Thursday, October 28, 2010

A New Technique and It's Impact

Thinking about yesterday and what went on in my three and a half hour session. Never had that much change occur in the twenty years I have worked on these feet. I figured it out at 3 AM this morning. (IMHO I think this approach could profoundly impact the practice of reflexology and make reflexologists on high demand.) I won't keep you on suspense. It involves double thumbwalking from the ankle down. What I figured out this morning is that you can trigger ground sensors that are involved in the adjustment to the surface underfoot. It loosens both the foot and leg. But it does something else that seems to integrate the whole foot. Amazing stuff!!! BlogBooster-The most productive way for mobile blogging. BlogBooster is a multi-service blog editor for iPhone, Android, WebOs and your desktop

Monday, October 25, 2010

Taste buds in the lungs? That’s what new research is showing.

Taste buds in the lungs? That’s what new research is showing.

It seems taste buds in the lungs sense bitter taste, specifically that of illness-causing bacteria. “When the taste receptors in the lungs detect bugs that cause pneumonia and other serious illnesses, the muscles relax and the airways expand. This happens presumably to allow a person to breathe more easily and to clear the bacteria and related debris out of the airway to keep the bacteria from progression to a more serious infection…” Scientists find this new discovery to be important because it leads to new ideas to create drugs to treat asthma and other respiratory illnesses. 

Does reflexology have a similar impact, prompting muscles to relax and airways to expand? While reflexology research reports do not cite mechanisms of action, the studies do demonstrate that reflexology impacts respiratory-related illnesses and function:
• Reflexology helps with symptoms of asthma if applied sufficiently. Disappearance of symptoms is reported when reflexology is applied daily for 2 to 12 weeks but no when applied 60 minutes per week for 10 weeks.
• Reflexology increases oxygen saturation rates:
• The addition of reflexology to a medication regime speeds up the treatment time for infants with pneumonia from an average of 9.7 days as opposed to 12.3 days for infants treated with medication alone.
• Foot reflexology was found to be more effective than antibiotics in treating bronchitis in children.


Further research should show what creates the positive effects attributed to reflexology. Could  the relaxing qualities of reflexology be used "to clear the bacteria and related debris out of the airway to keep the bacteria from progression to a more serious infection"?


Barbara Kunz



Friday, October 22, 2010

Free Friday- Reflexology Stuff

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1. Free Iphone/ IPad/ ITouch Reflexology Chart App. Take your reflexology with you.This handy app goes on your IPhone, IPad and Itouch. 


Get it here.

2. Free Interactive Foot and Hand Charts

Done with a design team from Kunz&Kunz and DK these charts are wildly popular and a great teaching tool as well. 


3. Free Widgets

These interactive widgets are free to put on your web site, blog, Facebook page and other social networking sites. 

Foot reflexology widget

Hand Reflexology Widget 

Complete Reflexology for Life- Free Widget with contents of this blog

What Reflexology Research Shows. Free Widget with Reflexology Research Results. 

Yahoo Reflexology Community Forum- Free Reflexology Forum Widget with posts from the members

Nursing and Reflexology Research. Free Widget with Reflexology Research Performed with Nurses

Free Twitter Widget to Follow the Tweets on Kevin Kunz


6. Free Facebook Reflexology Forum- A causal forum on reflexology for anyone to join

Kevin's Facebook page that might as well be a forum. Lively, fast paced and a real treasure trove of information

Benefits of a Single Reflexology Session



Benefits of a Reflexology Session
Research shows that a single reflexology session:
• creates relaxation
• reduces anxiety
• diminishes pain
• improves blood flow to the kidneys, intestines, brain and feet
• decreases heart rate and blood pressure
• increases oxygen saturation and lowers respiratory rate




Kevin Kunz

Thursday, October 21, 2010

What a Series of Reflexology Sessions Will Do For You

Research shows that a series of reflexology sessions:
Improves the body overall by helping every part of it:
• improves the functioning of the kidneys (waste product removal, anemia prevention, infection fighting)
• impacts the digestive system of healthy individuals and relieves constipation in children, women, and the elderly
• eases difficult urination for men and incontinence in women
• eases PMS and menopause for women and prostate problems for men
• improves workings of the immune system.

Kevin Kunz


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Reflexology and Menopause- Can It help?

"Women who take a popular hormone replacement drug after menopause not only increase their chances of getting breast cancer but also seem to face an increased risk of dying from the disease, according to new results of a landmark federal study.'

"The study of more than 12,000 women who were followed for about 11 years produced powerful evidence that deaths from breast cancer were more common among hormone-users, apparently because their cancers had already started to spread." 

Hormones also raise death risk of cancer By Rob SteinWashington Post Staff Writer, Wednesday, October 20, 2010

I recently worked on a woman who had experienced hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. I worked on her once and the effects very lasting for months. 

