Reflexology and the benefits with fertility, pregnancy and beyond
“The holistic aim is to stimulate the body’s own natural balance and to heal from within”
When I was young, I often visited my Grandmother. On many occasions, especially in winter, I had a cold or sore throat. My grandmother was a great believer in natural remedies and no sooner had I told her I was not well, she would have me gargling tea tree oil and sucking a small piece of ginger (ginger helps remove toxins from the body) Straight away, it had a soothing effect on my throat and I soon learnt that Tea Tree Oil is an antiseptic and used in many lotions today.
I was extremely intrigued as to how my grandmother would have a natural remedy to practically every aliment, from swollen glands to swollen ankles. Today we call this alternative medicine. Many years ago, alternative medicine, or complimentary therapists, such as homeopaths, acupunctures or chiropractors, were regarded as ‘back street quacks’. People did not welcome the idea of Holistic Therapy and would be ridiculed for taking any interest in it.
However, today many people are welcoming a change. Due to the amount of information now available, mainly on the internet, people are doing a lot more research into alternative medicine, rather than just accepting prescription after prescription for medication. The holistic approach aims to treat the whole person and takes into account the symptoms of the illness. It also tries to find out the causes, knowing any imbalance in a person’s mental, physical or spiritual life can contribute to ill health.
If a person decides to have complimentary therapies there are many to choose from. These include aromatherapy, acupuncture and reflexology, which I specialise in, just to name a few. These therapies all have a different approach, but all have one thing in common and that is that they treat the whole person. Mind, Body and Soul.
Today, more and more people are desperately trying to seek alternatives to surgery and drugs. Unfortunately, sometimes people feel like this route is unavoidable particularly when it comes to fertility and trying to conceive. Whilst completing my reflexology course, I took a keen interest in women’s health. For those who might not know what reflexology is, it is a massage like treatment that is carried out on the patient’s feet.
The theory behind it is that there are reflex points on the feet linked to every part of the body. Over the years I, personally, have had many success stories when offering reflexology to women who have had fertility issues, most of which have been trying to conceive for a long period of time. Every woman I am able to help makes me extremely happy and I just love receiving texts from patients telling me that they are pregnant!
During the sessions, women naturally relax while I try to regulate their hormones by zoning in on particular pressure points on their feet. Often, at this point the women who visit me are in a stressful state of mind due to them being unable to conceive, so watching them unwind and release the tension they are holding is a great achievement.
Women can also visit whilst they are pregnant, as long as they are having a low risk pregnancy, to help with any ailments they may have such as back pain. A perfect time for expectant mums to have a reflexology session is when they are very close to their due date or in fact overdue. Again, I have had many success stories where women have gone into labour shortly after their session and have given birth with little to no pain relief! Once the baby has been born women tend not to have as much spare time but attending reflexology during the 4th trimester is a great way of looking after their physical and mental health, and is something I would really recommend.
In my opinion people everywhere have had enough of being ill and want to find alternative ways of healing themselves. Perhaps the time has come for more doctors and complimentary practitioners to work side by side and offer integrated medicine.
Whatever happens I believe complimentary medicine is here to stay and if my Grandmother was alive today, I am sure she would be saying ‘I told you so’.
Paula Kane - Qualified Reflexologist specialising in Women’s Health. 20 + years experience.
