UMKC Communiversity Wholistic Health Fair

This springs Communiverstiy Wholistic Health Fair will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2009 from 11 am to 6 pm. Please be sure to stop by my booth and try out the many benefits of reflexology.! See you there!

Buddha Quotations

A generous heart, kind speech and a life of service and compassion ar the things which renew humanity!

The true "way" cannot be used to look into the heart of another, and can only be appreciated and found on one's own. By Henry Chang

A Quiet Sole Reflexology's 2009 article in the KU Jayplay Magazine

http://www.kansan.com/stories/2009/feb/19/alternative_healing/?jayplay Article on "The Alternative for Healing" published on Feb. 19, 2009 in The Kansan. Article by Madeline Hyden

6 Reasons to Drink Green Tea

The steady stream of good news about green tea is getting so hard to ignore, that even java junkies are beginning to sip mugs of the deceptively delicate brew. You'd think the daily dose of disease-fighting, inflammation-squelching antioxidants -- long linked with heart protection -- would be enough incentive. But wait . . . there's more! Lots more. 1. Cut Your Cancer Risk Several polyphenols -- the potent antioxidants that green tea is famous for -- seem to help keep cancer cells from gaining a foothold in the body by discouraging growth and then suppressing the creation of new blood vessels that tumors need to thrive. Study after study has found that regularly drinking green tea reduces the risk of breast, stomach, esophagus, colon, and prostate cancer. 2. Soothe Your Skin Got a cut, scrape, or bite, and a little leftover green tea? Soak a cotton ball in it. The tea is a natural antiseptic that relieves itching and swelling. Try it on inflamed blemishes, sunburns, or puffy eyelids. But that's not all. Green tea has been shown to help block sun-triggered skin cancer, whether you drink it or apply it directly to the skin -- which is why you're seeing green tea in more and more sunscreens and moisturizers. 3. Steady Your Blood Pressure Having healthy blood pressure -- meaning below 120/80 -- is one thing. Keeping it that way is quite another. But people who sip just half a cup of green tea a day are almost 50% less likely to wind up with hypertension than nondrinkers. Credit goes to the polyphenols again (especially one known as ECGC); they help keep blood vessels from contracting and raising blood pressure. 4. Protect Your -- or Your Mom’s -- Memory Green tea may also keep the brain from turning fuzzy. Getting-up-there adults who drink at least two cups a day are half as likely to develop cognitive problems as those who drink less. Why? It appears that the tea's big dose of antioxidants fights the free-radical damage to brain nerves seen in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. 5. Stay Young The younger and healthier your arteries are, the younger and healthier you are. So fight plaque buildup in your blood vessels; the sticky stuff increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, adds years to your RealAge, and saps your energy. How much green tea does this vital job take? About 10 ounces a day, which also deters your body from absorbing artery-clogging fat and cholesterol. 6. Lose Weight Oh yeah, one more thing. Turns out that green tea speeds up your body's calorie-burning process. In the every-little-bit-counts department, that’s good news!

10 Foods That Help You Fall Asleep

If it takes you more than 15 minutes to fall asleep at night, quicken your trip to dreamland by changing what you eat in the evening. It can make the difference between staring at the ceiling and sleeping like a baby. For years, the top food on the snooze list was turkey, because it contains sleep-inducing tryptophan (credited with all those Thanksgiving naps). But researchers have done an about-face and nixed this connection. Why? Turkey, like most foods, just doesn't contain enough tryptophan to put you to sleep, explains Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of The Food & Mood Cookbook: Recipes for Eating Well and Feeling Your Best . Instead, think light but high-carbohydrate snacks. Carbs boost levels of the brain's sleep chemical serotonin without overloading your digestive system. If you like, wash them down with something warm and soothing, such as a cup of herbal tea (chamomile, lemon balm, or valerian) or warm milk. 10 Top Sleep Boosters Nibble on one of these 10 high-carb calmers an hour before bedtime -- you'll be yawning in no time. 1. Half of a whole-wheat English muffin or raisin bagel drizzled with honey 2. Two cups of air-popped popcorn 3. A small slice of angel food cake topped with berries 4. A frozen whole-wheat waffle, toasted, with maple syrup 5. Half a cup of pretzels 6. Fresh strawberries dunked in a little fat-free chocolate syrup 7. Half a cup of pasta topped with marinara sauce 8. A 4-ounce baked potato topped with salsa 9. A handful of oyster crackers and a piece of fruit 10. Canned mandarin oranges sprinkled with crystallized ginger The benefits of sleep go well beyond good moods and lots of energy. Getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night can make your RealAge as much as 3 years younger.

