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December 20, 2007

Reflexology And The Case Of The Gall Bladder

A client is suffering with gall bladder problems and has sought the help of main stream medical doctors and alternative therapies. What the doctors have told them is that their gall bladder is underfunctioning by 5%. Erring on the side of caution, the doctor does not believe that the gall bladder should come out yet. The client is relieved because they don't want to have surgery.

On the alternative therapy front, the client is using massage (me) and the services of a Chinese medical doctor. Though the use of acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping and herbs, they get temporary relief. With massage therapy, I am using Swedish, visceral manipulation and lymph drainage to help my client get relief. This is also temporary.

Their pain has moved down into the ankle on the affected side and more recently into the foot. This pain pattern is consistent with easter medical theory if you follow the liver meridian, a sister to the gall bladder meridian. I was working in the foot at the direction of the client to get them relief from their pain. On the bottom of the foot I hit a very tender area on the lateral side of the sole of the right arch. Just for kicks, I pulled out my reflexology chart, and lo and behold, I was right on the gall bladder point! I continued to work the area until the congestion in the foot went down. Later when I was working the hepatic duct using visceral manipulation, I felt the duct relax at the point where it entered the duodenum. At that moment, my client said they felt something happening on their foot at the same place I had been rubbing, the gall bladder point.

I felt very excited, because, while I love to get my feet rubbed, and I have had a reflexology session before, I've never experienced something that definitively convinced me that the claims the therapy makes are real. At least I now have an anecdotal experience that backs up reflexology and more incentive to keep an open mind.

tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health

Posted by linda at December 20, 2007 7:24 AM