Wednesday, April 29, 2009

How to acheive results

The biggest roadblock to results with reflexology is consistenacy. It is easy to get started in Reflexology. It is much harder to keep going to the point of seeing results. It requires an effort to remember to apply technique.

Here are some ways to keep on track. You can go high tech. There is a simple but effective web site called Joe's Goals. You simply set up the page with your goals and you assign values to each goal. Then check in everyday to check your boxes on what you have done. You can see the totals on a constant basis.

And if you have a calender program that will remind you to go to Joe's Goals and fill out your progress sheet all the better.

There are other programs even for the Iphone/ Itouch. Touch Goals is a great little app I use. It is fun to use and very effective.

Or go low tech solution like a calendar that you simply jot your results down. To make it a bit fun give each self help techniques a value so you have a score at the end of the week.

Monitoring your efforts can be the most effective way to get the results you desire with Reflexology. Give it a try low tech, high tech or whatever way you want to go.

Kevin Kunz

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

Monday, April 27, 2009

Did CBS Step Over the Line in The Amazing Race

Did CBS step over the line though the portrayal of foot work in the Amazing Race as some sort of torture? It was foot massage but loosely linked to Were these foot workers push to put more pressure on? HMMM!!!!

My understanding is that the foot workers in China will lighten up with Westerners. Why didn't they? Rather they seem to max out the pressure they applied.

It was high drama and I think they pushed the employees to go for it. But I think there is an issue of pressure. How much is really needed?

There is also an ethical question. Should you go beyond safe limits to entertain. What if an injury had occurred?

It reminded me of torture. I think Chinese have been one of the leaders in the worldwide spread of reflexology. My guess is that they wouldn't approve.

There has been some comment from Twitters and Facebook friends. One person debated whether in fact they were not put up to delivering extra pain. Also this according to one source did take place in the Olympic compound. Apparently one of the contestants went into spasms after the session while in the taxi.

Kevin Kunz

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

Sunday, April 26, 2009

My left foot

I am sitting here thinking about my left foot. It has been a week of limping around and a lot of pain. But it has been very interesting at the same time.

I tore my Achilles tendon at the ripe old age of 16. It was a judo accident. It hurt. A whole lot.

I am going through a process we call, "going back through". It is painful as I reexperienced the old injury. It comes from uncovering a layer of adaptation that we long ago forgot. It is usually short and sweet. Severe injury is the exception.

I have had several bouts with this and last week was a doozy. It felt like shards of glass every footstep I took.

Then it passed. My foot felt much better and I was walking much more in touch with the ground. There was a distinctive shift to the outside of the areas on the foot making contact.

My conclusions. The body has an incredible ability to absorb injury. We must keep going to survive. Injury must be adapted to not only in the short run but in the long run as well.

These adaptation remain dormant until "uncovered". Uncovering can be as simple as lowering your stress level. This allows your body to start resolve the unresolved problem.

Or you can deliberately uncover the problem by using Reflexology or other techniques to uncover the buried adaptation. This gets to the deeper layers of adaptation.

This is where we have covered up the past. This is where the pain dwells.

I have chosen to dig deep. Yes it hurts but now I am enjoying the resolution. My left foot is simpler and more relaxed. It should have less impact on my body.

My second conclusion us that the ankle is more involved than a simple connection to the foot. It is actually a complex neuro -mechanism that extends all the way down to the mid foot.

How do I know this? For a few days every step shot pain through my foot and up through my leg. I think what I was experiencing was the breakup of deposits that kept my foot immobile.

The foot is a shock absorbing mechanism. The part of the foot that performs this function extends all the way from the ankle to the middle of the foot.

When injuried the body will use immobility to protect from further injury.

I know. I could feel it.

Kevin Kunz
Mobile Blogging from here.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Woman's World Toe Wiggling article out Monday

The Woman's World Article I mentioned in past blogs will be out on Monday. It is the May 4th edition.

