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Newsletter --- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- Advertise FROM HEAD TO TOE “From head to toe” is an amusing phrase for us as Reflexologists since we know that the toes contain all the reflexes to the head. So one of the first things that would give you the perfect Face Reflexology session might be to rub your toes! But that’s not why you are reading this article so let me give you some very wonderful visual cues on Face Reflexology. Many of you are already people watchers. This article will show you specific traits to observe and what stories they can tell you.
I call these “number 11’s” and they tell me that this person’s mind is always going – just like the “energizer bunny”. This man is in his head all the time. If his mind is always on, then he probably has trouble falling asleep because he is constantly thinking. He is therefore missing many hours of restful sleep. People who do not get enough sleep do not heal as swiftly and tend to have muscle pain in arms, legs, neck, back muscles and joints. The discomforts activate the adrenal glands, partly because they need some of the minerals that the adrenal glands know about and partly because the “get up and go” or flight/flight” hormones need to be activated, for our fellow to get up and do his daily work. The adrenal glands cannot tell the difference between thinking stress and real stress. They only understand that when there is stress, they need to stimulate conversion of proteins to carbohydrates, raise blood sugar levels and promote glycogen storage in the liver, in order to provide instant energy. Bursts of the hormones, cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline are released in response to a stressor, resulting in the traditional —fight, flight or freeze responses. When the adrenal glands of our fellow with the ”# 11’s” are over-stimulated, they activate the tendon guard reflex in the calves of his legs (so he can run faster). Over a period of time, this tightens the Achilles tendon, which now pulls on the plantar fascia, the major muscle in the foot. After asking our “#11’s” on his/her forehead, if his mind is always going, and if he has trouble falling asleep, I can now ask, “Do you have pain in your feet?” It seems like a big jump yet it is often true. The Achilles tendon has pulled so hard on the fascia of the foot’s muscle that it may have torn away from the bone in the feet. More visual information:
More facial information. On the man’s picture, notice his smile. On the Face as Mirror of the Body picture , notice that some of the muscles that activate the smile correspond to the knees. His smile is crooked, so I suspect jaw-joint concerns (TMJ). Along with asking about his jaw, I ask this fellow if he has any knee problems. Since he has foot problems, I am not surprised. And now, notice that if you draw a line from one knee to the other on the “face mirror”, the line goes through the low back and hips. Another question for our man, “How is your low back? How about your hips?” The fact is, most foot pain originates from the low back, which also causes knee problems, and that, of course, affects the feet. So the pattern continues with jaw problems, possibly caused by gnashing or grinding teeth at night, by tightening the jaw and teeth,(so you don’t say the wrong thing), affecting the knees. The knees are often equated in Reflexology to our link with the spiritual. A stressed person does not always trust that the world is unfolding as it should. So there is no surprise when TMJ problems reflect knee problems. One last visual cue deals with the lips. I laughingly point out to you that we are a tube from the mouth to the other end. A tube with a pretty face, but a tube no less! So, if the mouth is constricted, I suspect the same at the other end, and there may be constipation, or congestion in all the lower functions. In some people where the lip is very flaccid, I suspect other forms of colon problems, IBS, loose bowels. I do not diagnose or tell people what I observe. I ask questions and from the answers I receive, I now have a good idea of which reflexes I want to work with. I use foot, hand or face Reflexology, whichever will give the best results for that individual. Take a look at this Face Reflexology chart below. Guided by the information you have just read and the information you know about yourself or your friend, gently press, stroke, tap or hold the points shown to affect different parts of the system.
In Reflexology you can do no harm. Reflexes do not stimulate the organs, but rather send a message to normalize them. There is no reason to fear working on a person with an irregular heartbeat, or an overactive bowel. Working on these points will bring them back to their own natural rhythm. Whether you are dealing with the Pancreas and Diabetes, or with bloating, know that you will bring relief. Written and submitted to OK In Health by Yvette Eastman, is the Director of Touchpoint Institute of Reflexology and Kinesthetics and author of the book, Face to Face - Face Reflexology for Health and Relaxation. Office: (604) 936-3227 or if outside of the Greater Vancouver area: 1-800-211-3533. Yvette teaches classes in all forms of Reflexology as well as Pawspoint Reflexology for Animals. Yvettes`s website www.touchpointreflexology.com e-mail Yvette@touchpointreflexology.com Visits OK in Health for upcoming courses and OK in Health`s Reflexology Page Any content included on this article is intended as a guide only and should not be used as an to seeking professional advice from either your doctor or a registered specialist for yourself or anyone else. |