Top 10 Foods for a Good Night’s Sleep

The secret to getting a solid 7 to 8 hours? About 90 minutes before you want to nod off, head for the kitchen and make yourself a sleepy-time snack. Keep it light (around 200 calories), so you don’t overload your digestive system. And include one or two foods from the list below. All help to relax tense muscles, quiet buzzing minds, and/or get calming, sleep-inducing hormones -- serotonin and melatonin -- flowing. Yawning yet? 1. Bananas -- They’re practically a sleeping pill in a peel. In addition to a bit of soothing melatonin and serotonin, bananas contain magnesium, a muscle relaxant. 2. Chamomile tea -- Chamomile is a staple of bedtime tea blends because of its mild sedating effect, which makes it the perfect natural antidote for restless minds and bodies. 3. Warm milk -- It’s not a myth. Milk has some tryptophan, an amino acid that has a sedative-like effect, and calcium, which helps the brain use tryptophan. Plus, there’s the psychological throwback to infancy, when a warm bottle meant "relax, everything’s fine." 4. Honey -- Drizzle a little in your warm milk or herb tea. Lots of sugar is stimulating, but a little glucose tells your brain to turn off orexin, a recently discovered neurotransmitter that’s linked to alertness. 5. Potatoes -- A small baked spud won’t overwhelm your gastrointestinal tract as it clears away acids that can interfere with yawn-inducing tryptophan. To up the soothing effect, mash the potato with warm milk. 6. Oatmeal -- Oats are a rich source of sleep-inviting melatonin, and a small bowl of warm cereal with a splash of maple syrup is cozy -- and if you’ve got the munchies, it’s filling, too. 7. Almonds -- A handful of these heart-healthy nuts can send you snoozing because they contain both tryptophan and a nice dose of muscle-relaxing magnesium. 8. Flaxseeds -- When life goes awry, and feeling down is keeping you up, try sprinkling 2 tablespoons of these healthy little seeds on your bedtime oatmeal. They’re rich in omega-3 fatty acids, a natural mood lifter. 9. Whole-wheat bread -- A slice of toast with your tea and honey will release insulin, which helps tryptophan get to your brain, where it’s converted to serotonin and quietly murmurs "time to sleep." 10. Turkey -- It’s the best-known source of tryptophan, credited with all those Thanksgiving naps. But that’s actually modern folklore. Tryptophan works when your stomach’s basically empty rather than overstuffed and when there are some carbs around rather than tons of protein. But put a lean slice or two on some whole-wheat bread midevening and you’ve got one of the best sleep-inducers in your kitchen. What if none of these foods helps? Check out your sleep habits with this quick RealAge assessment to find out what’s keeping you up at night.

Foods That Fight Colds

Whether you're walking around with a box of tissues or curled up in bed with aches and the shivers, what you feed your cold or flu can speed your recovery. Here's how to maximize your body's virus-busting powers. 1. Trust Your BodyIf you instinctively sip cup after cup of tea with honey and lemon when you're under the weather, your body knows exactly what it's doing. While any hot liquid will help loosen clogged nasal passages and soothe sore throats, hot tea also doses you with virus-fighting, inflammation-relieving antioxidants. (In fact, people who drank 5 cups of black tea a day for 2 weeks produced 10 times more interferon -- proteins that fight viruses -- than those who drank instant coffee. For tea lovers, 5 cups is equal to about 3 full mugs -- not that much.) As for the honey (the darker, the better), it's also thick with protective antioxidants. And a big squeeze of lemon in every mugful adds a little extra vitamin C to your virus-fighting kit; plus, the tartness stimulates saliva, which makes swallowing easier. 2. Trust Your Grandma Researchers keep trying to figure out why chicken soup does a sick body good. One finding: cysteine, an amino acid that's released by cooked chicken. It's chemically similar to acetylcysteine, a bronchitis drug, and it works with other soup ingredients to reduce inflammation. Salty broth also helps thin mucus. Chicken soup helps even more if you rev it up with spices: garlic, which has a well-earned reputation for squelching infection, and hot red pepper, which contains capsaicin, a powerful decongestant that intensifies the soup's sinus-clearing effects. Try this tried-and-true recipe. 3. Trust Your Tummy Smooth, healthy, comforting -- no wonder lots of sickies crave hot cereal or cool yogurt. Again, your body knows what it's doing. Oatmeal (like other whole-grain cereals) delivers three nutrients known to support your immune system: selenium, zinc, and beta-glucan. Yogurt with active cultures (aka probiotics or live healthy bacteria) helps fend off colds in the first place. One, Lactobacillus reuteri (found in Stonyfield Farm yogurt), seems to be especially protective. Top your oatmeal or yogurt with strawberries, nuts, and seeds. You'll get a vitamin C boost from the berries and immunity-enhancement from the vitamin E, zinc, and selenium in the nuts and seeds. Extra selenium may be extra important if you have the flu, since it seems to ward off lung inflammation. Alternatively, stir lots of cinnamon into oatmeal or yogurt -- it smells and tastes wonderful, and it can help reduce fever, relieve pain, and kill germs. If nausea is adding to your misery, add a little ginger, fresh or powdered. It's a proven tummy tamer and may take antibacterial action against any bad bugs in your respiratory tract.Once your cold or flu is over (whew), try keeping up some of these habits, especially drinking plenty of antioxidant-packed tea. Not only could it help prevent another bout, but getting the right amount of antioxidants through diet or supplements can make your RealAge 6 years younger, too. And keep cold and flu bugs from coming back with these simple tactics.

