Lothian Reflexology
  • How Can I Help?
  • FERTILITY
  • PREGNANCY
  • Clinics & Prices
  • BOOKINGS & CONTACT
  • Testimonials
  • Links



Blog..... 
 
​

January Self Care Challenge

29/12/2020

2 Comments

 
With 2021 less only a few days away, my focus is on the future rather than the past and as a result the topic for this post is my January Self Care Challenge.

​Each day in January on my facebook page, I'll be posting one small thing you can do to support your self care and mental health - and it's not about diet and exercise! 
Please like my Facebook Page and join my January Self Care Challenge.  If you meet the challenge every day - and some of the activities will only take a few minutes - you will have reached the end of the month with 31 self care activities under your belt and you will hopefully have developed the habit of doing something every day that improves your ability to care for yourself.

In the current environment of remote working, covid uncertainty and restriction, political uncertainty and short winter days, it's even more important than ever to look after yourself.  Self care is like putting on your oxygen mask first, so that you are fit to look after others or
making sure your (energy) bank account is in the black, so that you don't go bankrupt.  Self care is like brushing your teeth - you need to do it every day to get rid of the plaque - those sticky mental, emotional and physical deposits - that come to you as you go through your day.  Like brushing your teeth, daily action minimises the damage and makes it easier to keep in tip top shape.

I'm also offering a freebie this month in the form of my 7 Day Self Care Guide.  This guide gives you an activity every day for 7 days that will allow you to zero in on your own specific needs when it comes to self care. It looks at: how we manage our energy and how our relationships feed or diminish our energy; how saying "No" can improve our lives, create time and empower us; what we would benefit from letting go and how letting fo can improve energy, self care and our lives in general; and formulating a plan as to how you want to move forward towards greater self-care.

If you'd like to download my FREE 7 Day Self Care Guide you can sign up HERE.

And it's not about what diet to follow or the best exercise for this firming this or shedding that, rather, it's about your relationship with yourself -and I have to say that some parts you may find challenging.

And if you complete the 7 Day Self Care Guide AND do the daily facebook challenge you can 100% call January 2021 your self-care month.
2 Comments

Reflexology for Headache & Migraine

2/12/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture



​Over the years I've been lucky enough to help a number of headache and migraine sufferers, in fact it was one of my first successes as a Reflexologist, just after I qualified.


As a nervous new practitioner in 1998 I had a local resident come to me with recurrent headaches.  I treated according to my training and suggested, if she was still having problems, that she return for another treatment.  I thought she would go away, realise how lovely the treatmet was and book another, but I never heard from her.  Then a few years later she booked another session.  She had taken my at my word - the headaches had disappeared after that one Reflexology session  and it was only then, a couple of years later that she had another cluster of headaches and returned for a Reflexology session.  

I have since had a number of successes over the years: one client with a very demanding job, was getting 3 migraine a week and we eventually reduced that to one every 3 months; her daughter suffered from cluster migraines and found Reflexology helpful; another client had almost daily headaches as a consequence of neck problems and found Reflexology sessions gave her some relief.  And recently I've had a client who has had increasingly regular headaches and migraines and has found Reflexology to provide some relief. 

There are no guarantees of course and very little substantive research has been done, but my observations and experience suggest that Reflexology should be the go-to treatment if you suffer from Headache or Migraine.  There may of course be food triggers - I had one client who (eventually) discovered that it was ice-cream which was the trigger - we think it was the sugar and/or fat rather than the cold that did it.  One of the interesting things about Migraine from a complementary therapy point of view is that it is connected to the gallbladder meridian in Traditional Chinese Medicine.  This is because the gallbladder meridian ends around the back of the ear in the head - and in alopathic medicine the gallbladder organ is responsible for producing bile to break down fat in the body.  Surely not just a coincidence?

