IRANIAN STUDIES: Reflexology provides pain relief for pregnant women!

Reflexology is known as an alternative medicine involving ‘zone therapy’, which implicates the physical act of applying pressure to the feet, hands, or ears with specific thumb, finger, and hand techniques without the use of oil or lotion. Last year a study from Iran has pointed out that reflexology can produce significant results for women regarding pain intensity and the duration of labor in primiparous (women who are pregnant for the first time).

Likewise results for pregnant women had been reported from Iran in 2010.

However… it is important to be aware that there is no consensus among reflexologists on how reflexology is supposed to work; a unifying theme is the idea that areas on the foot correspond to areas of the foot, hand and ear, and that by manipulating these one can improve health through one’s qi.

Therefore it could be very well possible that these findings result from the same ‘human touch’ principles that are being used in haptonomy.

(A few more detailed hand reflexology charts are available in the article: ‘Key-elements of a hand reflexology chart‘)

VALENTINE’S DAY – Give your love a hand massage!

A Valentine’s Day gift idea: surprize your love a hand-massage! Trouble is, massage, as simple as it sounds, can be fraught with expectation. How to get it just right for your Valentine love? Massage therapist Rekha Von Ehren provided easy reflexology massage tips, and you can learn them by heart today! VALENTINE MASSAGE TIP 1: Be inconsistent. Touch your partner with your fingertips, knuckles, elbows, the full palm and the heel of your palm. Likewise, while touching, use a variety of strokes – from deep rubbing and kneading to tickling and light scratching. And feel free to lean in close, using your body weight to add force. VALENTINE MASSAGE TIP 2: Reflexology says that the hands and feet are microcosms of the body. When tenderly caressed, hands and feet can signal the interior of the body. So, in theory, you can touch a person’s heart by massaging the ball of the left foot, or tap into your beloved’s brain by massaging the big toes. VALENTINE MASSAGE TIP 3: Hands, full of nerve endings, are incredibly sensitive. So massage each finger along the joint to the tip with your fingertips or, perhaps, lips and mouth. MORE ABOUT PALM THERAPY & HAND REFLEXOLOGY : Valentine’s Day idea: give your love a massage! The benefits of hand & foot reflexology! The basics of palm therapy & reflexology!

DOCTOR FISH HAND PEDICURE – Gara Rufa fishes eat death skin from human hands!

 In 1988 a very unusual hand therapy became available at various Spa centers in the world, named: ‘Doctor fish’. Doctor fish are a species called Garra Rufa (and Cyprinion Macrostomus) – which originate in pools near two small Turkish towns, Kangal and Sivas. In non-medical contexts, Garra rufa is called the reddish log sucker. They have long been known for their ability to treat the symptoms of skin conditions, especially: psoriasis!

“Doctor fish” – so named for their ability to produce healthy, glowing results from even the most crusty or diseased epidermis – are the key ingredient in a spa and skin treatment becoming increasingly popular across Turkey, Japan, China, Europe and the US.

The idea is that you immerse your hands, feet, or, if you are brave enough, your entire body in a warm pool that swarms with hundreds of hungry minnow-sized feeders. The fish zoom in on your most crusty, flaky or scabby skin and chomp away at it to reveal the fresh layer beneath. According to the spas and their enthusiasts, you emerge refreshed, healthy, buffed and glowing.

SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER READING:
• Let’s shake hands with the hand fish!
• Into the hands of ‘Paul the Octopus’!
• The mystery of the five fingers!
• Five things that your 5 fingers can tell you!
• The difference between the human hand & the hands of primates!

OCTOBER 15 – Did you miss the ‘Global HandWashing Day’ as well?

The driving theme for Global Handwashing Day is children and schools, and the main objectives of this global celebration are: • Foster & support global culture of handwashing with soap. • Shine a light on state of handwashing in each country. • Raise awareness about benefits of handwashing with soap. Read more at: GlobalHandWashingDay.org and remember: Handwashing & Hand Hygiene is the major prevention against swine flu! A funny recommendation: “Wash your hands with hands!” A few more important reminders in the perspective of the current H1N1 swine flue pandemic are: • Don’t think that you can wash your hands properly without using soap! • Don’t think that a hand sanitizer is meant to replace handwashing! • The best way to make sure your hands are clean is to wash them for twenty seconds several times a day! MORE DETAILS AVAILABLE AT: • Hands on ‘hand hygiene’! • Swine flu prevention is a matter of ‘hand hygiene’! • Hand Hygiene: warm air dryers increase bacteria on hands! • More hand hygiene news!