How to Crush a Craving -- Fast: USE YOUR FEET!

Here’s how to quickly and easily crush a craving for chocolate: Use your feet. Literally. A walk worked wonders for a small group of chocoholics. When compared with a couch-potato group, the chocoholics experienced a major drop in chocolate cravings after only 15 minutes of putting one foot in front of the other. Keeping the Pace. It’s a concept that’s gaining clout. Other research has shown that exercise reduces cravings for alcohol and cigarettes, too, by stimulating the activity of feel-good brain chemicals. This is the first study to apply the concept to chocolate cravings. Keep your pace moderately brisk and you may stifle that craving for up to 10 minutes after the walk. And by then, your thoughts should have moved on! Set a walking goal -- and meet it -- with our tracker tool. Cravings Schmavings Need more help getting those comfort-food cravings under control? Here are some other ideas for you: Stressed? Bored? Angry? Know why you’re reaching for food. Get tips on understanding -- and controlling -- emotional eating. Wet your whistle. Science shows that people often confuse hunger and thirst. Here are 10 more ways to outwit your appetite. Try an appetite suppressant. Not a pill -- a natural one -- like a quarter cup of this hunger-suppressing smoothie. It’s okay to indulge in the occasional piece of dark chocolate. Here’s why. RealAge Benefit: Maintaining a constant desirable weight can make your RealAge 6 years younger. References Published on 01/29/2009. Acute effects of brisk walking on urges to eat chocolate, affect, and responses to a stressor and chocolate cue. An experimental study. Taylor, A. H., Oliver, A. J., Appetite 2009 Feb;52(1):155-160. EDITOR'S PICK These sneaks were made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do. But who knew they could kick chocolate cravings to the curb, too! Get out there and get going. Need a plan of attack? Set some goals today with our New Year, New You plans.

Foods That Steal Your Sleep

At some point or another, it happens to everyone: You can't sleep. When you finally drop off, the alarm buzzes a microsecond later. Then, you can't get up. And then, it gets worse: When you finally drag yourself out of bed, you look like you-know-what. Can't imagine why the sleep gods had it in for you? Think about what you ate the night before, says Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of The Food & Mood Cookbook. Any of the following -- much less a combo platter -- can leave your body on uneasy street for hours: • Spicy foods: Garlic, chilies, cayenne, and other intense spices are yummy going down, but they can keep you up with heartburn or indigestion. Avoid MSG, too, as it can trigger dreams that are a bit too vivid .• A big dinner: An overtaxed digestive system takes hours to settle down, and there's nothing restful about that. When sleep's critical, make lunch your largest meal, and enjoy a light 500-calorie dinner early in the evening. • Raucous veggies: Eat those good-for-you-but-gassy foods -- beans, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts -- in the middle of the day. A tankful of gas can keep anyone up at night. • Speed eating: Relax and enjoy meals to avoid swallowing air, another common cause of midnight tummy trouble. • Nightcaps: Alcohol may make you drowsy at first, but later on it disturbs sleep patterns and leads to awakenings and restlessness. A 4-ounce glass of wine with dinner won't hurt, as long as it's not within 2 hours of bedtime. • Coffee after breakfast: Caffeine can linger in your body for as long as 12 hours. So if you're often wide-eyed at bedtime, make sure you're caffeine-clean for at least 12 hours. (Skip tea, chocolate, cola, or other caffeine culprits, too.) Still watching the clock at 2 a.m.? Wean yourself off even morning java, then stay caffeine-free for 2 weeks. If you definitely sleep better, you have your answer: Caffeine is not your friend. If the results are mixed, "Try adding back a cup or two of coffee or tea in the morning and watch what happens," says Somer. "But if sleeplessness comes back, cut it out." Getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night doesn't just make your eyes bright, your skin happy, and your mind sharp, it can also make your RealAge as much as 3 years younger.

