Reflexology - how it works, what it looks like and how you can easily integrate it into your health regimen!

Get your feet to work

Reflexology is a Chinese massage modality that focuses on hands, feet and ears.
By applying pressure to specific areas that correspond to organs of the body, the practitioner stimulates a healing response. A reflexology treatment will create a clear energy flow through the body. It is a relaxing way to heal and repair.

Feet only

At the Balmain Massage Centre, our practitioners focus on the reflex zones of the foot as indicated in the chart (click on it for a larger image):

By massaging the feet the therapist treats the body as a whole. Reflexology is an effective way to target specific organs and structures of the body when treating an ailment, especially when it is not advisable to treat the affected area directly - because of soreness, a healing process in place etc.
It is complementary to a remedial massage and is deeply relaxing.
It also repairs the tissues of the foot, which get a daily battering!
Each foot has:

• 26 bones
• 33 joints
• more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments, and
• a network of blood vessels, nerves, skin and soft tissue.

These components work together to support your body and help you move. Your feet are a very important structure of the human body so it is important to take care of them!

Incorporate reflexology into your massage treatment

The Balmain Massage Centre offers full reflexology treatments ranging from 30 minutes to 90 minutes in length. We also offer split remedial massage / reflexology sessions where only a portion of a treatment is devoted to reflexology.
When wanting a full reflexology treatment to address all systems of the body, a 45 minute to 90 minute session is advisable. The length of treatment depends on the number of conditions you are treating and the depth of treatment.
If addressing a specific ailment, such as lower back pain, splitting time between remedial massage and reflexology during a session may be more effective.

Watch Blaise's video on reflexology - what it is, how it started, what it can do for you:

Blanca’s Health Pick: The Many Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

Condiment, cleaner, health supplement…

Blanca seems to be recommending apple cider vinegar to every client she treats. In fact, she doesn't just recommend drinking it. She suggests that you should wash your hair with it too!

Apple cider vinegar balances PH levels through the body, reducing acidity. Disease cannot thrive in an alkalised environment, thus making ACV a powerful tool for good health.

But the benefits do not end here. It turns out that apple cider vinegar is a simple answer to cleaning, brightening and alkalising just about everything! So adding a splash of apple cider vinegar to your water (or shower) first thing in the morning may not be such a strange idea after all!

Here are a few ways to use apple cider vinegar:

Drinking it – Add a splash of ACV to a water bottle to drink throughout the day. It balances PH, creating an environment where disease cannot thrive. It aids in digestion by stimulating digestive enzymes and neutralising the lining of the digestive tract. It reduces allergy symptoms by drying up mucus and congestion. Several studies have found that vinegar helps lower blood glucose levels, helping individuals with pre-diabetic symptoms and diabetes. It normalises weight and helps to maintain levels of cholesterol already in the normal range. It boosts energy and breaks up the monotony of plain water. You can add ACV to your tea or juice. You can also throw it onto your salads for a lovely dressing!

Hair Rinse - Rinse hair with it after washing for incredible shine and volume! It reduces frizz and stimulates hair growth too!

Skin Care - Use a skin toner by applying a few drops to a cotton ball and rubbing your T-zone and other dry spots to reduce inflammation, clear up acne and exfoliate dry skin.

Flea and Tick Repellent for Animals – A chemical free treatment! Bathe your animal with shampoo, pat dry, and then spray a mix of 3/4 apple cider vinegar to 1/4 warm water all over the coat and massage into the skin. It creates a shiny coat in the same way that it treats human hair! If your cat has accidents in the house – clean the area, then spray ACV to deter your feline from marking the same spot twice. It is an excellent natural horse fly spray and horse hoof care product.

Natural Deoderiser (for body and environment) – It creates a beautiful apple scent when sprayed in the room and can be used as a personal deodorant.

Disinfectant – A natural and nontoxic cleaner. Mix 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar with 1 cup water, and use it as a natural and effective means of wiping down your kitchen and bathroom. Soak your toilet with apple cider vinegar overnight to clean and brighten the bowl.

Teeth Whitening – Rub or brush with ACV to remove stains on teeth.

Relieves Sunburnt Skin – Apply a washcloth soaked in ACV to suburned skin to reduce pain and prevent peeling. Leave washcloth in fridge to create a lovely cooling effect when treating the burn.

Weed Killer - Mix one part apple cider vinegar to eight parts water, and spray on weeds. Apple cider vinegar kills the weeds and leaves the rest of your garden to flourish.

