We invite you all to send us questions. We would be happy to answer and publish here the questions and the answers.
Please try to be specific and give as much data as possible on the problem you encountered.
Is it possible to treat a pregnant woman in the first trimester? If I am treating a woman who is trying to get pregnant, should I treat her as if she is pregnant?
What should I emphasize?
Answer
When treating a woman who's trying to get pregnant you should alwyas know at which point she is in her fertility cycle: menstruation, between menstruation and ovulation, or ovulation,
and adjust the treatment accordingly. Coordinative Reflexology's approach, and mine as a teacher of this approach, is that reflexology should be given to a woman from the day she decided
to get pregnant, throughout the pregnancy, during delivary and after delivary. Treatment is different in each stage as the woman's body-soul dynamics changes.
The subject is to big too be discussed here, so this only is a light guiding: in the first trimester all areas in the feet should be treated slowly. Areas of reproductive system and hormonal system can be treated
by caressing only. Remember, pregnancy is not an illness and reflexology treatment promotes a better delivary process.
For more information see article: Reflexology treatment during menses and pregnancy
What combinations and techniques should be used with children with C.P? What can I do with a child who has high muscle tone?
Answer
One of the most important things in treating C.P children is to connect them with their feet so that their walk can be improved.
For that you need to use the active techniques to connect brain orders to the feet. Where - It is recomended to treat reflection areas of head segment and movement system. Rhythm - slow. Strength - moderate.
High muscle tone is an outcome of C.P. It is the base situation and the therapist has to deal with it. You can hold the lower leg above the ankle with one hand and treat the foot with the other hand.
Through the hand holding the lower leg you can apply pressure on Achiles tendon. The pressure might release some of the foot's muscle tone.
My question regards a 41 year old man who came down with a trigeminal nerve inflamation and is suffering from a paralysis of right side of face for two weeks now.
He is treated with steroids and acupuncture. How can I help his pain and speed up healing?
Answer
Trigeminal nerve is connected to sensation in the face. Face nerve is connected to face muscles movement. Both nerves are connected to each other and affect each other.
As soon as you treat this man the more you can help him. Treat symetrically and simultaneously lateral side of all fingers. Treatments should be very intensive -
every day - for 5 days and then maybe every 2-3 days. In case of inflamation, treat reflection areas of lymph and immune systems. Notice side effects of steroid treatment and remember that reflexology treatment
intensifies the effect of medicines.
In the case of an inflamed spur it is recomended to lay tha patient facing down and treat his heals directly. To scatter the inflamation, use scattering technique from the point of pain
to the outsides. Treat the whole pelvis segment - earth, pat dimension. A spur might be connected to "being stuck", obesity or over use of the feet
as a base and delaying on the heals. It's possible to send the patient home with a theraputic magnet attached to the painful spot.
A cancer patient is starting reflexology treatment after finishing radiation therapy. What should be emphasized in the treatment?
Answer
A cancer patient is probably in a state of existential anxiety. This state and all that accompanies it are exhausting his body and his natural healing forces. Raising the body's resisting ability is needed and
important. Usualy, most therapists are reluctant to treat cancer patients because most schools teach that it is forbidden to treat cancer patients. From my point of view there is no reason not to treat a cancer patient.
Therapists must study how to do that.The therapist must be very practical and, above all, he has to understand that he does not have the power to spread metastasis in the patient's body. Emphesizes:
Overall direction - from inside out, mostly on the lower leg. Later, doing this simultanously with the other hand.
Light pressure strength.
Slow ritmus.
Areas to focus: small and large intestine, hormonal system, diaphragm line, respiratory system, immune system: lymph, spleen and liver. Go back to these several times during treatment
Can reflexology help in treat the Yapee's desease?
Answer
Yapee's desease can be described as an energetic fall, losing will to do anything or in other words it is a concession, yielding desease. Reflexology has a positive effect on these patients should the patient's
body derives the needed benefit - in natural medicine the body heals itself, and in this case, through reflexology. The therapist chooses such techniques so that you and your body would derive the benefit of the
treatment. The main principle for treating this problem is to strengthen the patient's connection to his feet, meaning, techniques that include his will and initative. In coordinative reflexology
there are theraputic dynamics that apply to this principle.
