Reflexology: The Art and Science of It

Reflexology is a holistic modality of body, mind, and spirit, aimed at treating the whole person.  It does not isolate a disease and treat is symptomatically, nor work specifically on one body system; its approach is intended to induce a state of total balance and intersystemic harmony.  The basic tenet of reflexology is that the body, mind, and spirit are interconnected and what affects one, affects them all.   And as a holistic therapy, reflexology aims to get to the root cause of the disease, treat it, and return the body to a state of homeostasis: a state of natural balance.  Unlike common foot massage, reflexology is geared to specific reflex points located on the feet that correspond to particular body parts or systems.  Reflexology does not involve the manipulation of the entire foot, and is not intended to bring about pleasure–though that is often the result.  Read more . . .

Feet Worship and the Origins of Reflexology

The oldest documented depiction of the practice of reflexology is a pictograph dated to 2500 to 2300 BCE, found in the tomb of a popular Egyptian physician known as Ankmahor.  Records show that during his lifetime, Ankmahor enjoyed an unusually high societal status, second only to the Pharaoh.  The scene depicts two dark-skinned men working on the feet of two men with lighter skin.  Above the scene are hieroglyphs reading: ‘Do not let it be painful’ to which one attendant replies, ‘I do as you please.’  Due to the physical positioning of the men, the color scheme, and the inscription, Egyptian scholars are able to interpret the pictogram as illustrating the act of using the foot to cure the patients of illness: essentially, "reflexology."  It is hypothesized that although reflexology does not appear to have been in continual practice since ancient Egyptian times, the knowledge of curing ailments through stimulation of the feet has been used by many cultures around the world including the Aborigine of Australia, modern Aztec of Mexico, Native Americans, and several cultures of the Middle East.  Read more . . .

Acupuncture: The Science Behind the Needle

Acupuncture is a modality of Chinese traditional medicine known to have been in practice for at least 2500 years.  Hieroglyphs and pictographs from the Shang Dynasty suggest that acupuncture was practiced as early as the 12th century BCE.  While its specific origins in China are uncertain, one theory suggests that the effects of acupuncture were realized when it was observed that some soldiers who had been wounded by arrows in battle were mysteriously cured although left untreated.  Scholars also suggest that the healing principles behind acupuncture may be traced as far back as the Stone Age, when Bian shi, or sharpened stones were employed at keys points on the body.   Read more . . .

Marijuana, Medicine, and Religion

During the reign of the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung Shennong (circa 5000 BP), considered the Father of herbalogical studies, cannabis was cited in the most widely-read herbal of the time, recommended for malaria, constipation, rheumatic fever, absent mindedness, insomnia, nervousness, and a variety of female disorders.  In India, hemp has been used for centuries to quicken the memory, lower fever, induce sleep, relieve headaches, and cure venereal disease.  And in Africa, marijuana has been used for malaria and other fevers–with documented results–and even today, indigenous groups continue to use cannabis poultices for snake bites and brew hemp tea for women during childbirth.  Read more . . .

Medicinal Bamboo

First mentioned in Asian medicinals of the 6th century CE, modern analysis of bamboo shows that it contains calcium, phosphorus, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin C, making it quite valuable as a curative for many common conditions.  Bamboo leaves, for example, are a rich source of hydrocyanic and benzoic acids, while the tender shoots contain various valuable enzymes.  Additionally, the juice of pressed bamboo shoots possesses protease activity which helps in digestion of proteins.  The roots were used for centuries as a curative for rabies.  As both traditional and modern medicine verifies, each part of this amazing plant has a variety of uses.  Read more . . .