Produce Wash and Soak – Mix 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with 4 litres of water and use to rinse or soak produce to rid it of unwanted pesticides, dirts, etc.

When taking internally….

Some people take two teaspoons a day mixed in a cup of water or juice. You can also add two teaspoons into a your water bottle to enjoy throughout the day. If you need a sweetener, use organic honey, 100% maple syrup, or molasses to taste. If you are diabetic, use the sweet substitute stevia.

Remember to choose an organic, unpasteurised ACV for best results!

Breath in. Slowly, Deeply, Gently. Breathe Out. The Power of Mindfulness...

“Everyday we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognise: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child - our own two eyes. All is a miracle.”  -Thích Nhất Hạnh

Mindfulness is a meditative practice taken from Buddhism that has been adapted by psychotherapists and is a key element of yoga practice. It is a powerful yet simple tool to reduce stress and enjoy a happier life by retraining how you perceive and experience the world around you. No special gadgets needed or fancy appliances to buy - you have all of the tools needed in the present moment. You just need to take a moment to look at them!

Elisha Goldstein explains how to utilise the joys of mindfulness in this fantastic article. We hope you get a lot out of it!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elisha-goldstein-phd/7-things-mindful-people-d_b_5413559.html

5 EASY WAYS TO PREVENT COLDS & FLUS THIS WINTER – STRAIGHT FROM OUR THERAPISTS!

As cold and flu season is upon us, we must take extra measures to stay healthy. Prevention is key!

As therapists who treat many clients daily, boosting our immune system year-round is so important. Here are a few of the healthy habits we have put in place at the centre. We urge you to try a few!

1. BURNING PEPPERMINT, EUCALYPTUS AND CITRUS OILS – BLANCA LOVES HER GRAPEFRUIT!

One of the first things you will notice when arriving to the centre is the pleasant aroma of essential oils. Burning these oils does not just create a lovely smell. They are antiseptics and bactericides that kill airborne bacteria.  Just add a few drops to an oil burner in your home or office for a pleasing aroma that lifts your spirits and keeps you healthy too!

2. WHOLE LEMON SQUEEZED INTO A GLASS OF WATER DAILY & PUSH THOSE FLUIDS!!!

Eric likes to switch this out with a whole orange or grapefruit. Citrus fruit is energising and breaks up the monotony of plain water. We also make sure to have a few glasses of water between each appointment. This adds up at the end of the day!

3. ORGANIC UNPASTEURISED APPLE CIDER VINEGAR –

Rich in a variety of nutrients, including malic acid, which is a strong antiviral. Add a splash of this tonic to a glass of water at least twice daily to gain its many benefits, including a boost in energy levels and immune function. If you have hung around the centre within the past few years, Blanca would have probably offered you a glass or two!

4. REGULAR MASSAGE –

All modalities, especially lymphatic drainage, increase lymphatic flow. Increased circulation allows your immune system to function at optimal level by delivering immune cells faster and flushing stagnated toxins.

5. REGULAR EXERCISE-

Lymphatic flow is dependent on gravity and muscle contraction. Regular exercise increases your circulation.

MAY THIS COLD AND FLU SEASON BE YOUR HEALTHIEST YET!

The amazing MgSO4-7H2O

Let's face it: "MgSO4-7H2O" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Nor, for that matter, does "heptahydrate magnesium sulfate". But if I say "Epsom Salts", everyone knows what I'm talking about.

Everyone? I confess, until today I knew only a couple of things about this amazing natural mineral, which looks like rock salt and is found in many places but firstly in a town called Epsom in Surrey, just 30 km south of London. I knew it was good to soak your tired body in but I didn't know why. I knew it was good for plants because it had magnesium - and that was just about it.
Now I know that we, who live in a big city with a Western lifestyle, mostly suffer from magnesium deficiency - because of several factors including intensive farming which can deplete soil of nutrients, including magnesium. Which cannot be easily absorbed by your intestine but flows easily through the skin - hence the soaking, about 1 cup in the full bathtub.
Note that a hot bath with Epsom salts is not a good idea if you have diabetes or low blood pressure as the warm bath can further reduce your blood pressure. And when you come out of your bath happy, relaxed and freshly re-magnesised (is there such a word? I bet not), you should keep active if you have arthritis - as you know, you should keep those joints moving!