I have a patient who's suffering from pain in the hip joint which disturbs his walking. What is the holistic meaning of this joint and is there another area besides reflection area of the joint,
that is recomended to treat?
Answer
The
hip joint helps a person walk to wherever he wants. The right
hip joint is connected to the left, one support and backs up
the other when there is a problem. The hip joint is connected
to the shoulder joint and energetically connected to the jaw
joint, the ear and the wisdom tooth (sometimes problem in wisdom
tooth can be expressed in pain of hip joint, and so can problems
in ears and jaw joint.) Pain in hip joint or actual problems
like bursitis, hardens physical walking and represents difficulties
in the person's move in life.
All that is said above is a backgroung for questioning the patient in a smart way.
I have a patient who suffer from arthritis especially in the face and toes. She is 32 and a mother of 3. She has been taking prednizon for the last 10 years and is getting a cortizone shot every 3 weeks.
Can reflexology help her top taking cortizone, which in my opinion, is distructive?
Answer
Inflamation is an expression of an inner war, meaning, there is no peace within the body. Arthritis - inflamation of the joints - is connected to situations of dilemmas. Holisticaly, each joint in the body represents
the body-soul dimension of every connection between 2 bones. reflexology treatment and maybe herbs can help the body cope with the desease. It is not recomended to go against conventional medicine,
represented here by the cortizone and prednizone - treat the patient in the course of taking the medicine. Where - The most prominent expression for an inner war is in points that reflect junctions
in the body. Interior junctions like: throat, duodenum, ilio cecal valve etc., and exterior junctions like: shoulder joint, hip joint, spinal column etc.
In addition there's a need to also work on hormonal and immune systems. How - Use different rythems, directions and combinations which are typical of coordinative reflexology
I'm treating a 5.5 year old, autistic boy. He tends to walk only on the ball of his foot. What do you make of that? In what ways can you treat autism? What should be emphsized?
Answer
Walking on the ball of the foot is typical in many cases to young children with "mental balance" problems. In this type of walk there's a disconnection from the heal, the strongest connection
a person has to the ground, this is an expression of separation from the base. In the treatment you can emphesize the heal, the ankle, and the toes, which represents the head.
A 50 year old female, suffering from Fibromialgia Syndrome for the last 4-5 years. She has pains in her shoukders, wrists, neck. lower back and knees.
The woman is active and working. what should be emphesized in treatment, what is the recomended direction and intensity?
Answer
From inflamation aspect - treat reflection of lymphatic and immune systems. From autoimmune aspect - treat reflection of junction organs like joints
(shoulders, spinal column, elbows, hip joints, knees) and inner junction organs (throat, duodenum, ilio cecal valve, urinary bladder sphincter). During treatment move the foot as much as possible and
in different ways. Intensity should be as high as patient can take or abate pain in chosen spots. As this is an illness of muscels and skeleton, reflection areas of liver, kidneys, spleen and pancreas
must be treated. Add endocrine system as a chorus.
What combinations and techniques should be emphasized with a person that was injured in his chest and is now paralized
in his lower body? The injury is in T1 but there is no sensation problems from the waste up. Lower than the waste there is no movement appart from reflexes and occasionally
a small movement of feet. During reflexology treatment the patient has sensations in the body, sometimes heet and one painfull spot. On the lower leg he doesn't feel a strong pressure
but he can feel light presure.
Answer
According to my experience with paralized people, reflexology can help in different ways. Every sensation, however small, must be treated as a "light at the end of the tunnel",
and the therapist must go back to this place over and over during treatment. Treat the lower leg from knees to feet (from the inside out). Strengh of the treatment can be high. Rythm should be slow.
Frequency should be 2-3 times a week.
What are the recomended directions and intensity for treating hypothyroidism?
