Reflexology Offers a Non-Invasive Option for Easing Aches

Reflexology is a type of energy medicine based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The non-invasive complementary therapy involves applying therapeutic pressure to reflex points on the feet and hands. According to the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, the TCM principle behind reflexology is that the reflex, or pressure points, correspond to different organs throughout the entire body, and that “through the feet the entire body can be balanced and harmonized”. (upmc.com/services/ integrative-medicine/services/reflexology)

By stimulating these areas, a reflexologist can help the body relax, which may ease aches and pains in the back, neck, legs, shoulders and feet. A clinical study published in 2020 in The Journal of Clinical Hypertension found foot reflexology to be helpful in reducing the heart rates of people with stage 2 hypertension. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC8029572)

Source: Renewed You Reflexology, 6789 N. Green Bay Rd., Ste. U4, Glendale. For more information, call 414-852-7870, email RenewedYouReflexology@gmail.com or visit Renewed-You-Reflexology.square.site. See listing on page 46.

A new study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science has found that a person’s close relationships may either benefit or undermine physical health. The three-week study involving 4,005 participants looked at how both positive and negative relationship experiences affect the body, and how daily fluctuations in those interactions may influence changes in well-being, as reflected in self-reported stress levels and coping abilities, as well as blood pressure and heart rate reactivity biomarkers.

The researchers observed that people with more positive experiences and fewer negative ones reported lower stress, improved coping skills and better physical functioning. They also noted that ups and downs in negative relationships were especially predictive of outcomes like stress, coping and overall systolic blood pressure.