Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Longer second toe advice

©tecksiong , BigStockPhoto.com

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Kunz,

I came across your website on an incredibly random search about "second toes". I'm interested in your research and theories pertaining to the energy and the length of the second toe. I, myself, have a longer second toe, and recall from a Shiatsu class years ago, a correlation between one's level of energy and the length of that second toe. Recently, I have experience drastic changes in my level of energy and I wonder if it can be remedied by therapy to that area. Would you kindly recommend a reputable reflexologist in the Toronto area (Canada) who has experience in treating patients with my condition? It seems you have considerable experience in this discipline and your referral/recommendation would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks :)

Sincerely,

Neha


Neha

A longer second toe is really not a condition but it is simply genetics at work. It isn't the toes that are longer but the bones within the foot itself that are longer. Specifically it is the second metatarsal which is longer. This wouldn't be a problem if we didn't wear shoes. Shoes put pressure on the longitudinal arch. This tends to lock the middle of the foot or the midtarsal joint. This tends to lock the middle of the foot. It tends to lock over the pancreas reflex area which effects the energy level through the regulation of blood sugar.

A lot of times the longer toe person has high level of energies but can be subject to sudden drops of energy usually in the afternoon. It seems to evolve over time. Sometimes the effects worsen and the person can feel tired all the time.

A good reflexologist can help by highlighting this area in their sessions. There are self help things you can do. A foot roller is a good way to stimulate this area. Another technique is to stand with your feet about shoulder width wide. Bend your knees slightly and then rock across your feet by gently swaying from side to side. Do this for about 15 seconds. Try to do this daily. If you can do it several times a day it is even better.

Hope this helps.

Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com



Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Market, Market and Market

Some people are concerned if there is enough business for reflexologists out there considering current economic conditions.
There was a very good article in the Wall Street Journal. the author said the most important thing to do is market, market and market.

Many people pull in their horns when times get tough but this is the very time when you need to make people aware of your business. Don't retreat.

Marketing isn't necessarily expensive. One of the most effective marketing methods I found is to offer the local health food stores demonstrations. 10 minute sessions are welcomed and can bring in good clientele. Offering a free self help class is another way to find clients.

In both these cases I was able to bring in millionaires who were more than willing to avail themselves of my services. And they stayed with me.

Of course if you can get a Whole Foods or a Wild Oats you tend to get clients with a bigger budget. They can be hard to get into but persistence pays off.

Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com
http://www.foot-reflexologist.com

Monday, January 19, 2009

25th anniversary of Hand and Foot Reflexology: A Self Help Guide



It is hard to believe that it has been 25 years since the publication of Hand and Foot Reflexology: A Self Help Guide . But there it is. We had had incredible success with The Complete Guide to Foot Reflexology becoming the best selling title for the fall of 1982 from Prentice Hall. We had beaten out some of the heavy contenders- computer books being the bet being made by the marketing people. And then this strange book about reflexology knocked out all the competition, computer books included.

The natural inclination for book publisher is to repeat success by doing the same book only different. That's not us. We wanted to create something for the lay public as we saw The Complete Guide to Foot Reflexology as more of a textbook.

We were getting a lot of foreign interest after the publication of The Complete Guide to Foot Reflexology (which happens to be 29 years old). We decided to produce two books in one. The first part was for those looking for a logical explanation of how reflexology works. The second part was simply almost like a comic book. Despite language barriers we designed it so people could figure out where to work and what to do.

The only drawback to this approach was the first cover design to Hand and Foot Reflexology: A Self Help Guide actually did look like a comic book cover with big balloon letters. The o's looked like overinflated tires. We quickly dispatched with that cover.

Today Hand and Foot Reflexology: A Self Help Guide is still selling and is in more overseas editions than The Complete Guide to Foot Reflexology. I really like the up front logical explanation part as that was based on our exploration of the nervous system as an explanation for how reflexology works.

I am going to pull out some of those concepts from Hand and Foot Reflexology: A Self Help Guide to explore on this blog. They are interesting concepts which we still use today.

They changed the cover as a update for some anniversary. It went from being the "blue book" to a yellow looking cover we admit we opposed. But the guts are the same.

The years have meant that reflexology books are popular enough that even we had to go the route of color photos. Black and white line drawing aren't as fashionable. There are 2002 illustrations in that book all done by Barbara Kunz who conveyed a real sense of action in an otherwise still illustration. Priceless.