Answer
Hypothyroidism is a situation of deficit - metabolic rate is low and that means the body is like a "storage room". Of course, there are other symptoms that should be learnt from a pathology book.
Treatment areas: Endocrine system, Blood system, Intermediate longitudinal line. Intensity: medium to high. Rythm: Accelerations. Gradualy get to higher speeds than the normal Direction: from outside in
How to treat an 8 year old boy that has a problem controling his feces? The problem occurs only at home in the afternoons and not at school (not every day).
Answer
It seems there's a different atmosphere between school, where sympathetic system is active, and home, where parasympathetic system is active and alows openning of the anus.
Ask question in this direction to find out the cause for this transition from tension to restfulness. Aside of treating relevant reflection areas, use the active treatment technique, preferably on
unner junctions.
One of my patients has Mania depression. Her toes are almost skinless. She say that during the manic state she feels a burning sensation in her toes, she is drawn with no fear to high places
and can not go down. From depresive states she gets out nore easily. What are the recomended techniques in this situation?
Answer
Reflection areas: Inner junctions - sigmoid, bladder sphincter, throat, cardiac orifice, pukmunary hilus, duodenum. Also skeletal junctions - shoulder joint, elbow,
hip joint, knee and spinal column. It is important to treat transition line: between heel (reprsenting earth) and bridge of foot (reprsenting water) and between bridge and ball of foot (reprsenting fire) - these
serve intension of "domestic peace" in the body. Rythm: monotonic, not fast. No emphasis on direction out or in.
One of my patients is having an operation to replace her hip joint. How soon after surgery can I star reflexology treatments?
Answer
As soon as a person gets out of surgery the natural healing process of the body begins. Reflexology treatments connects to this process. Start treating your patient as soon as possible after the surgery.
Recomended areas: endocrine system, immune system, outer longitudinal line, lower leg (from outside in).
How to treat a pregnant woman (7th time) who suffers from insomnia? From what I know - treatment should be from outside in as
insomnia is a deficit situation.
Answer
There's no special need to emphasize outside in direction. Insomnia leads to energetic deficit but you could look at it
as extra night thoughts, not giving the woman a rest. You can direct to the edges by pressing end of toes II-V as an element of inside out. There are a few junctions
which are important in this situation: throat, shoulder joint, knee and diaphragm line.
A 50 years old woman has edema in her left foot a a result of a disruption in the leg's lymphatic system. The leg is
very swollen and she can't stand on it for long. Can reflexology help?
Answer
Try treating the leg when it's hightened and diagonal. Foot treatment must be accompanied by massage of lower leg,
knee and thigh. Direction - outside in.
I have a 55 year old diabetic patient , insulin dependant. In the last 2 years he had 2 CVA cases.
The first case hurt his memory and the second, which occured 3 monthes ago, hurt speaking abilities and sensoric nerves on skin.
As a resault the patient feels constant numbling feelings in right leg and he can't tolrate touch on the skin, belly and legs.
After the first 2 treatments there was a change in the sensation on the belly and the numbling stopped. since then (10 more sessions), there was no cahnge
at all in sensitivity and overall feeling.Is there any cahnce for improvement in the situation?
Answer
CVA is one of the complications in diabetes. It looks as if the main problem now is CVA. It also seems that the first touch
was extremely important. From this point you need to think how to intesify the body's ability to benefit from the treatment.
In CVA there is imbalance between the 2 sides of the body so you need to treat both feet at the same time.
Dynamics:
Slow rhythm, medium stregnth.
Treatment areas: spine, head segment, shoulders, arms, elbows and knees, endocrine system, kidneys, spleen, pancreas and liver.
Later on it is recomended to concentrate on the diabetes.
How to treat patients that still use drugs and some of them don't even think of rehab?
Is it possible to connect these people with their body-soul without causing a turmoil too big?
Also - how to treat patients that use methadone?
Answer
In answer to the first part: A person
that use grugs and doesn't think of stopping is not deserving of treatment.
