Frequently Asked Questions
Why Acupressure and Reflexology?
Many benefits can be derived from Acupressure and Reflexology.
First and foremost, you will feel better after just the first session! You will feel more in tune with your body. Your overall health will improve. You will be more relaxed and rejuvenated. You will begin to feel and look better.
What is Acupressure?
Acupressure is an ancient healing art that entails using an object (generally the hands or arms) to stimulate specific key points of the body with the goal of relieving pain or discomfort. Pain and discomfort are considered to be signs of energy imbalance, which, if left in this state, will become illness and disease.
Acupressure approaches this energy imbalance in a concrete way through the identification of acupoints. Acupoints are located on meridians, or channels that run throughout the body and connect all parts of the body together. By addressing problems or imbalances at the acupoints, you can balance the flow of energy and thereby reduce or eliminate pain in the affected areas.
On the right is a chart that illustrates the acupoints on the back.Acupressure uses the fingers, hands and arms to apply pressure to these points, unlike acupuncture, which uses needles on the same points.
What is Qi?
In order to understand acupressure, it is important to understand what "Qi" is. Qi (pronounced "chee") can be described as vital force that sustains all life. It’s a substance that acts through matter, binding molecules together, organizing them into form, and holding form together. At the same time, it’s a force that enlivens and activates the form it organizes. Acupressure is used to help the proper flow of Qi throughout the body. Qi keeps you healthy. When Qi is flowing unrestricted through your body, it harmonizes all organs and optimizes body functioning.
What is Yin / Yang?
Also important in the understanding of acupressure is the concept of yin and yang. To the right is the yin/yang symbol of balance and harmony.
Yin and yang are the two opposing forces of the universe. Although they are opposites, they are different halves of the same whole. You cannot have one without the other. Light and darkness, day and night.
The qualities of yin are considered to be feminine, and the qualities of yang are considered to be masculine. Yin and yang exist only in relation to each other; nothing is yin or yang all by itself.
Some qualities of yin are: Cold, dark, night, earth, incubation, moon, rest, contraction, soft, deficient, empty, matter, nurturing, calm.
Some qualities of yang are: Hot, light, day, heaven, creation, sun, activity, expansion, lard, excessive, full, energy, defensive, passionate.Health is the dynamic balance between yin and yang forces in the body. In acupressure, the practitioner applies pressure to the various acupoints in order to bring about this balance.
What is Reflexology?
Reflexology is a system of healing based on balancing energy by stimulating areas in the feet and hands that relate to organs, glands, and parts of the body. Reflexology is similar to acupressure in basic principle, but the two have some differences as well.
On the right is a diagram of the parts of the foot that are related to various organs, glands and body parts.
Both reflexology and acupressure correct imbalances in the energy force by focusing on specific areas of the body where they pinpoint and affect that imbalance. Although acupressure involves meridians and acupoints, reflexology relies on pathways called reflex zones, which contain reflex areas located on the hands and feet.
The reflex areas are essentially holograms of the whole body; therefore, stimulating the hands and feet affects the whole body. By applying pressure to specific reflex points, you adjust the flow of energy and can create a positive response in a corresponding location elsewhere in the body.
Before a reflexology session, the feet are often soaked in various herbs, which are used to also affect certain imbalances in the body.
What are some Uses and Benefits of Acupressure?
One of the tools sometimes used in acupressure is a gua sha, made of water buffalo horn, which is believed to have healing properties. The gua sha helps circulation, in order to achieve detoxification.
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Friends, please take care of your feet...they are the roots of your life!
Chinese Herbal Foot Care Tree roots are very important. When they have dried up they affect the entire tree. Our feet are like our roots. We must take good care of them if we wish our bodies to be healthy.
Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM) believes that various diseases come from the cold. The cold is carried from our feet to the rest of our bodies.
During the winter, traditional Chinese herbal foot bath and reflexology are especially helpful to maintain the health of the kidneys. Soaking the feet is better than consuming medicinal drugs.TCM foot bath using hot water and herbs, promotes the penetration of the herbal medicine into the body through the feet up to all the body meridians. There are no adverse reactions, as might be present with the consumption of drugs. We address customers' different needs, then prepare the appropriate traditional Chinese herbal foot bath to be used in a 30 minute foot soak, followed by 30 minutes of foot reflexology, which will stimulate the effectiveness of the herbs.
The TCM foot bath is believed to improve blood circulation, promote metabolism, regulate the nervous system, thereby improving sleep, prevention of various vascular diseases, diabetes control, adjust blood pressure and blood lipid, prevent elderly rheumatoid arthritis, as well as promoting beauty and weight control.Those with diabetes, constipation, enuresis in children, nerve weakness, irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, menopause syndrome, scoliosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, cold feet syndrome, as well as those who suffer from the after effects of stroke may also find this helpful in encouraging recuperation. There also is believed to be a certain anti-aging effect!
We encourage our clients to take advantage of the full range of techniques offered. It is our hope that you will come away feeling not only relaxed, but refreshed and on the way to better health of body, mind, and spirit.
What is Far Infrared therapy (FIR)
and what does it do?
Far Infrared Rays are waves of energy, totally invisible to the naked eye, capable of penetrating deep into the human body, where they gently elevate the body's surface temperature and activate major bodily functions.
Benefits:
1) Far Infrared expands capillaries which stimulates increased blood flow, regeneration, circulation and oxygenation.
2) Far Infrared is excellent for detox. Scientists in Japan report that in the FIR treatment of clogged capillary vessels, heat expands the capillaries and then initiates the start of a process to dissolve hidden toxins. Far Infrared thereby promotes elimination of fats, chemicals and toxins from the blood: Poisons, carcinogenic heavy metals - toxic substances from food processing - lactic acid, free fatty acids, and subcutaneous fat associated with aging and fatigue - excess sodium associated with hypertension - and uric acid which causes pain. Furthermore, if sebaceous glands are activated, accumulated cosmetics in pores can be eliminated through the skin (sweat and oil glands) rather than by the kidneys.
3) Far Infrared stimulates enzyme activity and metabolism - One hour in an Infrared Sauna burns over 900 calories by raising the metabolism and body temperature. FIR heat also breaks down cellulite - trapped water, fat and waste.
4) Far Infrared promotes the killing of many pathogenic (disease causing) bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.
5) Far Infrared promotes rebuilding of injured tissue by having a positive effect on the fibroblasts (connective tissue cells necessary for the repair of injury). Furthermore, it increases growth of cells, DNA syntheses, and protein synthesis all necessary during tissue repair and regeneration. Excellent for healing burns, scar tissue and skin problems.
6) Far Infrared relieves nervous tension and relaxes autoneuro muscles thereby helping the body make the most of its intended healing abilities. FIR reduces soreness on nerve endings and muscle spasms, as muscle fibers are heated.
7) Far Infrared strengthens the Immune System by stimulating increased production of white blood cells (leukocytes) by the bone marrow and killer T-cells by the thymus.
8) Far Infrared strengthens the Cardiovascular System by causing heart rate and cardiac output increase, and diastolic blood pressure decrease - Extensive research by NASA in the early 1980's led to the conclusion that far infrared stimulation of cardiovascular function would be the ideal way to maintain cardiovascular conditioning in American astronauts during long space flight.
For more information about our infrared services, go to our Infrared Sauna page.