The one area where migraines can be more problematic are when they are hormone related.  A lot more patience and commitment may be required as hormone levels fluctuate, but because Reflexology is designed to create balance in the body, that can support the body to modulate hormone levels to create less fluctuation which will hopefully have a knock-on effect on migraine and headaches.
I tried to find some scientific evidence, but it's thin on the ground (and can be very expensive to access).  I found this report on a 2018 study written by Sally Robertson BSc in  News-Medical.Net an American website.  This article reported on the results of a placebo-controlled clinical trial assessing the effect of reflexology massage on nitroglycerin-induced migraine-type headache. This type of headache is the main side effect of nitrate therapy, which is used to treat angina.

The trial assessed the effects of reflexology massage on 75 coronary care unit patients who were divided into an intervention group, a placebo group and a control group. The intervention group received two 20-minute massages (separated by a 3-hour interval) of the upper part of both foot thumbs, which in reflexology, is the reflection point of the head. Among the placebo group, an unspecified part of the heel unrelated to the head was massaged and the control group received neither massage.

The study revealed a significant between-group difference in mean pain scale that suggested a reduction in the intensity of headache when reflexology massage was applied.
​

But really, if you suffer from Migraine or Headache the only way to know is to give Reflexology a try.  If you don't suffer from Migraine or Headache, lucky you - but please spread the word to your less fortunate friends, family or colleagues.

1 Comment

    Subscribe to this Blog


    Author

    As a holistic therapy practitioner for over 26 years, Doris Wylie believes in a mind and body approach to health and well-being.


    Archives

    October 2021
    April 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013


    Categories

    All
    Ageing Well
    Anxiety
    Arthritis
    Arthritis Research UK
    Autumn
    Birth
    Boost Energy
    Boost Energy
    Borage Seed Oil
    Capsaicin
    Care
    Career Change
    Celebrity
    Cholesterol
    Christmas
    Confidence
    Constipation
    Cope Better
    Coughs And Colds
    Depression
    Detox
    Diarrhea
    Emotional Issues
    Exercise
    Feet
    Fertile Window
    Fertility
    Fertility Friend
    Fish Oil
    Foot Reading
    Frankincence
    Getting Pregnant
    GLA
    Glycemic Index
    Goal Setting
    Gratitude
    Happiness
    Health
    Hemorrhoids
    ICSI
    Immune Booster
    Improved Sleep
    Improved Sleep
    Improve Energy
    Improve Energy
    Improve Your Resolve
    Indian Head Massage
    Infertility
    Irritable Bowel Syndrome
    IVF
    Joint Pain
    Life Purpose
    Lothian Reflexology Fertility Programme
    Male
    Marilyn Glenville
    Metamorphic Technique
    Miscarriage
    Mother's Day
    Neuro-linguistic Programming
    New Year
    New Year Resolutions
    Nutrition
    Omega-3
    Osteoarthritis
    Ovulation
    Ovulation Predictor Kit
    Pain Relief
    Parties
    Peace Of Mind
    Pedicure
    Pregnancy
    Problems
    Progesterone
    Progesterone Deficienty
    Reduce Anxiety
    Reduce Stress
    Reducing Stress
    Reflexology
    Rejuvinating Facial Massage
    Relax
    Relaxing
    Restore Balance
    Restore Balance
    Retirement
    SAM-e
    Save Money
    Self-care
    Sleep
    Spa Treatment
    Sperm
    Spring Cleaning
    Stress
    Stress Management
    Sub Fertility
    Success
    Tai-chi
    Temperature Charting
    Testing
    Therapy
    Thinking
    Time Management Techniques
    Toes
    Trying To Conceive
    TTC
    Unexplained Infertility
    Wealth
    Well Being
    Well Being
    Well Being
    Well-being
    Winter

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos from Rance Costa, happy_serendipity, Royalty-free image collection, ToOb, Mr. Thimble, Jessica Bee, shixart1985 (CC BY 2.0), Justin Marty, RubyGoes, Koshyk, Rafael Acorsi, Steve A Johnson, Images_of_Money, Imagaday, Manel, Key Foster, Roby Ferrari, Allie_Caulfield, Brett Jordan, shixart1985
  • How Can I Help?
  • FERTILITY
  • PREGNANCY
  • Clinics & Prices
  • BOOKINGS & CONTACT
  • Testimonials
  • Links