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A MESSAGE FROM YOUR BOARD
Dear RAC Members,
California was represented at the recent Reflexology Association of America (RAA) conference in Ankorage, Alaska thanks to the efforts of Christine Issel and Cheryl Boerger. Cheryl put together raffle items that included a RAC mug. Congratulations are in order to Cheryl, who will now be representing the unaffiliated states. The Board is putting in place action towards California's re-affiliation with RAA. Members are encouraged to increase their hours to match the RAA membership requirements, so that RAC can re-affiliate. To find out more about the RAA Conference, read Julia Dollinger's report in this issue.
Christine Issel has shared a wonderful article in this month's newsletter, about Reflexology finally being listed in the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) Website. This is a small (but BIG) step in spreading accurate knowledge about Reflexology to the public.
This May issue filled with great articles. Remember, you can view past newsletters in our newly designed RAC Website. Share the newsletters and help RAC membership grow. We are grateful for your continued support as we continue our efforts to strengthen RAC. Sincerely, President Board of Directors
Reflexology Association of California
rac_president@yahoo.com |
The New Frontier in Reflexology
RAA 2016 Biennial Conference
Anchorage, Alaska
Report by Julia Dollinger
The New Frontier in Reflexology was truly that. Alaska was a long way to travel for some, but to be honest I feel fortunate to have made the long distance trip from Florida for such an awesome, organized, fun-filled conference. Those who may not know the tag line came from Virginia Farwell. Virginia was well known and very active in the reflexology community in the USA and an ICR member as well. She passed away last year at the age of 52. We honored her memory with a moment of silence. I am sure Virginia was looking down on us and pleased to think we used her suggestion as the theme. The conference was begun with a native prayer to the four directions: east, north, west and south, blessing us in all the directions that we had traveled from. Mia Earl, RAA President opened the conference, and to put it mildly, it was a packed-filled three days. The first day of the conference started with Christine Issel's topic (Subtle) Energy: The New Frontier in Reflexology. Christine talked about the fundamental energy of the body found within the subtle (non physical) systems of the body. She spoke about the history of energy, scientifically, its history within reflexology, and on a practical level, how it works systemically on the body through reflexology. She addressed the subtle energy fields of, and surrounding, the body through illustrations from the work of her daughter showing how reflexology changes in a person's aura and body. This demonstrated the importance of our touch and the dynamics of healing on the physical and subtle energy fields. The second talk of the day was by Alison Rippin, of Canada whose topic was The New Frontier In Business: Golden Strategies for a Successful Reflexology Business." Read full report
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Traditional Chinese Medicine
As Reflexologists involved in the field of holistic and natural, alternative therapies, it is important to keep informed about other types of natural remedies available to the public.
The article below is an excerpt from the website of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) originated in ancient China and has evolved over thousands of years. TCM practitioners use herbal medicines and various mind and body practices, such as acupuncture and tai chi, to treat or prevent health problems. In the United States, people use TCM primarily as a complementary health approach. This fact sheet provides a general overview of TCM and suggests sources for additional information. Acupuncture is generally considered safe when performed by an experienced practitioner using sterile needles. Improperly performed acupuncture can cause potentially serious side effects.
Some Chinese herbal products may be safe, but others may not be. There have been reports of products being contaminated with drugs, toxins, or heavy metals or not containing the listed ingredients. Some of the herbs used in Chinese medicine can interact with drugs, can have serious side effects, or may be unsafe for people with certain medical conditions. For example, the Chinese herb ephedra (ma huang) has been linked to serious health complications, including heart attack and stroke. In 2004, the FDA banned the sale of ephedra-containing dietary supplements, but the ban does not apply to TCM remedies. |
Reflexology finally listed
on the NIH NCCIH Website
By Christine Issel
On February 5th, Kim Jenner and Iris Aharonovich, both of Maryland and directors of the Reflexology Association of America (RAA), attended a meeting at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) headquarters in Silver Springs, Maryland. They addressed nearly 100 people in the audience.
Reports Kim, "Iris (originally from Israel where the reflexology training is 3 years long), in terrific English, lead off asking if they had heard of reflexology most nodded their heads. Then she asked if it was with a professional reflexologist. Not so much response to this question. She then gave a quick, basic definition of reflexology. Then it was my turn. I said we were a perfect fit for their new emphasis on mind/body connections (they had just listed out their tentative strategic plans for this year on what they wanted to fund) and hoped that they would keep us in mind when they threw words like yoga, meditation and reiki around that we would like them to remember reflexology in with those kinds of practices.
"Then I asked to have a listing under Relaxation Techniques on their website. The woman leading the meeting said she would have the appropriate people contact us but it seemed that that was definitely possible. Then the Council members basically dashed out of the room. (It was 3:28 when we got to talk and the meeting was over at 3:30!)
"Afterwards two women approached us saying they were in charge of the Office of Communications. The lead woman gave us her card and said there would be no problem adding us but that they didn't add organizations as a whole. We corrected what our request was that reflexology be listed under Relaxation Techniques on NIH website, not RAA. They both assured us that yes this was definitely possible."
Now fast-forward a couple of months. The day before the RAA conference in Anchorage the NIH NCCIH website was checked. While it was great to see reflexology finally listed (we've only been trying for over 6 years) the first sentence read: "Reflexology, a form of foot massage..." Julia Dollinger instantly made a very irate call to NIH stating she was calling from the national reflexology conference in Alaska and expressed the participants' displeasure at seeing reflexology referred to as foot massage. Early the next morning when the site was checked we discovered the edit had been made. The new NCCIH listing of reflexology was shown at the conference.
While just getting reflexology on the website was huge, we aren't finished yet. Upon returning home Julia notified NIH there is one continuing problem and that is the photo in use, stating, "The photo is misleading to the public. Reflexologists in the USA do not use a stick, only their hands. If you have problems finding such a photo perhaps we can be of assistance."
We are grateful to all the reflexologists and public working together who contacted NIH to request a listing for reflexology. This kind of action is what will eventually gain recognition for reflexology that it so richly deserves.
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AYURVEDIC REFLEXOLOGY TECHNIQUES
By Sharon Stathis, RN
Australia
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| | Ayurvedic Reflexology Techniques |
Sharon Stathis is an international educator, author and holistic health practitioner based in Brisbane, Australia. Sharon is co-director of Feel-good Health Services with her psychologist husband Richard Rigby.
Sharon created the concept of Ayurvedic Reflexology in 2003 and is a Charter member of the International Council of Reflexologists.
Within India the feet have a special significance. "In India, people touch the feet of elders to obtain their blessings and to receive the loving energy transmitted through their feet. Scriptural verses praise the lotus feet of the guru; meditation of the guru's feet is said to being peace and destroy all sin." (Johari, H. Ayurvedic Massage, Healing Arts Press, Vermont USA, 1996, pg. 49-50)
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Excellence
Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high
intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skillful execution,
and the vision to see obstacles as opportunities. Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence.
~Anonymous
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