Thursday, August 27, 2009

The Dr. Oz Show

©2008 David Berkowitz
Okay here is the news. We were approached by The Dr. Oz Show to be on the show to demonstrate reflexology. We became a little worried about whether we would be on the show but it seems as though they are having some trouble getting the schedule worked out. They contacted me this afternoon to tell us we were still on. Here's the kicker. Dr. Oz told his producer that we were the best of the best in reflexology. Nice guy.

Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com

http://www.dk.com/reflexology

Follow me on Twitter-http://twitter.com/footreflexology

Paperback edition of Complete Reflexology for Life is coming out in August- Order yours today.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

I Love Skeptics!!!

Dr. Mauirce Gueret started a firestorm with article in the Independent in Ireland on reflexology. Dr. Gueret is  masquerading as a skeptic. He does not make an attempt at being fair or balanced. He belittles, detracts and does anything he can to blacken the name of reflexology. But he does not check his facts.

And he is afraid to debate. I offered. He sent back a form email that suggested I write the newspaper. He sent the same form email to everyone no matter what they wrote. I imagine this good doctor chuckled as he plotted out his response. 

Everyone on Facebook was really upset and wanted his skin. But I said I love skeptics. I love them because they can bungle the facts, twist the truth and still display a superior attitude. He is after all very right and he knows it. Who better to judge the good doctor than himself. It is a religion on to itself.

Okay you said that you love skeptics. I love skeptics because they are so intuitive. They know what is right without ever having to research it.

Instead of fighting his opinions look at his facts. 

1) "These little footie fetishists are bred to believe that by twiddling their thumbs and fingers on the soles of the feet that they can correct unspecified hormonal imbalances, cure infertility and even affect the course of arthritis." 

This is factually incorrect. What does he means by "unspecified hormonal imbalances".  There are specific studies on the hormonal changes that take place when pressure is applied to the feet. That is a fact.

And I don't think you "cure" infertility as such. It isn't a disease. Now it may be caused by a disease. But cure? 

There are studies on the impact of reflexology on the course of arthritis. That is a fact.

2) His history is amusing but not accurate. He claims Dr. Fitzgerald prodded people's feet. Wrong. That came later and it wasn't Fitzgerald. He was using direct pressure to deaden pain. He used the hands and the mouth mainly. These are facts.

He also claims are that reflexology antiquities existed in "caves of dynastic China." Never heard of this. Did the good doctor simply make this up? 

And the Egyptian roots that he points to are well documented by a medical doctor in Ancient Egyptian Medicine. D. Nunn has a helluva a lot more credentials than Dr. Gueret. I think I know why. 

3) His references to research are two studies that all skeptics call upon to discredit reflexology are commonly used by "skeptics". They are cherry picked out of hundreds of other research studies. And who said all research studies would be positive. I would be skeptical of that. 

So focus on the facts and not the good doctor's opinions that are presented like they are the truth. Truthiness.

There are more flaws in this diatribe but I have to go get my cat at the Vet's. 
Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com

http://www.dk.com/reflexology

Follow me on Twitter-http://twitter.com/footreflexology

Paperback edition of Complete Reflexology for Life is coming out in August- Order yours today.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Really Beautiful Reflexology Path in Malaysia


I was playing with Google Images when I ran across this beautiful reflexology located in Malaysia. Check it out.  There is also a company called Pathways of Health that has built several paths in the Northwest. They are very nice and seem to get better and better. Hey and if you want one built they are the folks to go to see. 

Our launch of Complete Reflexology for Life in paperback has gone really well. DK has introduced Tweeters for our book. "Have Reflexology for Lunch! At-your-desk easy reflexology coming right up! http://bit.ly/yhNq6" Fun. 

And Our Reflexology Path Kit is coming out three weeks from now. Can't wait to see. Total Reflexology Kit seems to be completely sold out. My cousin, Jean, spotted some in Massachusetts. They were gone when she got back. Barnes and Noble is going to restock in January. It is too late for Xmas but in time for recovering from the holidays. 

And don't forget our IPhone/ ITouch app. People have been commenting on how they love taking the Interactive chart with them. When you go to the ITunes store it is the ReflexologyChart app.

We are having really spirited discussions on Facebook. My Facebook page seems to now be a forum. But that's okay. We are family. 

Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com

http://www.dk.com/reflexology

Follow me on Twitter-http://twitter.com/footreflexology

Paperback edition of Complete Reflexology for Life is coming out in August- Order yours today.



Tuesday, August 18, 2009

That "wow" moment in Reflexology

We have had a lively and interesting discussion on Facebook. I started with a question about what was the moment that you as a reflexologist said "wow" to the effects of Reflexology. It was great to watch the posts come in. There were a variety of problems addressed with Reflexology.

Ida, one of the posters shorten the wow moment to simply "wow". Wow this and wow that became a shorthand.

When Reflexologist who have been at it awhile get together they swap what we called, "miracle stories" Now I think we can call them wow stories.

Check them out on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/kevin.kunz

Kevin Kunz

Monday, August 17, 2009

You can change your life with reflexology...


A fuller and healthier life thanks to reflexology ... here we tell one story of how reflexology added to a lifetime of living. This is our story but maybe it will give you a picture of your future with reflexology in your life. Here is the Preface from our book Complete Reflexology for Life

Reflexology for life... the phrase conjures up the many possibilities of reflexology's benefits. It connotes the potential to have an impact on health and quality of life, one's own and that of others. It suggests the use of reflexology's techniques throughout one's life from the earliest days of infancy to the golden years of aging.

As we look at our own use of reflexology over the past 30 years, we see that we have indeed used reflexology personally throughout our lives. At the conclusion of one lecture, Barbara was surprised to be asked, "Have you used reflexology for your own Health?" You see, reflexology is not just a theoretical exercise. For ourselves and quite literally millions of others around the world and throughout history, reflexology gives the sense of being able to do something. At your fingertips lies an ability that's always there. It enables you to address the challenges and stages of life.

Reflexology for life speaks to reflexology for the different times of our lives. On a personal note, it seems that reflexology has been there with us to calm and to cope, to ease and to help. From one bride's prewedding jitters to another's postwedding tired feet; from one niece's pregnancy to another's sports injury, reflexology has smoothed the way, lending a helping hand to people special to us.

The ability to use reflexology has helped us in challenging times as well. The opportunity to do something to help lessen that feeling of powerlessness when contending with a loved one in distress. It can help a newborn infant and a 96 year-old as well as address allergies, menstruation, constipation, colic, kidney stones, heart problems, pregnancy, accident injury, flesh-eating bacteria, swollen ankles, back and foot problems... we could go on and on.

As you apply reflexology in your own life, you'll find that one success leads to another, and another, and another. Then you'll see the influence of your work beyond your hands-on application. As one niece observed, "I grew up with this stuff. I'll bring it out and use it when I need it. And, I've shown others how to do it." You enable others to address the moments f their lives with healthy, natural choices.

As professionals, we've spent hours, days, weeks, months, and years researching the tides of history, the issues of professionalism, legislative ins-and-outs, and the physiological effects of reflexology. However, we always come back to reflect on the hands-on work; our own and that of the reflexologists we've met around the world. The common thread that runs through us all is the sense of possibility, that yes, you can change your life with reflexology. Even more, you can change the lives of others. While French author Antoine de Sainte-Exupery on noted "... there is not gardener for man," we tend to think he never met a reflexologist.

(Kunz, Barbara & Kevin, Complete Reflexology for Life , Dorling Kindersley, London and New York, 2006) Reprinted by permission of Dorling Kindersley.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Okay so I started it.

© knips Image from BigStockPhoto.com
My day started out early. Fed the cats and got the newspaper. Checked my Twitter account and had a real nice tweet about Reflexology: Health at Your Fingertips and our Reflexology Deck. The Circle of Light linked the tweet to their website. There was one of my most favorite reviews of Reflexology: Health at Your Fingertips. The Circle of Light folks are such nice people. Sincere. And they have over 4600+ followers on Tweeter. That is a lot of people or so I thought. 

Then I get the bright idea to invite in mass the folks from my Facebook Reflexology Forum to either follow me on Twitter or become a friend on Facebook. There are close to 1500 people in this group. 

It was like an explosion with people coming in from all over the world. I am at one point chatting with a very nice man from Istanbul who wants us to come to Turkey. At the same time I am chatting with Tunisia and Ireland. 

