomnia. Self-help VRT and Diaphragm Rocking was originally developed to help correct poor sleep patterns, relieve stress and treat or prevent jet lag. It is also very helpful in easing headaches and helping regulate breathing.
Try it for yourself.
Method
Lightly place your thumb on your right palm approximately 2.5 cm below the base of the gap between your index and middle fingers.
Keeping your arm and lower hand still, slightly curl your fingers over your thumb and rock them back and forwards slowly, i.e. each rock would last as long as it roughly takes to count " 1 and 2 and 3 and 4". Use either of the hand positions illustrated.
Repeat this movement 10 to 15 times on each hand before bed or when you wake up in the night and cannot get back to sleep.
It can be used in stressful situations at any time. As little as 5 rocks per hand can calm the emotions.
Book References
1. Booth, Lynne. Vertical Reflexology. Publ Piatkus Books, London. ISBN: 0-7499-2132-3. 2001.
2. Booth, Lynne. Vertical Reflexology for Hands. Publ Piatkus Books, London. ISBN: 0-7499-2319-9. 2003.
http://www.positivehealth.com/article/reflexology/reflexology-helping-to-alleviate-migraines-and-headaches
Monday, February 6, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Caring for older people
Reflexology - Caring for Older People
listed in reflexology, originally published in issue 173 - August 2010
Introduction
Reflexology is increasingly being used in residential care facilities and among many fit older clients who want to maintain their health throughout retirement. There is no doubt that the reality of the silver tsunami of older people, i.e. the baby boomers following the Second World War, presents a considerable challenge that must be confronted not just by government, but by all of society. For the very first time in history, the demographic landscape has changed, and there are now more people in the UK who are aged over 65 than under 16. The International Longevity Centre in New York originally referred to the phenomenon of the ageing population as the "longevity revolution" - a momentous change akin to other milestones in human history which have shaped society, such as the industrial revolutionOlder resident receiving Hand Reflexology
Reflexology is a particularly suitable modality for older people as it helps circulation, normalizes bodily functions and can aid detoxification. No outer clothing, except footwear, need be removed, and the techniques can be easily applied in a sitting or reclining position and in many different locations: in bed, in wheelchairs or couches and simple self-help hand exercises can also be taught to be used anywhere.
With reflexology, the hands and feet are gently stimulated to trigger a self-healing response in specific parts of the body. It is important to register that the process of ageing does not always have to be a negative decline and that the ageing body still has an immense capacity for regeneration and healing given the right impetus. I have run a reflexology clinic for over 16 years at the St Monica Trust in Bristol, where innovative care is provide for all levels of health issues in older people, from sheltered housing to dementia facilities and 24 hour nursing care.
The aim of introducing reflexology to the Trust's programme of facilities, one of the largest in the UK, was to help chronically sick older people recover a certain degree of health through hand and foot reflexology and their own self-help applications on their hands. Many residents have multiple pathologies, take a number of medications and therefore welcome complementary therapies as a means of regaining some measure of health without potential side effects. It is also empowering to show a person simple self-help reflexology on their hands that they can apply at any time to help ease specific arthritic pain in their shoulder, for example, rub their left palm to ease indigestion or help to bring about deep relaxing sleep at night with a hand rocking technique I have devised.
The advent of improved public health, better medical care and beneficial changes in diet and nutrition has served to limit mortality in both early and later life. Clear evidence is emerging to indicate that the longer the life expectancy, the longer the health life expectancy, but paradoxically, it appears that the period of frailty towards the end of life is also increasing. A Reflexologist will aim to help support an older person to the maximum of their potential through what could be, at worst, an extended life of ill health. In the South west of England where I practise, the total number of people of 65 and over in the South West is projected to rise from 994,700 to over 1,427,600, an increase of 44% between 2008 to 2025. In some areas there is an expectation that the number of people with dementia will rise between 2008 -2025 by 50%. The rise in provision of complementary therapy within care facilities, as well as to the general public, indicates the increasing need to find ways of preserving quality of life for many who may now expect up to live through 35 years of retirement.
Benefits of Reflexology in the Care of Older People
Touch is a potent force in nearly all therapies, and for some isolated or lonely older people, the gentle relaxing sensation that reflexology achieves is the one time they can be treated holistically as the whole body is treated each time and all ailments, large or small, can be addressed. Emotional issues often surface due to the treatment itself, relaxing the person or because the client knows their confidentiality is respected.