SURVEY: Swine flu doesn’t change hand washing habits!

Hands on hand hygiene: how good is your hand washing habit? A new US survey has indicated that despite the swine flu, many people haven’t changed their washing hands habits. Did you try to improve your hand washing habit? The survey was conducted online July 28-31 and involved 1,020 American adults across the country aged 18 to 65. Jon Dommisse, director of marketing and product development at Bradley Corporation (conductor of the survey) said: “…they wash their hands no more or less frequently. We found the response to the H1N1 question extremely surprising, especially since the medical community has said over and over that hand washing is the best defense against the spread of cold and flu viruses.” Overall, 87 percent of respondents said they did wash their hands after using public lavatories, but other responses indicated that some may have exaggerated how often they actually did the job correctly. When asked if they had also used soap, the numbers declined only slightly, to 86 percent; yet 55 percent of the group admitted on occasion they’ve simply rinsed, without using soap. Just remember… THE U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION SAYS … HAND WASHING IS CRITICAL IN PREVENTING ILLNESS!!! Only a few days ago a few more swine flu facts were described by World Health Organisation Director General Margaret Chan in an interview: “…This virus [H1N1 influenza A] travels at an unbelievable, almost unheard of speed. In six weeks it travels the same distance that other viruses take six months to cover. … Sixty percent of the deaths cover those who have underlying health problems. This means that 40 percent of the fatalities concern young adults – in good health – who die of a viral fever in five to seven days. This is the most worrying fact, up to 30 percent of people in densely populated countries risked getting infected …While 90 percent of severe and fatal cases occur in people aged above 65 in seasonal flu, most of those who die from swine flu are under the age of 50.” MORE DETAILS AVAILABLE AT: • Hands on ‘hand hygiene’! • Swine flu prevention is a matter of ‘hand hygiene’! • Hand Hygiene: warm air dryers increase bacteria on hands! • More hand hygiene news!

Health warning: why hand sanitizers may increase risk of swine flu exposure!

Recently Q-Based Healthcare, a producer of non-alcohol-based hand sanitizers, warned: ‘alcoholic hand sanitizers increase risk of swine flu exposure’. Why can many hand sanitizers (such as the popular Dettol) cause more health problems than they prevent? Recent news reports indicate that retail stores are seeing a dangerous reduction in the inventory levels of hand sanitizer. As more people become concerned and flock to the stores to stock up on alcohol-based hand sanitizers, a bigger crisis is being created. Did you know that alcohol-based sanitizers work by stripping away residue from the hands, and unfortunately that includes the natural oils produced by our body? Most hand wipes and liquid hand sanitizers are alcohol based (or petroleum). The problem with these products is that Alcohol dries the skin causing cracks – creating an opening which provides a direct pathway for disease to the human bloodstream. That’s why the use of hand sanitizers may actually worsen the current major global health threat: the mexican flu (a.k.a. the swine flu)! When a hand sanitizer includes an alcohol or a petroleum by-product, that hand wash also presents a real possibility for toxic exposure, whether it includes organic ingredients or not! Source: PR Web SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING: • Hand Hygiene: Warm Air Dryers increase Bacteria on Hands! • What are the missing spots during hand washing? How to use hand sanitizers properly?

Combining palm therapy, reflexogy & acupressure: ‘the Amazing Headache-Break Handshake’!

DO YOU KNOW that there is a spot on both of your hands which has been rubbed for thousands for years, bringing notable relief to headaches? According ancient Chinese medicine, this spot corresponds to the adrenal glands; clearing blockages from the adrenal glands’ energy circuit will likely bringing life force and vitality to your often ‘overworked treasures’. The big mystery is that various alternative therapies – like for example: palm therapy, hand reflexology, and acupressure – provide various explanations for why this ultimate ‘self-handshaking’ works! Olivia Rosewood (author of spiritual literature) says: “To give yourself a break from a headache or even just a bit more zip in your doo-da, find the most tender spot between your thumb and forefinger. Use your other thumb and forefinger to pinch this spot from the top and palm of your hand, the way you might pinch a penny should there be a world-wide financial crisis. Take a few deep breaths, and release this spot when you have an indication that you have unblocked this energy point: usually your pain subsides.” Source: The Huffington Post