It does not work that way all the time. But the fact that one session could have such a lasting effect makes you wonder if there is an alternative to the risk of hormone replacement therapy. With the risks being this high it seems there should be. 

I am not trying to talk you out of your medication. Heaven forbid. But I think it points to the need for more research on menopause and reflexology. But there is research already available. You be the judge.

Research

Study #1 (UK) Reflexology and foot massage (control group) were applied  in 9 sessions over 19 weeks (once a week for six weeks followed by once a month for three months). Results: “Anxiety and depression scores fell in both groups to between 50% and 70% of baseline values, with a clear time effect but no significant difference between treatment and control groups. Similar changes were found for severity of hot flushes and night sweats.” (Comments on results by Sandra Goodman reported at http://positivehealth.com/permit/Updates/rudwomen2.htm) (Williamson J, White A, Hart A, Ernst E., “Randomized controlled trial of reflexology for menopausal symptoms,” British Journal OG, 2002 Sep; 109(9):1050-5)(PMID: 12269681)

Study #2 (Korea) Reflexology was applied twice a week for 6 weeks. Results: Reflexology  “made a statistically significant difference in climateric symptoms as well as fatigue, total cholesterol …". (Lee YM., “Effects of Foot Reflexology Massage on Climacteric Symptom, Fatigue and Physiologic Parameters of Middle Aged Women,” Journal of Korean Academic Nursing 2006 Jun;18(2):284-292)

Study #3 (China) Reflexology was applied daily for 30 minutes over 60 days. Results: 17 (40.48%) of the women had fully recovered (symptoms disappeared with no relapse at 2 months), 20 (47.62%) had significantly recovered (symptoms disappeared with relapse at 2 months but disappeared with more treatment), 4 (9.25%) had effective results (symptoms relieved);1 had ineffective results. (Sun Jianhua, “Observation on the Therapeutic Effect of 82 Cases of Climacterium Syndrome (menopause) Treated with Reflexotherapy,” 1998 China Reflexology Symposium Report, China Reflexology Association, Beijing, pp. 60-61)

In the meantime try out our ebook free of charge for the next three days, See if it helps. 


Kevin Kunz

Monday, October 18, 2010

Science doesn’t always tell the whole story when it comes to reflexology

Science doesn’t always tell the whole story. Or so it seems when considering reflexology. A recent German study notes that reflexology is among CAM practices that “may not have been covered adequately” by databases “which disseminate relevant resources” to “clinicians, researchers and healthcare professionals as well as the lay public”

Translation: information about existing reflexology research is probably not available—to doctors giving information to patients; to researchers considering reflexology; to other healthcare professionals or to the general public. (See abstracts below.)

On the other hand, reflexology is making strides in the real world when consideration is given to practicality and what works. Consider guidelines for the treatment of endometriosis by the UK’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists with 12,000 members:

“The aim of this guideline is to provide clinicians with up-to-date information about the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis, based upon the best available evidence.The treatment options are examined in the light of presenting symptoms and associated infertility. … “Many women with endometriosis report that nutritional and complementary therapies such as homeopathy, reflexology, traditional Chinese medicine or herbal treatments, do improve pain symptoms. While there is no evidence from randomised controlled trials in endometriosis to support these treatments, they should not be ruled out if the woman feels that they could be beneficial to her overall pain management and/or quality of life, or work in conjunction with more traditional therapies.” “Green-top Guideline No. 24 October 2006” from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
http://www.rcog.org.uk/files/rcog-corp/uploaded-files/GT24InvestigationEndometriosis2006.pdf


Or a similar finding from another source:
“ This is the third Endometriosis Annual Evidence Update. The purpose of the second Evidence Update in March 2008 was to summarise and update the information contained in the guidelines produced by the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists in 2006 and the European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology (ESHRE) in 2005. … “Women may rely on complementary medicine approaches (e.g. homeopathy, reflexology, Traditional Chinese Medicine, herbal treatments). There is no evidence from RCTs to support the use of these therapies in endometriosis but it is generally recommended that they should not be ruled out if the woman feels that they could be beneficial to her overall pain management and/or quality of life, or work in conjunction with more traditional therapies.”:
Stephen Kennedy, Clinical Reader/Head of Department, Nuffield Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Oxford, who is trustee of the World Endometriosis Research Foundation.
http://www.tripdatabase.com/doc/1034940-Is-reflexology-an-effective-intervention--A-systematic-review-of-randomised-controlled-trials


