Embracing the Orient
Reflexology Foot Chart
As a western trained physician who is very methodical in his scientific thinking, I have always been skeptical of “Oriental medicine”. Now that I have opened a spa that focuses on marrying the best from the East and the West, I have gradually loosened my narrow grip on my perceived reality. I have tried in the past to view my wellness concept to be broader than what we know in the West. However, naturopathic doctors and holistic doctors shun coming anywhere near an Occidental physician and vice versa. Fortunately, I was able to find the best of both worlds by having western-trained M.D.s who embrace naturopathic components in my anti-aging and vitality center.
As part of my weekly spa ritual, I really have been exploring the best of what the East has to offer. The thing that I really love now is reflexology. The idea of reflexology for the uninitiate is using pressure points on the foot to relieve bodily ailments that corresponds to nerves that are across the foot. Whenever I get a certain area touched that hurts on my foot, I start to realize how accurate the correlation is to the body part that aches for me. If anything, I get a great foot massage in the process! Even when I was in a hurry at the airport, I got a reflexology treatment over my standard shoulder and hand massage (which is part of reflexology too since the hands and ears can represent part of the body as well.)
I think it could be dangerous to substitute reflexology for treating serious medical conditions but I think it is a great stress reliever and I do believe that it is helping me balance out parts of my body that are not in alignment. I also tried a Shirodhara treatment which is part of Ayurvedic therapy in my spa, which involves dripping oil in different patterns across your forehead to open your “third eye”. Although I don’t know if the touted medicinal values can be of certain benefit to you, I do enjoy the treatment as a relaxing part of a spa experience. Okay, so I don’t believe everything just yet.
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