Abuja - Reflexology may be a well-studied and analysed form of alternative therapy, but boy it inspires terrible foot jokes.
This
is largely due to the fact that it took me three weeks to build up
enough courage to call the reflexologist because I hate having my feet
touched.
I have the world’s most ticklish steppers. I giggle in
pedicures and have set off entire rooms of women being primped and
painted as I’ve sat and snorted during a foot massage.
Considering
that this alternative therapy of reflexology is an hour of having bits
of your foot prodded, poked and rubbed I just knew that it wasn’t going
to be pretty.
Let’s take a look at why I chose reflexology as
another route towards curing my infertility. It is another ancient
practice that emerged from the Egyptians and the Chinese and has been
carried down through the years by wise people who are not averse to
touching other people’s feet. You couldn’t pay me enough…
Practitioners
of the art believe that the foot is a map of the human body and each
part is linked to systems and organs within. A moment of pressure here, a
squeeze over there and an expert has deftly manipulated your Fallopian
tubes or eased your ovaries into a happier state. There are, of course,
detractors, as with any alternative course of medicine, and some studies
have shown that alternative medicines have been found to reduce the
effectiveness of fertility by as much as 30%.
I must confess that
that the research did make me dig in my heels (sorry) a bit. However,
one man’s negative study is another woman’s bonny baby so who was I to
deny my ovaries another possible boost?
Goodness knows nothing else has worked so far as I remain stubbornly barren.
My
arrival at the studio was a pleasant one. Warm rooms, lovely lighting
and pleasantly piped music lulled me into a false sense of security. I
drifted happily into the chair and sat down calmly. A giggling pedicure
the day before meant my toes were as glossy as a supermodel on fashion
day and I spared a moment to glance at them admiringly. Then she started
to work. I’m not going to lie here, I gripped the sides of the chair as
if I was being electrocuted and my back shot up into a stiffened rod of
horror. It was awful. If you have sensitive feet or hate having anyone
go near them, reflexology is not going to make you relax, but it doesn’t
need to.
According to the experts reflexology’s success rate
doesn’t only lie in helping patients to relax and unwind, it can repair
imbalances in hormones and reproduction as well as promoting the
regulation of systems for improved fertility.
I was lucky, my
expert completely understood how sensitive I was about my feet and
immediately reduced the amount of pressure she used and worked far more
carefully around the pressure points. I never completely relaxed, but I
did feel slightly euphoric when I left. In addition to that, I had a
similar experience as I did when I tried out Reiki, I had an absolutely
fantastic night’s sleep.
Will this finally be the treatment I
need to fall pregnant? I’m going to try a few more sessions and see how
the month pans out, even though the experience isn’t exactly what I
would call fun. If you fancy giving it a try visit the South African
Reflexology Society to find a registered practitioner in your area.
Remember, don’t be lame and dismiss the idea of an alternative treatment for pregnancy.
Would you try reflexology to get pregnant?
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