A Quiet Sole Reflexology's 2009 debut article

http://issuu.com/enhancemagazine/docs/dec-jan_issue/65?zoomed=true&zoomPercent=75.19450595487461&zoomXPos=0.0061823802163833985&zoomYPos=0.306832298136646

Heartfelt thought

The best and most beautiful things in the world

cannot be seen or even touched.

They must be felt with the heart.

-Helen Keller-

Buddha Quotations

Three Things canot be hidden,

the Sun,

the Moon

and the Truth.

Dream Big, Stay Positive, & Believe...

Believe that there is a field of positive energy surrounding you, just waiting for you to engage it. Go play in this field. Embrace it. Give it a chance to empower you and to love you back. Believe the best of yourself and others. Be open o every important wish in your heart; be clear about your purpose. Don't let your dreams fall through the cracks. Fantasize. Play. Work. Set realistic goals. Give yourself every chance you deserve. Think "possible", not "impossible". Believe that life is on your side. Count every single blessing. Let yourself be moved to dance and sing and celebrate. Keep a joyful heart. go back to where you've been to understand yourself better, but don't stay in the past. Live each moment. Always smell the roses, but look ahead to where you're going and make good plans. Swing your arms. Skip your steps. Set yourself free from the don'ts. Enjoy. Believe. Life is good, and it's going to get better! -Donna Fargo

As You Reach for Your Dreams

May the days be good to you: comforting more than crazy and giving more often than taking. May the passing seasons make sure that any heartaches are replaced with a million smiles and that any hard journeys eventually turn into nice, easy mles that take you everywhere you want to go. May your dreams do their absolute best to come true. May your heart be filled with the kindness of friends, the caring of everyone you love, and the richness of memories you wouldn't trade for anything. May life's little worries always stay small. May you get a little closer every day to any goals you want to achieve. May any changes be good ones and any challenges turn out to be for the better. May you find time to do the things you've alway's wanted to do! And may you be happy...FOREVER! Author, Douglas Pagels

Heal Thyself—Simple remedies for common problems

**I have not personally tried these recommendations list below and are for informational purposes only. Nor are they recommended to replace the diagnosis, treatment, and/or prescriptions given by a licensed health care professional to relieve the symptoms of/cure more aggressive forms of health issues described below or other related/similar health concerns not mentioned in the following article. Reflexologists are not licensed health care professionals and should always encourage clients to seek appropriate medical treatment when needed.** Kristie Martin, Relaxation Professional - A Quiet Sole Reflexology

Heal Thyself—Simple remedies for common problems By Jennifer Haupt

HANDS

Warts Remedy— Cover with duct tape. A recent study at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center asked patients to wear duct tape over their warts for six days, then remove the tape, soak the affected area in water and scrape it with an emery board or pumice stone. After continuing the treatment for up to two months, participants were free of warts.

Why it works—The duct tape irritates the wart, which causes an immune-system reaction that attacks the growth.

Dull, Splintered Nails Remedy—Rub a dab of cod liver oil or castor oil onto cuticles and nails.

Why it works—Both oils soften cuticles and make nails shiny, plus the massage helps them grow, says Tourles.

Achy Joints Remedy—Soak your hands in a few tablespoons of rosemary mixed with warm water.

Why it works—Rosemary is a natural anti-inflammatory, and warm water helps improve circulation, says Dr. Page.

FEET

Dry Skin and Hard Calluses Remedy - After showering, coat your feet with vegetable shortening and cover with socks. Wear overnight.