But here seems to be a bias in the system:
“A Study of Databases CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine)”
“…This overview aims at systematically retrieving and describing all databases covering the field of CAM. One of the requirements for inclusion was that the database would also have to be published in a medical journal.… “The databases AMED, CAMbase, EMBASE, and MEDLINE/PubMed were searched between December 2008 and December 2009 for publications relevant to CAM databases. The authors' specialist library was also searched for grey literature to be included.… “Conclusions: Although this overview is quite comprehensive with respect to the field of CAM, certain CAM practices such as chiropractic, massage, reflexology, meditation or yoga may not have been covered adequately. A more detailed assessment of the quality of the included databases might give additional insights into the listed resources. The creation of a personalised meta-search engine is suggested, towards which this overview could be seen as a first step.”
Boehm K, Raak C, Vollmar HC, Ostermann T., “An overview of 45 published database resources for complementary and alternative medicine.” Health Info Libr J. 2010 Jun;27(2):93-105. Center of Integrative Medicine, University of Witten/Herdecke, Gerhard-Kienle-Weg 4, 58313 Herdecke, Germany, drkatjaboehm@gmail.com PMID: 20565550 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20565550)


So are we dealing with a scientific bias about reflexology that is systemic? It seems so particularly with endometriosis. Does that mean people have to suffer until the scientists can get over this bias? Seems like it. 



Kevin Kunz

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Effectiveness of reflexology in treating constipation in women

Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2010 Feb;16(1):41-6. Epub 2009 Sep 9.

A pilot study of the effectiveness of reflexology in treating idiopathic constipation in women.

Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, 57 Waterloo Road, London, UK. sue.woodward@kcl.ac.uk

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Constipation is a common problem in the UK, affecting up to 20% of the population. Reflexologists claim that reflexology can be beneficial in the treatment of constipation. The aim of this exploratory pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of reflexology in treating idiopathic constipation in women and it is the first study of the effectiveness of reflexology for the treatment of women with idiopathic constipation defined according to Rome II criteria.
METHODS: Nineteen female patients referred to a specialist biofeedback service with idiopathic constipation defined by Rome II criteria were recruited. A course of reflexology treatment (weekly for six weeks) was given. Patients' subjective perception of constipation was recorded as well as the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), the Short form 36 (SF36), whole gut transit and the Holistic Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (HCAMQ) before and after the intervention.
RESULTS: All participants completed the intervention and none were lost to follow-up. Ninety-four percent of participants identified their constipation to be improved to some extent. Ten participants had improved colonic transit times and two patients had normalised colonic transit. Ten patients (53%, p=0.19) demonstrated an improved anxiety score and 11 participants (58%, p=0.14) demonstrated an improved depression score on the HAD scales. Improvement was seen in general health, mental health and vitality on the SF36 scale, with vitality improving significantly (p<0.05). Sixty-three percent of participants had a more positive attitude (p=0.03) towards CAM and holistic health following treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that in this sample reflexology has potential benefit for treating idiopathic constipation in women. Further randomised trials are required.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

This off the topic of reflexology but it should make you smile. Understand that these are photos of hot air balloons which have flown over our house. These sightings and the smell of roasting green chili in the air make Fall a wonderful time in Albuquerque.


Kevin Kunz



Tuesday, October 5, 2010

So We Went Forest Bathing...

© ccpeep. Image from BigStockPhoto.com.

My mother-in-law asked me if there were other people around. I guess when you tell someone that you have been "forest bathing" they think you were taking an actual bath of some sort. But "forest bathing" is a Japanese term for getting out in the green landscape to soak up whatever hidden benefits exist out there.

There has always been the sense that being out in nature is good for you. The Japanese have done actual research in this direction finding it is good for a lot of maladies such as diabetes.

So we went forest bathing... and no there weren't any people about as if that mattered. We kept our clothes on anyway.

But I did decide to experiment with taking off my shoes and hiking barefoot as well. It was very interesting. Feet are smarter than you think.

For one thing it is very challenging but not beyond the capability of my feet. On one hand I walk around the house a lot barefooted. It is one of the advantages of a home office. But the forest floor has a lot more variety and challenge than a wood floor.

There are sharp areas of stone that is fragmented and sharp. There are soft areas of beaten down grass and layers of pine needles. And there are broken branches fallen from the trees above.

I didn't like the broken branches. They were pointed at times and too much for me. Also I was able to get sap all over my feet that was very difficult to remove.

Funny enough the sharp stones didn't bother me all that much as I soon learn how to manage them under foot. Your feet really do get smarter the more you do this. Even though I would hit something sharp my foot would reflexively react to soften the contact.

I read a scientific paper on this once. It seems with have a defensive reflex response in our feet to sharp objects.

We had our house re-stuccoed. What happens as they are pounding in the stucco nails is that the workmen occasionally miss and a stucco nail flies out into the yard.

A stucco nail has a flat head like a large washer. After a couple of years laying in the soil the nails become rusted and nasty.

I have step on several of them in my bare feet and never been punctured. My feet would kind of wrap around them cradling them and protecting me from a serious injury.

So hiking through a variety of surfaces there seem to be a constant adjustments. My feet were humming at the end of all this. And my mind and body felt great from all the great forest bathing.

Would I do it again? Most certainly but avoiding those sappy sticks next time.

Would you go "forest bathing'? How about barefooted hiking?


Kevin Kunz