I am very fond of Hand and Foot Reflexology: A Self Help Guide . It brought reflexology to people who might have been intimidated by the machinations of reflexology. It also brought a sense of rationality and logic to reflexology to those who wanted to know the how's and why's of it.

Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com
http://www.foot-reflexologist.com

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Worm Money and Reflexology

© Aussiebloke. Image from BigStockPhoto.com



Several years ago we worked on a young man who was a quadriplegic. We worked on him on our way home from the office at his house. 

The family didn't have much money but his mother insisted on paying what she could. She paid us from her earning selling worms. Most of the time it was a couple of bucks but we didn't care. Sometimes it was enchiladas or whatever she could share. However it was important to her that she would give what she could. 

This young man was a turning point in our work. Because Barbara and I were both working on him we picked up some really unusual reactions. Barbara worked on his hands and I worked on his feet. Because we were in very cramped quarters we worked at on opposite sides. 

One day Barbara felt his fingers move. Barbara and I at this time didn't know much about quadriplegia. Barbara asked Jimmy if he was moving his fingers. Jimmy said,"No, Kevin is." We thought he was joking but with a short time it was apparent that by pressing certain parts of the foot you could trigger the fingers on the opposite side to move. 

We hit the books looking for explanations. There were some. Pressure is a signal that is used by the body for some very important activities. So we changed our definition of reflexology to define it as the application of pressure to the feet and hands to effect corresponding parts of the body. 

That definition was picked by reflexologists worldwide. It helped us to figure out how reflexology worked within the nervous system. In fact it is helping to logically explain the workings of  reflexology which is very helpful in researching reflexology. 

Sometimes it is definitely worth being paid in worm money. 

Kevin Kunz
http://www.reflexology-research.com
http://www.dk.com/reflexology

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

When not to give an interview

© tadija. Image from BigStockPhoto.com

Daily Mail called me up yesterday and asked if I would help them with an article on the hands. It seems there was a scientific study that showed if men had a longer ring finger than their index finger could mean they made more money.

"The key to success in high powered markets is at your fingertips, a study has shown.'

"Scientists at Cambridge University discovered that City traders whose ring fingers are much longer than their index fingers make the most money, while those whose ring fingers are relatively short do the worst.'

"Researchers say finger length is linked to exposure to testosterone in the womb – and also reveals how 'masculine' a man is. Past studies have shown that people exposed to high levels of the sex hormone between the 13th and 18th week of pregnancy have longer ring fingers."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1113662/How-finger-length-points-success-City.html

So young Laura, the writer from the Daily Mail, called me up and wanted an article which would have my name on it to accompany this piece. We tried but the closer we got to what I consider palmistry the more Barbara and I resisted. It just didn't work out. And the fact that Laura had to have this in for the next day's paper made it more dangerous.

Reporters on a deadline are hard to work with. They will in their panic twist your words to fit the article. I have had them writing that I agreed with someone I was diametrically opposed to in principle.

So it was with great relief when Laura tossed in the towel. Sometimes it just is better not to give an interview.

But the good news is that my ring finger is longer than my index finger. So I should be wealthy. Of course, these were City traders and not people who had to deal with publishers. Sigh!!!

Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com
http://www.dk.com/reflexology

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Shouldn't Scientific Medicine Be More Open-Minded? - WSJ.com

"There are already over 1,000 scientific studies showing a variety of complementary and alternative medicine therapies to be valid or effective. Financial incentive is lacking for large clinical trials using ancient modalities that are not patentable or profit-engendering like a new drug."
Bhaswati Bhattacharya M.D., MPH
Assistant Clinical Professor of Family Medicine
Weill Cornell Medical College
New York

I thought was an interesting comment. There is a concerted effort at this point to ask why there isn't more research in CAM by the skeptics and on the other hand to attack the funding of studies on CAM.

This is all about money, isn't it? It really is quite naive of us to think that these skeptics really care about people, they are thinking in terms of profit for the medical industry. And the ones that aren't thinking of money but think they have some sort of cause are really being duped into service for Big Pharma and the medical powers that be.

I really liked a phrase I heard recently. It talked about "science by pronouncement". You don't need any facts. You simply know what is true. Isn't that being psychic?