Why it works - “Vegetable shortening is the cheapest miracle moisturizer,” says Tourles. “The longer you let it soak in, the softer your feet will be.” Swollen Feet Remedy - Fill a foot tub with ice water and another tub with warm water. Add a few drops of peppermint oil and alternate soaking for five minutes in each. Why it works— Peppermint is an essential oil that relieves pain and relaxes the muscles. Alternating hot and cold will reduce the swelling. Athlete’s Foot Remedy - Soak your feet in vinegar for 10 minutes four times a day until symptoms disappear. Why it works—Vinegar is acidic and kills bacteria and fungi. “You can also wash your lesions with Listerine,” says Joey Green, author of Amazing Kitchen Cures. “It stings quite a bit, but the antiseptic seems to kill the fungus.” Foot Odor Remedy—Dissolve two Alka-Seltzer tablets in a quart of warm water and soak feet for 15 minutes twice a week. Why it works—Green says that the baking soda in Alka-Seltzer increases the acid level on your feet, which inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria. If you’re allergic to aspirin (a key ingredient in Alka-Seltzer), try sprinkling baking soda into your shoes to absorb any odors. Plantar Warts Remedy— At night, mash a clove of garlic and smear it directly on the wart, then cover with a bandage. Wear a sock to bed and remove the bandage in the morning. Repeat for 10 days. Why it works - “Plantar warts are caused by a virus, and garlic is a natural immunity booster as well as an antiseptic,” says Andrea Murray, a reflexologist and herbalist at Akari Hair and Day Spa in Portland, Maine.

Top 10 things reflexology can do that medicine can't

We have prepared a series of publications on Evidenced Based Reflexology Research. Here is a preview of some of the results. And don't get the wrong idea. This is not to suggest that reflexology is more than a complementary therapy. But according to research there are things that reflexology is capable of doing that medicine cannot do as well.

Top 10 things reflexology can do that medicine can't

1. Phantom Limb pain

2. Postpartum

3. Diabetes

4. Cancer and chemo

5. Neuropathy

6. Hemodialysis

7. Aids mentally ill providing needed benefits to reflexology work

8. Research showed relief from post traumatic stress syndrome

9. Measures of stress are significantly decreased

10. Immediate feelings of wellbeing

10 things

1. Research shows that reflexology work alleviates and, at times, eliminate phantom limb pain

2. Reflexology is beneficial for post-partum women including issues such as Anxiety and depression and recovery from Cesarean section.

3. Research shows that reflexology work reduces physiologic measures for diabetics and is an effective treatment for type II diabetes mellitus. Circulation to the feet is improved also.

4. Thirteen studies from seven countries (US, Italy, Japan, China, Switzerland, Korea, United Kingdom) target cancer care and show the benefits of reflexology work including anxiety, depression, fatigue, pain, nausea, and vomiting.

5. Neuropathy Research shows improvement in blood flow rate, time and acceleration within the feet following reflexology work

6. Research shows that reflexology work helps individuals undergoing hemodialysis: Improves the kidney’s functions with changes in physiologic measures: an increase in red blood cells (to combat anemia concerns), increase in lymphocytes (to help fight infection), and enhances disposal of waste products.

7. Reflexology programs and research shows that reflexology aids the mentally ill, providing needed benefits unique to reflexology work. Mental health workers report that reflexology work furnishes many advantages including facilitating communication

8. Victims of post traumatic stress syndrome experienced relief from symptoms including anger, depression and muscle tension as well as improved sleep patterns, levels of concentration and a lift in overall mood.

9. Measures of stress such as blood pressure, pulse rate and self-reported anxiety are significantly decreased, decreased or lowered.

The last point came from a client. He said when "I go to the doctor I don't know what the outcome will be. But when I see you I always feel better." He said it was a feeling of well being and that is what he paid for.

Kevin Kunz http://www.reflexology-research.com

Using reflexology to manage stress in the workplace

ScienceDirect - Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice :Using reflexology to manage stress in the workplace: A preliminary study

This study is a preliminary study to "explore the use of reflexology in managing stress in the workplace". It was with a small group people in the UK and it demonstrated positive results.

There have been several studies to this effect. The really interesting comment in a study from Denmark by one employee was that when they felt just a general malaise the idea that the reflexologist was available gave them impetus to go to work.

Hans Selye, the famous stress researcher spoke of this general rundown feeling that stress produces. It isn't a specific disorder. Rather it is a feeling of overall fatigue.

Could reflexology effect not only these borderline "illnesses"? Reflexology by breaking up the patterns of stress off lifts the feeling of being under the weather. But could reflexology do more than that? Could reflexology actually effect the bottom line?

I well never forget a simple reaction that took place in a sheltered workshop I worked at right after college. We assembled several products for companies like RCA and Hoffman Laroche.

I had been taking pictures of the assembly lines for a newsletter we produced. When I was done with the pictures I posted them up on the bulletin board just for the clients interest.

Our production shot through the roof on that day and the effect continued for several days. Like a famous Westinghouse lighting study demonstrated the simple act of paying attention to workers had a beneficial effect for the bottom line.

Imagine what having a reflexologist on staff might do. In these troubled economic times it might have quite an impact on profits. Kevin Kunz

http://www.reflexology-research.com/