Do you suffer from headaches that you would like to treat without having to resort to medication? If so, keep reading, as reflexology might be just what you need!
What is a Headache?
A headache is “pain or discomfort in the head. It can occur on one or both sides of the head, be isolated to a certain location, or radiate across the head.”
What are the causes?
Some of the causes can be stress, food sensitivities, tension in the jaw, changes in sleep/lack of sleep, sinuses, allergies, eye strain, poor posture, or skipped meals.
What is Reflexology?
Reflexology has been practiced for over 4,000 years with proof in a tomb of an Egyptian Doctor. There is a pictograph of foot and hand reflexology being performed.
There are over 7,000 nerve endings on each foot that correspond to every organ, gland, muscle, and nerve. When these nerve endings are stimulated, it is believed that there is a release in any blocked energy, circulation is increased, and muscles are relaxed which assists with healing. It is like a ‘tune up’ to your body to get all systems in balance.
Reflexology can be performed on the feet, hands, ears or face.
In the case of headaches, the aim of reflexology is to:
-release any muscle tension in the head, neck, shoulders or spine
-improve circulation to all areas of the body
-reduce stress and tension,
-improve nerve function
In a 60-minute Reflexology treatment, I have had feedback 99% of the time the headaches are gone after the treatment. Sometimes, even after a few minutes!
Reflexology is so relaxing, that often the source of the tension is released. Working the reflexes of the endocrine system which affects the hormones, is another important part in balancing the body.
Clients have commented that they feel so relaxed, but also notice feeling better circulation and more energy.
Pressure point LI-4, also called Hegu, is located between the base of your thumb and index finger. Doing acupressure on this point relieves pain and headaches. This point is very helpful in dealing with a variety of health issues.
The big toe is the starting point in treating headaches. Massage the whole toe-front, back, inside and outside.
The big toe has reflexes that correspond to the pituitary(the master gland), and thyroid glands. These help to regulate the body.
The purple line is the diaphragm which can really tighten up with stress and shallow breathing. The green dot is the solar plexus which is a group of nerves that tend to hold a lot of tension and stress. This is a ‘magic button’ in releasing stress.