Read the rest. There are several good responses to the bigotry of STEVE SALERNO, the Touch That Doesn't Heal

Deepak Chopra's Comments

Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com
http://www.dk.com/reflexology

Monday, January 12, 2009

A Tactic to Cut I.C.U. Trauma - Get Patients Up - NYTimes.com

© starfotograf. Image from BigStockPhoto.com

Thought this article from the  NY Times was interesting. It is on the effects of being in ICU. 

"So now some I.C.U.’s are trying what seems like a radical solution: reducing sedation levels and getting patients up and walking even though they are gravely ill, complete with feeding tubes, intravenous lines and tethers to ventilators."

"Even a few days in an I.C.U. can be physically devastating immediately afterward, said Dr. Naeem Ali of Ohio State University. In a recent study, he and colleagues at three other universities reported that 25 percent of patients who had spent at least five days on ventilators could not use their arms to raise themselves to sitting positions. Many could not push back against a researcher’s hand."
A Tactic to Cut I.C.U. Trauma - Get Patients Up - NYTimes.com

One of their complaints about getting the patients up and walking is the amount of staff involved. Why not start with simple pressure to the bottom of the feet?

I remember reading years and ago that the Scottish had a pre-walking program for patients. They would apply pressure to the bottom of the feet of their patients prior to get them up and going. This is what the doctors are missing. It is pressure to the bottom of the feet that is important for helping to keep the body organized and on the road to recovery.

The services of a reflexologist would be beneficial on a number of different levels. I been in ICU a lot with very good results. People were out of ICU quicker than projected.

Also why not a mechanical contraption that would simply put alternating pressure to the bottom of the feet? They have devices for shifting the pitch of the bed to prevent bedsores. Why not something to apply pressure to the bottom of the feet? Simple.

The Russian years ago did a study where they kept people in bed for a year. Horrible things happened to the subjects. Teeth fell out. Bone density was lost. Widespread depression was rampant. Digestion went to hell and so forth.

We need some stress from weight-bearing to stay well. Pressure to the bottom of the feet could help do keep us well. In fact, why just use it just in ICU. All patients face a decline from being confined to a bed even if it is less than ICU patients. Then there are those confined to a wheelchair.

What other uses can you find for such a contraption? Would you have reflexologist come to see you if you were in ICU?


Kevin Kunz


http://www.reflexology-research.com
http://www.dk.com/reflexology







Wednesday, January 7, 2009

A Day on ‘Coping With Uncertainty’? You’ve Earned It

Shortcuts - A Day on ‘Coping With Uncertainty’? You’ve Earned It - NYTimes.com

"Based on how participants rated their own physical and mental health, the academics found that people who felt chronically insecure about their jobs reported significantly worse overall health in both studies and were more depressed in one of the studies than those who had actually lost their jobs or had even faced a serious or life-threatening illnesses".


“Chronic stress is extremely damaging to your health,” Professor Burgard said. “I’m an academic and I’m going up for tenure. I know what uncertainty is. You’re unable to make plans, unable to take action. You’re waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Xmas letter


We received a Christmas letter from a friend of ours, Camille Young from Moraga, California. Camille did the cover to our first book, The Complete Guide to Foot Reflexology, in 1980.

Included with the Christmas letter was a flyer on a reflexology studio called aptly, Total Reflexology Studio. Apparently no one in the the studio speaks anything but Mandarin Chinese but their flyer is in English. Their flyer had quoted one of my very favorite quotes from Complete Reflexology for Life,

"If reflexology never accomplished anything more than combating stress with relaxation it is serving its purpose very well." Kevin and Barbara Kunz, Complete Reflexology for Life.

Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com
http://www.dk.com/reflexology

Monday, January 5, 2009

Reflexology in the New Year

What kind of year will it be for Reflexology?

I have thought a lot about this the last few days. Predictions are frequently wrong but there are some signs that this will be a year of rapid change.

There is an upsurge in interest worldwide. There are more and more countries interested in Reflexology as a low cost health system. There seems to be more integration of Reflexology into mainstream medicine.

There is also a resurgence in Mom power. Reflexology really has grown because of it's supporters the mothers who discovered it's benefits. The economic times has caused a rediscovery of Reflexology.

And the skeptics are on the warpath. There are what seems like desperate acts. There is a focused effort on one hand to complain about a lack of Reflexology research and on the other they are targeting the funds needed for that research.

I think they are worried about the growth of Reflexology. Very worried.

Happy New Year!!!!!!

Kevin Kunz

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