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What are the benefits of Reflexology during the hotter and drier summer months? There are many, but let's focus on the main ones.
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 When I was newly trained in Reflexology I offered to give my Dad a treatment. He had been suffering with Osteoarthritis in his hip for many years and was often in a lot of pain, which hampered his being able to be as active as he wanted to be. A Metallurgical Engineer, he was a skeptic, saw things very black and white and did not believe without science and proof. But he did agree to let me practice on him.
I created a Gift Guide for suggestions of what can go with one of our Healthy Session Gift Certificates. You can put a Massage Therapy Gift Certificate in a basket of Bathsalts and Chocolate, wrap a Reiki Gift Certificate around a candle, hide a Reflexology Gift Certificate inside a pair of socks... lots of ideas
 I probably ask about your self care time at pretty much every appointment. While your sessions with me count as self care it really is a practice that needs to be followed daily. Making it a habit isn’t really that difficult….here are some easy tips to bring self care into your daily regime AND they take 15 minutes or less
…just a few things to get you started! What ideas do you have for self care?  Through 20+ years of practice in Massage Therapy and other holistic modalities I have come to specialize in the individualized treatment of women. Not that it was intended, my practice has just evolved that way. Throughout the life of a woman she faces a myriad of physical, emotional and hormonal changes. (and no, this is not to say that men don’t as well). I've watched those changes over the years in practice and am always in awe, not only in how each woman's individual body deals with them but the strength each woman has in resolving emotional and physical challenges.  Women face different challenges to their male counterparts, be it in the workplace, societal expectations or their role within the family unit. I was told recently that my uprooting my life to relocate to Calgary was a “brave thing for a woman, especially of my age” to be doing…. Hmmmm. Would the same thing have been said if a man was making the same changes? I think so. I think as human beings, male or female, we can become stagnant in our lives and that can be a very comfortable place to be. When anyone chooses to change all of that it does take some courage, energy and resolve. So whether change is brought about due to physical changes in age, hormones, etc. or whether we are initiating the change, we can draw upon holistic therapies to help ease our bodies and minds through them.  Massage Therapy helps the physical changes in muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints whether a fast growing teen, pregnant, menopausal or arthritic. An added benefit that many women experience is that it assists in becoming more body comfortable and body confident...a great self esteem builder!  Craniosacral Therapy benefits physical change through unwinding the fascia that tightens around muscles, organs and the body from injury or stress. It also assists the body to release past traumas that can cause fascia to wind tight and stay tight. Craniosacral therapy is also helpful for learning disabilities, TMJ, concussion symptoms and headaches…things that can be experienced at any age. What I've also discovered that often, when a more aggressive therapy is not working, the body will respond to the gentleness of Craniosacral.  Reflexology stimulates all of the nerve endings in the feet and/or hands, and through that opens up the circulation, encouraging the body to relax, and in that, begin self-healing. Read more about this healing art.... (click here)  Reiki brings balance to body, mind and spirit which can be essential to working through those periods of raging hormones that continue throughout life, easing the stress and tension brought about with exams, raising a family, being in this life and dealing with societal expectations. Reiki is a gentle reminder for the mind to rest and the body to heal. Throughout my years in practice I have been honoured to share sessions focused on the health of women be they newborn or 98 years in age, and every age in between that. I’ve been witness to watching these women travel through life’s changes with more ease upon their journey and that has been a priceless gift. What stresses and challenges to you feel, as a woman, you experience differently to men?
What steps do you take to ease and meet those stresses and challenges? Have you tried holistic health modalities?  May sound strange…but there is a direct connection. With over 7,000 nerve endings in our feet, our entire body is constantly stimulated and circulation increased when we walk barefoot. This includes the stimulation of the glands that release all of those feel good hormones. Wonder why we feel so much better in the summer? It’s not just the sunshine.
What is Plantar Faciitis? A pain in the bottom of the heel that is becoming more of a problem for many people!
For those dealing with this condition it’s usual to experience sharp pain first thing in the morning (which may or may not improve through the day) and again in the evening after resting. If you study the structure of the foot and it’s biomechanics it all makes sense. There is a band called the plantar fascia that runs from the ball of the foot to the heel. This band doesn’t stretch easily and when it is forced beyond it’s “elastic limits” it can tear at it’s weakest insertion point, the heel bone. There are many sites with information about Plantar Fasciitis and what causes it…let’s explore what can be done to help heal it. (this is assuming that you have a correct diagnosis) |
Teresa Graham,
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