Soon after qualifying, in the early 1990s, I worked as a Reflexologist in a long-term medical unit in a Bristol hospital for the older mentally disabled patients, many whom had a mental age of 1 and 5 years. It was often uncomfortable or inappropriate to work their feet, and many who could not verbally communicate, would become calmer when their hands were worked. Examples of a positive response to hand reflexology included a bed-ridden woman with a mental age of 3 years who began humming a tune and smiling when her hands were worked and another, who crouched all day with her arms and legs in a twisted pose, would only straighten and splay her limbs during a hand reflexology session and these effects of reflexology would last for several hours. On another occasion, the heart reflexes on a patient's hands were so sensitive that I alerted the medical staff who ran tests, and diagnosed an angina attack and the early stages of heart failure.
These experiences at the hospital were formative in my development of Vertical Reflex Therapy (VRT) for the hands. The term Vertical Reflexology is also used to describe the method where the dorsal reflexes on the hands and feet are briefly worked when the hands and feet are weight-bearing. This is obviously not so relaxing for the practitioner or client, but it is compensated by the fact that VRT is applied in this position for a maximum of five minutes only. Most of the VRT techniques can also be used on the passive hands which enhance a treatment but is not so powerful as in the weight-bearing mode. The weight-bearing hands can easily be worked by the therapist or client for a few minutes, and many older residents have commented that with VRT, they can feel warmth and/or their body adjusting as they are being treated.
Simple self-help techniques can be taught so that the client can work, for example, the bowel reflexes on the palm of the hand to ease constipation, or to rub some reflexes below the little finger to ease inflammation in the shoulder. Medication can sometimes be reduced by a GP following a course of reflexology that has helped the symptoms to ease naturally. I run Sleep Seminars at the St Monica Trust and teach residents a technique called Diaphragm Rocking on their hands to help them get to sleep or return to sleep. Two residents recently told me that this has helped to "buy them more time" in the day .i.e. they sleep better at night, are therefore not so tired in the day which has consequently transformed their afternoons from dozing into time for creative activity.
It is often interesting to see a frail new resident come into the St Monica Trust nursing home facility and begin to recover and improve in health and general mobility once they do not have to struggle to look after themselves. It is important to register that the process of ageing does not always have to be a negative decline, and that the body still has many resources to implement some regeneration, giving a multi-faceted approach to their nursing care.
References
Books
1. Booth, Lynne. Vertical Reflexology for Hands. Piatkus Books, London. ISBN: 0-7499-2319-9. 2003.
Reports
2. Putting Older People First in the South West: A regional housing market assessment, published November 2008.
3. St Monica St Monica Trust Annual Review. 2008-9. www.stmonicatrust.org.uk
4. International Longevity Centre, USA www.ilcusa.org
About Lynne Booth
Lynne Booth BA (Hons) BRCP IIR ART Hons AoR Hons trained with the International Institute of Reflexology. She has a private practice and also runs a reflexology clinic at a 400-resident St Monica Trust in Bristol as well as a clinic for professional footballers. In 2011 Vertical Reflex Therapy won the Highly Commended Award for its Outstanding Contribution to Complementary Medicine from the Institute of Complementary and Natural Medicine (ICNM). The development of VRT and a small medical study were conducted at the Trust in the early to mid-1990s. Lynne frequently presents VRT at conferences internationally and she and VRT appointed tutors have taught VRT courses in the UK and internationally to approximately 6000 qualified Reflexologists. In 1998 Lynne was awarded an ART (Advanced Reflexology Techniques) fellowship for services to Reflexology and in 2008 The Association of Reflexologists (AoR) also gave her an honorary fellowship. She has written a best-selling book Vertical Reflexology and also Vertical Reflexology for Hands. A training DVD Vertical Reflexology for Hands and Feet was released in 2008. In 2011 The Institute of Complementary and Natural Medicine (ICNM) gave Lynne Booth a Highly Commended award to VRT's Outstanding Contribution to Natural Medicine. Her books are published in 6 languages including Japanese, where it is taught as a diploma course in Tokyo.