I am madly picking up news along the way. Like the President of Turkey has foot reflexology done. And when Hillary Clinton was in Turkey they talked about to her reflexology.  

There was a person from Stockholm who was so pleased with our tips. And the Russians asking to be Facebook friends were delightful. 

I felt like a traveled around the reflexology world in one day. And the Twitter and Facebook requests keep coming. The really, really sweet part of this experience were the nice comments about us and our work. As I told one Facebook friend it warms an author's heart. 

Nice day. 
Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com

http://www.dk.com/reflexology

Follow me on Twitter-http://twitter.com/footreflexology

Paperback edition of Complete Reflexology for Life is coming out in August- Order yours today.


 

 

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Reflexology Fantasy

© sgame. Image from BigStockPhoto.com
No this isn't about sex. It is about an old file I ran across. It was called "Reflexology Fantasy". So being in an adventurous mood I decided to open it up.

It turns out to be a mind map I drew awhile back. It is a type of "what if" mind map about reflexology. I was fantasying about reflexology's potential being finally realized by individuals, organizations, governments, businesses and so forth.

Such as:

  • What if medicine suddenly realized the enormous potential of being able to not only address stress on a general level but to also be able to address stress in very specific ways with reflexology? 
  • What if hospitals realized how much they could save in early releases and how much goodwill they could gain with patient satisfaction using reflexology routinely with patients? What if hospitals used it for staff stress?
  • What if the government realized that with they could address the costly of the geriatric giants of memory loss, mobility, incontinence and dementia with reflexology? What if health care facilities like assisted living and nursing homes figured this out as well?
  • What if businesses suddenly got wind of the cost saving through reflexology with reduced absenteeism and worker morale?
  • What if schools focused on stimulation to the feet and hands to encourage neurological development to increase learning capabilities?
  • What if artist, writers and other creative people used reflexology to help their creative side? 
  • What if reflexology was consider a form of fitness and became a part of a nation fitness program? What if it was used to increased athletic performance?
I have a lot more "what if's" but the final one is simple. What if we opened our minds up to the importance of our feet and hands as sensory organs that can lift us up into new ways of living?
What what if's can you think of about reflexology?

Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com

http://www.dk.com/reflexology

Follow me on Twitter-http://twitter.com/footreflexology

Paperback edition of Complete Reflexology for Life is coming out in August- Order yours today.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Debating prevention's place in healthcare bill

As Congress struggles to decide how America should take care of its sick, another controversy is simmering over whether the healthcare legislation should include billions of dollars aimed at keeping people well.

A draft Senate bill would provide up to $10 billion annually for a "prevention and public health investment fund" -- a portion of which could be used for infrastructure projects, such as bike paths and farmers markets meant to curb chronic and costly conditions like obesity. Debating prevention's place in healthcare bill
Some lawmakers deride such measures as wasteful.
By Kristina Sherry August 3, 2009 Los Angeles Times


I am amused by this debate. It is the Sickness industry versus the Wellness Industry. I am not even arguing that the government should step in and invest in wellness. What I am really amused at is the idea that healthcare should not include prevention.

In fact, many of us do not want to join the Sickness Industry. We are working on preventative programs without anyone's support other than our own. We believe that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

But the idea that 10 billion dollars is massive pork barrel spending when compared to the trillion dollars that go into health care is just ludicrous. The waste really occurs after illness has taken a hold.

I once had a client that I really liked. But I hated his attitude. Why do something now to combat his problems was his attitude. He would just go out and get "one of those by-pass things" when he need it. No thought of the cost nor what state his body would be put in ever crossed his mind.

I once worked in a sheltered workshop which proved to me that work is quite therapeutic. And the best part was that it was very cost effective. People became taxpayers rather than warehoused in state institutions. And the best part we were raising our own money by the products we manufactured. We were supported by industry. We did have some government money from people that they sent to be train by us. It simply worked.

So I think it time to move ahead without government support. The one really interesting thing about a new study that I shall talk about is that the money spent on complementary and alternative health rose to 34 billion. The most interesting part is that CAM out of pocket bypassed the out of pocket for conventional medical.

Deride prevention as being wasteful if you like Congressman but we know it works. And we know what is healthy.

