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Kay Litchy was kind enough to share this story with you.

Reflexology has been described as a natural therapy that requires the application of a specific type of pressure on particular areas of the feet. It is based on the principle that there are reflexes in the feet which correspond to every part of the body. Like so many other ancient healing forms, I’ve had an interest in reflexology. My decision to go from interest in reflexology to investing in treatments on an ongoing basis was based on personal health issues, the guiding factor for most people.

Early on in my last pregnancy, my obstetrician suspected that I was diabetic. Having friends with gestational diabetes, I presumed that was what he meant. I was chagrined to discover that at six weeks along, gestational diabetes wasn’t an option. I was truly diabetic and probably had been for quite some time. This explained so many symptoms I had been experiencing and ignoring. I had to wait until after the pregnancy to determine if I was Type I or Type II because of hormonal interference in the test while I was expecting. These tests are generally straight forward, but seven times in a row the tests came back Type II. The doctors can’t quite reconcile a 117 pound organic whole food-eating athletic 37 year old with adult onset diabetes. Since some people have false reads, I was recently reclassified as Type I, despite the test results. And this is the point, amid all the confusion, where I parted ways with traditional practitioners.

Years ago I worked with a naturopathic physician for issues with endometriosis and infertility. Some of the side benefits included a reduction in bad cholesterol, weight loss, renewed energy, and better sleep. This was due to diet changes and nutritional supplements. Based on that success, I went back to my naturopathic doctor for help with diabetes. Does he think I’m Type I? He doesn’t pretend to know, but, like me, doesn’t accept the status quo. We discovered through tests that I suffered organ damage, which can happen to diabetics during pregnancy. So we came up with our game plan. What if I followed traditional medicine (i.e. insulin) for diabetes but worked on naturopathic improvements for my pancreas, liver, and adrenal glands? And this time, I wanted to delve farther into holistic medicine than diet and supplemental nutrition. My doctor is open-minded towards all healing modalities and I feel comfortable asking his advice on methods I find interesting. I approached him with my interest in reflexology.

Here was the best advice he gave me: Reflexology is not the same thing as a foot massage, which is designed to make you feel good. My doctor recommended a reflexologist with an outstanding reputation amongst healers. And I’m glad I knew in advance that it wasn’t going to feel like a foot massage because it doesn’t. Don’t get me wrong, the environment is very relaxing and it by no means hurts. But the reality is someone pressing your big toe and then inching along slowly, applying pressure to the next trigger point. This is an important differentiation to understand because many day spas offer foot reflexology and the practitioner is a licensed massage therapist, and you are receiving a massage, whereas a reflexologist is a licensed reflexologist and is stimulating pressure points. It’s hard to pinpoint a precise change in my diabetes because my diet changes, my stress levels change, and these variables make it a challenge to measure outcome. But for 2-3 days following a session my blood sugar levels are lower. If you are insulin dependent, you will want to be aware of this and adjust your insulin intake. My therapist, Lenka Hales of Healing Hands, tells me these things take time. Her focus is on stimulating my glandular system. The correlation between the pituitary, adrenal, and thyroid glands and diabetes is potent. This modality has had other, unanticipated benefits. I no longer suffer from headaches. I have a chance to relax. Will it help me find my way out of diabetes?

Kay Litchy

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Reflexology