Reflexology for winter

As the world descends into winter the leaves become a cascade of colours. Reds, browns and purples rain down from above. The winds cool and cause us to huddle closer to our loved ones. The early nights mean twinkling lights and warm drinks. The colder it gets the more magical the world seems as Jack Frost coats our surroundings in sparkling ice. Hats, gloves and thick woolly socks are a must but even the chunkiest hat can’t keep the colds, flu and other winter symptoms away!

The beginning of the school term marks the beginning of fighting off colds, flu and bugs. On average adults suffer between 2 to 4 colds a year with women seeming to be more susceptible and children can suffer as many as 8! [1](Although it seems like much more, I swear my nearly 2 year old is just one continuous snot monster from September to March.) There are over 200 different strains of cold and our bodies are constantly working to fend these off until we become run down and our bodies don’t have what it needs to fight, we get sick.

Winter also affects our mood. It’s somewhat to do with the lack of sunlight; less sun means less serotonin and less of that feel good factor. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that affects people between September and April, peaking in December, January & February. 1 in 15 people will suffer with SAD this winter [2] and others will experience what’s known as ‘the winter blues’. Statistically speaking you, yourself will suffer or you will know someone who does. Being down in the dumps is a bummer, for sure.

The cold season can mean low energy and can mess with our digestive system too as we move into the festive period which includes a lot of festive drinking and a lot of rich food. Not to mention the constant running around from work to school to crèche to football practice and so on. Naturally we get run down. We get sick, the whole house gets sick, then you get sick again and the whole thing trundles on with a heck load of doctors bills to top it off.

What can we do to strengthen ourselves through the winter months? A lot actually! Eat well, exercise, take supplements blah blah blah but what I’m going to discuss today is little gem of a treatment; Reflexology.

Reflexology is a non invasive treatment working reflexes in the feet to target the whole body. It’s what I call ‘an internal treatment’ meaning that it’s incredible for treating issues running on the inside of our bodies; digestive issues, insomnia, hormonal imbalances and so on, but first and foremost reflexology is a powerful treatment for strengthening your immune system. This ancient art is believed to be able to stimulate, balance and strengthen your immune system by targeting your lymphoid organs through the reflexes found in your feet and hands. A naturally stronger immune system means less time out of work and school and less trips to the Doctor.

There has been a lot of research done on the effects reflexology has on depression, anxiety and stress too. A 2005 study published researched just that; the effects of self reflexology on depression rates, stress response and immune system. The test subjects were middle aged women and “these results suggest that a self-foot reflexology massage could be utilized as an effective nursing intervention to reduce depression and stress responses, and to strengthen immune systems in middle-aged women.”[3] Every single one of the test subjects showed a positive reaction to the self treatment, so can you.

Reflexology can boost your immune system and help with depression, anxiety, stress and ‘winter blues’. It can help digestive problems and bring the body into balance so that everything runs smoothly. It can improve your quality of sleep and increase your energy levels at the same time. It can balance hormonal issues and help with menstrual and fertility issues. Reflexology is the perfect winter treatment.

And simply taking scheduled time out for yourself can give you the boost you need. Everybody needs to recharge and this is the perfect way to do it; lie back and breathe deep. As I always say, you can not pour from an empty cup. You need to refuel or you risk burn out. While you’re lying in bed you’ll be worrying about the tasks waiting for you at work and the likelihood is you’ll still try to get work done from your sickbed! For stay at home parents the struggle is real! The likelihood is even when you’re sick the kids will still need you, the chores will still need to be done and the dinner will still need to be made. Look after yourself so you can take care of what’s important to you.

To really reap the benefits of this treatment you need to be getting a treatment once a week for 6 weeks and then once a month or bimonthly after that. The fortunate thing is that you can claim the cost of your treatment back on your health insurance so it’s a win-win for everybody involved!

Time to kick winter in the kahoonas!

[1] hse.ie

[2] mentalhealthireland.ie

[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16520577