Also I am now Twittering so come follow my Tweet.

And I am on Facebook as well. So join us there. Look for Kevin Kunz. There is also a Reflexology Group on Facebook.

And if you are interested in tuning into professionals from around the world try the Worldwide Reflexology Forum on Yahoo.

Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com

http://www.dk.com/reflexology

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

100 Best Wellness Blogs for Women

Hi Kevin,

We just posted an article, “100 Best Wellness Blogs for Women” (http://www.mastersinhealthcare.com/blog/2009/100-best-wellness-blogs-for-women/). I thought I'd bring it to your attention in case you think your readers would find it interesting.

I am happy to let you know that your site has been included in this list.

Either way, thanks for your time!

Kelly Sonora

Thanks Kelly!!!

Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com

http://www.dk.com/reflexology

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

CDC - Falls Among Older Adults: An Overview Part 2

CDC - Falls Among Older Adults: An Overview:

"Many people who fall, even those who are not injured, develop a fear of falling. This fear may cause them to limit their activities, leading to reduced mobility and physical fitness, and increasing their actual risk of falling" CDC website

Yesterday I wrote about the cost of seniors falling. This fear factor as stated in the quote above is even more insidious. There is no question that movement is an important part of our well being. It is not just exercise but the very act of moving that is critical to health. We must move to stay healthy.

The more falls we have occurring the less movement takes place leading to a very sedentary older population. This is a downward spiral. Disease occurs when we fail to move about. The Russians as I stated in an earlier blog actually had people remain in bed for a year. The results were terrible with the loss of teeth, weakening of bones, depression and digestive malfunctions just to name a few. (I guess I would be pretty depressed to be in bed for a year.)

Weight bearing helps our system function. It makes bones stronger (remember teeth are essentially bone). Weight bearing improves circulation which is important for our cardiovascular system. It also improves blood flow to the brain which is important for mental health.

Here are the four geriatric giants: Memory loss/ dementia, urinary incontinence, depression and falls/ immobility. They are costing a terrible human toll. They also are costs billions of dollars each year in the US alone. And they are interconnected.

If one falls and fears that they may fall again the odds high that the four geriatric giants will be present from then on. The more immobility, the more the odds are high that a second fall will occur. The more the person fears falling the less they move. The less they move the less blood circulates and the more chance of memory loss and dementia.

And sitting in that chair with little or no movement the seniors become easy prey for depression.

We need programs of prevention to prevent falls. But we also need programs to help regain confidence once the person has fallen. We need to keep older adults moving.

Reflexology can help with both prevention of falls and recovery from falls. But there are other programs as well. We need to look at anything which will provide stimulation particularly to the bottom of the feet. It is this reflex action that needs regular triggering to keep things tuned up.

Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com

http://www.dk.com/reflexology

CDC - Falls Among Older Adults: An Overview

CDC - Falls Among Older Adults: An Overview:

"In 2000, direct medical costs totaled $0.2 billion ($179 million) for fatal falls and )19 billion for nonfatal fall injuries" CDC Web site

Can we really afford to ignore a major source of misery and monetary loss? And the worse part is that even if you don't kill yourself in the fall and remain relatively uninjured you still are in fear of falling again. This leads often to less moving about which leads to greater immobility. And the less we move as we all know the more stress we face and the greater our chances for more dire illness.

The CDC is trying to do something about this. I think the IShoe is a perfect example of what can be done with technology by creating a shoe that first analysis the weakness in the gait. Then in future development of IShoe it will help right the walker by amping up the signals from the feet to communicate peril.

But we can also do something less technological and very direct. We can start to recognize the importance of the feet in the overall communication system necessary for proper movement. There is a Japanese saying that we age from the feet up.

I think of it this way. As we age our brain talks less to our feet and our feet talk less to the brain. After awhile the feet and brain are like two people across a lake trying to communicate.