If there is no will there's is no physical ability. It's like treating
smokers that enjoy smoking. Rehabilitation process must come out of mental
maturity and true will, which may come only after a big fall from which
the rising up will start. In answer to the second part: People who take methadon
are usualy in a rehabilitation progress and are under supervision. In
the article Treating drug
rehabilitated and correlation to treating chronic diseases there is
information about treatment methods that were tried and found usefull
for methdone users as well as for other chronic situations. In Coordinative
reflexology there are a lot of techniques that can serve the therapist
in transfering his intentions to his patient
As to the body-soul subject - in each organ of our body there is a reflection
of the soul. In the feet, each reflection point represents the body and
the soul's dimensions. It's highly important for a reflexologist to learn
this subject in depth.
A 62 year old woman, sufferring from hypothyroidism and is
under medical treatment. Also, suffers from candida (which is treated
by diet and acidophilus), and from osteoperosis.
Main symptom: weakness and bad moods.
Answer
As for candida - seems that the treatment is right. Let
time and medical treatment do their thing...
Hypothyroidism is connected to calcium regulation in the body and to overall
mood. Also, osteoperosis can cause weakness. Osteoperosis is actualy a
natural process of the body. Apart from calcium supplements the patient
needs to do physical actions against resistance. Simple walking, climing
stairs and pushing hands against a wall are some of the thingss recomended. Recomended treatment areas:
Kidneys, liver, thyroid, spleen, pancreas.
Most important - immune and endocrine systems.
I have a patient with prostate cancer. What are your recomendations?
Answer
First of all you have to remember that reflexology doesn't spread the cancer in any way.
Direction - from inside out, empesize the direction on lower legs.
Rhythm - slow.
Intensity - caressing up to medium intensity.
Treatment areas: junctions and glands with lower legs simultaniously. Endocrine system. Head segment. Focus on reflection point of prostate. Emphesize strengthening Immune system.
I know a 7 years old girl who is walking on her toes. I know that the heel represents the past and indeed her past is complicated - her father passed away a few years ago.
Can reflexology help? Can you recomend things to work on?
Answer
Walking on toes while the heel is disconnected can represent different things:
Walking quietly not to disturb (in different meanings)
Walking forward while disconnecting from the past
Base of habits might hinder and the person should "beware".
Areas of treatment: Apart from heel and ankle you should treat the line between heel and bridge. This line represents survival, separation difficulties,
disconnection from past and diffculty in starting new processes.Also emphasize reflection points of head and endocrine sysstem. Intensity and rhythm: intense and slow.
I would like to know the principles for treating migrane.
Answer
direction: from inside out during an attack. Between attacks work according to patient's situation. Contraction of blood vesseles in the head can be a result of over activity of
sympathetic autonomic system, so usse a relaxing attitude. Areas: reflection of spinal column, head segment, blood system, lymph system, respiratory and endocrine systems. Check for ssensitivity of digestive
system. It's inportant to know when the attacks happen and their context in order to treat the problem appropriately.
How should I treat an 80 year old woman who has parkinson and can hardly move?
Answer
Parkinson is a desease that, among other things, stabilizes the person so that he is unable to move. In people that hardly move you should increase the use of techniques that move the feet -
manipulative techniques in the feet's skeleton - and also the use of shaking techniques. direction: from inside out, especially lower legs. Intensity: can be high according to what the patient can recieve. Reflection areas: digestive system, endocrine system, respiratory system, muscle and skeletal system.
I have a patient with irregular menstruation. When should I treat? What should I emphesize in the treatment?
Answer
Regular menstruation indicates that the system is balanced. When there's an irregularity you should treat in a regular manner. During menstruation - Work from knees to toes and combine with reflection points of endocrine and reproduction systems. Between menstruation and ovulation - Work either with no specific direction or from toes to knees. Segmentss: head-neck and abdomen; Middle longitudinal areas;
Work on glands with focus points on ovaries or womb, as the intention is to prepare for growth. During ovulation and after - Work ass though the woman is pregnant: calmly, quietly, softly on endocrine and reproduction systems with no specific direction.