Apparently magnesium helps serotonin work, thefeelgood neurotransmitter the body generates in response to positive events. I'm told Epsom salts can also reduce swelling of a bruised body part, can be used as a natural laxative, is used in the treatment of asthma and even to prevent cerebral palsy in premature babies.

There is a website devoted to it (http://www.epsomsaltsoakbath.com/#), although more complete information can be found on several medical websites.

Curious about what a massage actually does for your muscles? A recent study proves that massage is the most effective way to reduce muscular pain and promote cell recovery.

“With massage, you can have your cake and eat it too—massage can suppress inflammation and actually enhance cell recovery.”

This is the first in depth study of its kind shows how the benefits of massage far outweighs taking pain killers to resolve muscle pain.

How Massage Heals Sore Muscles

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

 FEBRUARY 6, 2012, 12:01 AM

Barbara P. Fernandez for The New York TimesResearchers are learning how massage soothes aching muscles.

A massage after vigorous exercise unquestionably feels good, and it seems to reduce pain and help muscles recover. Many people — both athletes and health professionals – have long contended it eases inflammation, improves blood flow and reduces muscle tightness. But until now no one has understood why massage has this apparently beneficial effect.

Now researchers have found what happens to muscles when a masseur goes to work on them.

Their experiment required having people exercise to exhaustion and undergo five incisions in their legs in order to obtain muscle tissue for analysis. Despite the hurdles, the scientists still managed to find 11 brave young male volunteers. The study was published in the Feb. 1 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

On a first visit, they biopsied one leg of each subject at rest. At a second session, they had them vigorously exercise on a stationary bicycle for more than an hour until they could go no further. Then they massaged one thigh of each subject for 10 minutes, leaving the other to recover on its own. Immediately after the massage, they biopsied the thigh muscle in each leg again. After allowing another two-and-a-half hours of rest, they did a third biopsy to track the process of muscle injury and repair.

Vigorous exercise causes tiny tears in muscle fibers, leading to an immune reaction — inflammation — as the body gets to work repairing the injured cells. So the researchers screened the tissue from the massaged and unmassaged legs to compare their repair processes, and find out what difference massage would make.

They found that massage reduced the production of compounds called cytokines, which play a critical role in inflammation. Massage also stimulated mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses inside cells that convert glucose into the energy essential for cell function and repair. “The bottom line is that there appears to be a suppression of pathways in inflammation and an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis,” helping the muscle adapt to the demands of increased exercise, said the senior author, Dr. Mark A. Tarnopolsky.

Dr. Tarnopolsky, a professor of pediatrics and medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, said that massage works quite differently from Nsaids and other anti-inflammatory drugs, which reduce inflammation and pain but may actually retard healing. Many people, for instance, pop an aspirin or Aleve at the first sign of muscle soreness. “There’s some theoretical concern that there is a maladaptive response in the long run if you’re constantly suppressing inflammation with drugs,” he said. “With massage, you can have your cake and eat it too—massage can suppress inflammation and actually enhance cell recovery.”

“This is important research, because it is the first to show that massage can reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines which may be involved in pain,” said Tiffany Field, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami Medical School. She was not involved in the study. “We have known from many studies that pain can be reduced by massage based on self-report, but this is the first demonstration that the pain-related pro-inflammatory cytokines can be reduced.” she said.

Getting a massage from a professional masseur is obviously more expensive than taking an aspirin. But, as Dr. Field points out, massage techniques can be taught. “People within families can learn to massage each other,” she said. “If you can teach parents to massage kids, couples to massage each other. This can be cost effective.”

Dr. Tarnopolsky suggests that, in the long run, a professional massage may even be a better bargain than a pill. “If someone says “This is free and it might make you feel better, but it may slow down your recovery, do you still want it?” he asked. “Or would you rather spend the 50 bucks for a post-exercise massage that also might enhance your recovery?”

Recent studies prove that massage has a greater range of longterm benefits!

We all know that massage is deeply relaxing and instantly reduces stress... but could massage have a more profound effect on the body? This article, published April 19, 2014 in the Huffington Post, looks at a number of recent studies that prove massage yields many more benefits than we once thought. From inducing deeper sleep to boosting immunity and brainpower, these studies show that massage ticks all of the boxes!

So, just in case you needed anymore reasons to get onto that massage table... check out what other benefits you could be gaining from a massage!!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/19/massage-benefits_n_5173939.html