What are the options? Stimulation of the bottoms of the feet can be easily achieved not only by reflexology but by foot rollers, cobblestone paths, wobble boards and so forth. Exercising this communication system might take the form of rocking chairs which help stimulate the balance centers. We need to focus in on these locomotive and balance reflexes to tune and tone them up.

While we as a nation are trying to cut costs here is a place where real saving can take place. And that is not counting the saving of lives.

Kevin Kunz

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

Monday, April 13, 2009

Bumpy Brain Boosters Part 2

© 2007 Photographer Gaetan Lee used under a Creative Commons License

I did a post awhile back that was called Bumpy Brain Boosters. the inspiration came from A Google translation that Barbara came up with from Chinese. The idea was that both the Chinese and Japanese felt that stimulation of the bottom of the feet was crucial to children's neurological development. It just came out comically with translated.

I also have been reading a book, The Body Has a Mind of It's Own. This book talks about the importance of the stimulation of the bottom of the feet for body imaging, a crucial part of our well being.

So can't we simply make the jump to the fact that the feet and the hands are really part of the brain. Dr. Miller talks about the importance of the sensory organs like the extremities to the brain in the Body in Question.

How do you separate out the brain from our sensory organs? Is a brain without sensory organs really have any real existence outside the fictional Donovan's Brain?

Is this similar to the fiction that there is 5 senses? Are we limiting ourselves to new insights by looks at the brain as a separate organ and not intimately linked to those parts of the body that reach out and feel the world?

Think about it but not just with your brain.

Kevin Kunz

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

Monday, April 6, 2009

The Reflexology Path Kit

We just sent back corrections on the Barnes and Noble kit we are doing. It is due out in the fall. It is called The Reflexology Path Kit. These are really fun to do.

The first kit Total Reflexology is all ready in reprint for the fourth printing. It has been a phenomenal success. Barnes and Noble can't seem to keep them in stock.

The new kit will contain a cobblestone mat, a piece of bamboo, a chart and a book. Not sure what they will price it at yet. But B&N always prices it at a reasonable rate.

Kevin Kunz

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

Friday, April 3, 2009

During Exercise, Human Brain Shifts Into High Gear On 'Alternative Energy'


During Exercise, Human Brain Shifts Into High Gear On 'Alternative Energy'

"According to a study by researchers from Denmark and The Netherlands, the brain, just like muscles, works harder during strenuous exercise and is fueled by lactate, rather than glucose."

"Not only does this finding help explain why the brain is able to work properly when the body's demands for fuel and oxygen are highest, but it goes a step further to show that the brain actually shifts into a higher gear in terms of activity. This opens doors to entirely new areas of brain research related to understanding lactate's specific neurological effects"

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (2008, October 1). During Exercise, Human Brain Shifts Into High Gear On 'Alternative Energy'. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2008/09/080930135305.htm

Since I started reflexology it is quite common for people to get cramps when getting worked on with reflexology.Cramps occur commonly in the feet and lower legs since lactic acid commonly accumulates because of gravity. Lactic acid is a fuel that burns without oxygen.

It is for those short bursts of activity after you have used up your blood glucose. The easiest way to understand this is when you lift a weight for a long period of time. Your muscle gets sore because you have worked your way through your glucose and are now using lactic acid.

I think it is really interesting that lactic acid helps the brain shift into high gear. It makes sense. when you have used up your blood glucose you don't simply stop thinking.

I have always either applied pressure to a cramping foot to stop the pain or I have the person put pressure to break up the cramp. They can simply press their feet on the recliner leg rest or directly on the floor. But obviously this isn't an option with the brain.

Recently I have done long periods of walking on cobblestone mats. I find myself mentally a bit fatigued. I really think it might be the lactic acid acting on my brain. It might be circulating after being trapped in the lower extremities.

A quick lie down and it passes. Interesting.

Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com

http://www.dk.com/reflexology