8 reflexology questions
It is that time of year again for my "8 Weeks, 8 Questions" series. Every year I reach out to local wellness professionals to ask great questions about trending health and fitness topics.
This week, I want to start with "8 reflexology questions" for Cindy Taylor. Cindy is a natural health practitioner who has turned to almost specialize in healing touch in the nearly 10 years that she has been working. She moved here from Canada almost six years ago, leaving her highly praised work in Kelowna, B.C., and starting anew with her two daughters in North Idaho. Cindy opened "Simply Cindy" here in Coeur d'Alene and she has since come to be widely touted locally as one of the very best in her field by her clients.
Q. Cindy, can you briefly explain what reflexology is?
A. To be technical, reflexology is a form of massage where pressure is applied directly to various points on the foot for the release of stress throughout the body. To be honest, however, I have seen the profound impact that reflexology can have on a person's entire life. It's really one of the most powerful ways to target specific problems in the human body, even helping what massage sometimes cannot reach, such as the eyes or internal organs.
Q. Is reflexology an accepted practice among mainstream health care providers?
A. Sadly, reflexology is not generally accepted among mainstream health care providers, simply because most people do not wholly trust what has not been replicated in a lab. On the other hand, it is accepted and even recommended among many health care providers. Honestly, it depends on the doctor.
Q. How does reflexology help improve our overall health?
A. Because reflexology is so targeted at specific places in the body, it solves many of the problems with smaller or more intricate parts of the body.
Q. Is reflexology safe for most people?
A. Absolutely! Reflexology, when done correctly, of course, can be one of the easiest ways to access many hard-to-help areas of the body, as I've said before. The key is knowing what the body needs and what it doesn't, because you don't want to strain areas which only need light work or do the opposite and skim over more major problems.
Q. How often should someone have reflexology therapy?
A. One should have somewhere in the ballpark of one reflexology treatment per week, at first, with later adjustments in frequency as needed.
Q. What is the difference between reflexology and massage?
A. Well, for one, reflexology focuses on the feet, rather than direct touch on the majority of the body. For another, reflexology works, in a sense, from the inside out, whereas massage works from the outside in. This much said, I still have to say that they are both equally beneficial for the body, though in slightly different ways.
Q. What training and certifications are involved for someone to be considered a qualified practitioner?
A. Oh, goodness. Well, there's certainly a schooling element to it. It took me a few years in a naturopathic college to complete my degree and become licensed in British Columbia. There was a really fun period in there where I got to test out what we were doing in my classes with people I knew. When I came here, I needed to jump through a few more hoops before I could get my second license. I still need to renew it every few years, of course, but that's the basic layout of training.
Q. What other aspects of reflexology should we know about before starting therapy?
A. Well, certainly know that it's not intended to replace medical care in any way. I might give you my opinion on something I find, but you should certainly check with your doctor, as my word is not gospel. I don't have much more to say about it, except to reiterate that reflexology is one of the best (and certainly least invasive) ways to address many problems throughout the body through the use of pressure points. I hope that you will try it sometime, as it is good for your body and a wonderful experience on the whole, so I've been told.
Thanks for the great answers, Cindy.
Judd Jones is a director for the Hagadone Corporation.