Kevin Kunz


http://www.reflexology-research.com

http://www.dk.com/reflexology

Follow me on Twitter-http://twitter.com/footreflexology

Paperback edition of Complete Reflexology for Life is coming out in August- Order yours today.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Reflexology and Tailbone Injuries


If you look closely at this picture you can see a bubble in the middle of the side of the heel. Years ago by accident I discovered that this was a stress cue connected to tailbone injury. Many times there will be several bubbles running along the rim of the heel. They can have a pimple- like appearance to a large bubble like look.

These stress cues can be easy to find. Sometimes they are evident just looking at the rim of the heel. Other times it takes a little searching so we use a technique we call "press and access".

To perform this technique simply press with the flat of your thumb and look at the side of the heel you are testing. I sometimes tap a little along the rim as this brings the stress cues out.



This is an example of a very serious tailbone injury. It was incapacitating. this is beyond a bubble. The stress cue is more like a white band. And it doesn't require tapping to bring it out.




For further information about stress cues see: The Complete Guide to Foot Reflexology or MyReflexologist Says: Feet Don't Lie

Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com

http://www.dk.com/reflexology

Follow me on Twitter-http://twitter.com/footreflexology

Paperback edition of Complete Reflexology for Life is coming out in August- Order yours today.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Severe Whiplash Stress Cue

 Here is a case of severe whiplash reflected on the feet. Everyone around her in this class was urging here to relax. But she could not and her toes are always this way. 

The next pair of feet I saw I asked if she had severe whiplash. She had. 



Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com
http://www.dk.com/reflexology
Twitter me @footreflexology
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/kevin.kunz

Monday, August 3, 2009

Chinese-Style Reflexology Business in the Sacramento

Call it unintended consequences or call it a blow to an American tradition, but the Sacramento city

massage ordinance and Chinese practices are changing reflexology in that city. The

Sacramento Bee reports on three Chinese foot reflexology businesses which will soon be joined by two more.

The services provided are outside the American traditions launched in the 1930’s by physiotherapist

Eunice Ingham and adopted throughout the Western world. They are priced well below the

standard for the profession.

The Chinese service is described as: “A plastic-lined wooden bucket, filled with steaming hot

Tibetan-powder-steeped water, is brought to soak weary feet. The therapist begins by massaging

the scalp, ears and face, taking special care to include pressure points near the hairline.… “The

therapist moves on to the arms, legs and finally the feet, using knuckles, fists and even a soft slapping

to get the blood flowing. The customer, who remains fully clothed, then flips over and

receives a full back massage.” … “When reflexology first came to the Los Angeles area, prices

were more than three times what they are now. Steep competition led to price cutting and the cost

settled on the standard $20. Memberships, where 10 or 20 massages are prepaid, cost less per

hour. Therapists work as independent contractors and make an average of $10 per massage plus

tips.” (Sacramento Bee)

Within the standards of American reflexology, the service provided is pressure technique applied

to the hands and feet. Use of knuckles is taboo due to concerns about undo pain caused to the client.

Prices range from $50 an hour and up.

Consumers in Sacramento have complained about the pain involved in the Chinese reflexology

services. Such concerns were raised recently when an American television series required the

show’s contestants to undergo a reflexology session in Beijing. “Pain and suffering” is the image

that emerged of a reflexology session in Beijing following the April 28, 2009 broadcast of reality

show Amazing Race 14.

Broadcast in prime time on a major American television network, the

show pits two-member teams against each other in a travel contest. Each episode includes a “Road

Block” and for this episode the Road Block was reflexology. Particularly troubling to reflexologists

viewing the scene was not only the pain endured by the show’s contestants but also video of

the reflexologists whose smiling and pleased countenances made it appear they enjoyed the discomfort

of their clients. On-line discussion by reflexologists reflected concern that their profession

would be associated with similar painful work. (To see a re-play of the episode, go to

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/video/

video.php?cid=1006793061&pid=KZHGaTfyM7KMI1_zO__FJF7VaB2yQqDH&play=true&cc

=42)

Of further concern to reflexologists and reflecting on their practice is the assertion in the article

that “No studies prove these health claims” (Reflexology works to “relieve stress, improve circulation

and bring balance to the body”). Literally hundreds of studies exist and support such statements.

Ironically many have been conducted in China. Statements to the contrary undermine

reflexologists’ efforts to provide accurate information to consumers about their work.

Kevin Kunz