Foot Zone Therapy Session Hygiene Issues
Much of the following information (otherwise known as my opinions) is taken from the āStandards and Ethics Formā that each zone therapist registered under my name with the Utah Massage Board must agree to and verify their agreement and willingness to live according to in their practice of Zone Therapy by signing the form. You will notice, as you read, that not all of the following advice is about hygiene. Sorry about that. At least, I am a little bit sorry!
Quality zone therapy sessions require a systematic approach to the acquisition of skills and knowledge, and the self-discipline to always act in a professional and responsible manner. A āprofessional mannerā when touching any part of another personās body must always include basic cleanliness and concern for proper hygiene. This will prevent the transmission of any ādiseaseā entity between therapist and client and from client to therapistāand then, potentially, to the therapistās or clientās family members.
When the words āself-careā or āself-improvementā are heard, people tend to conjure up different trains of thought, especially if they apply them immediately to themselves. For some of us, the idea of ācaring for ourselvesā may get confused with ācaring too much for selfā and/or ācaring too little for othersā. But failing to look out for your own health can result in a decline in physical and/or mental health in so many gradual and insidious ways! And your poor health, or even lack of optimal health, can impact those around you in so many ways.
Before we begin todayās discussion of essential oils, herbs, and Blessed Waters (homeopathics), I would like to provide a little bit of extraneous, but I feel quite necessary, information. I searched both the Butterfly Express and Butterfly Expressions sites and was disappointed to find that the information I have written and taught in various places over the years on the topic I am about to summarize briefly below is not to be found on either site. It doesnāt seem to be in any of the books I have written, either. (However, I made only a rudimentary search, so . . .) If this oversight is actually real, I intend to remedy the situation as soon as I can find a minute (or a few hours, as it will likely be).
Two key factors in understanding essential oils are recognizing the differences in healing properties among plant families and understanding how various parts of the same plant can offer different therapeutic benefits. It probably doesnāt surprise you that the medicinal properties of the conifer family (spruce trees, for example) are very different from the healing properties of the various herbaceous or ornamental plants (such as the Lauraceae, Labiate, Compositae, and Umbelliferae families).
Even within the same plant family, whether an essential oil has been created from the wood, the seed, the root, or the leaves, dramatically affects the healing properties of that essential oil, and does so to an incredible degree.
A well-built blend allows us to combine, synergistically, the benefits of several plant families as well as the healing capacities of various plant parts, all with the goal of increasing the capabilities of each single essential oil. Just as a chocolate cake is more pleasingāand tastes betterāthan the varying ingredients separately, an essential oil blend has the potential of being so much more than any of the single oil ingredients by themselves
Letās keep this information in mind as we discuss various essential oil blends in the pages of this (and every) newsletter.
The digestive system is a very intricate and complex system. To my mind, it is much like a fragile ecosystem. There is a constant need for balance in the digestive system, just as there is in nature. The balance between the organs and among the different types of healthy bacteria found in the digestive system is absolutely essential to good health. When the digestive system is not working properly, the body becomes either malnourished or toxic. As a result, all the woes of poor nutrition and/or a toxic system eventually show themselves in the overall health of the body and mind.
Due to the many different organs included in the digestive system and their specific roles in the body, there are a lot of essential oils and herbs which have an ability to impact this system and bring about improvements. This monthās newsletter targets only a few of them. (I know from the length of the article that it seems like we surely must have mentioned them all. Not soābut it did feel like that to me as I wrote it.) I hope you find something useful to you or your family in the information I have tried to present here.
The ADRENAL GLANDS, KIDNEYS AND THYROID are super-intelligent organs. When I consider the number one cause of malfunction in these closely related organs, the word that comes to mind is STRESSāespecially chronic, seemingly unending types of stress! Stress will, of course, quickly damage the adrenal glands. Since the adrenal glands and the thyroid are in constant communication with each other, malfunction of the thyroid gland is eminent and almost unavoidable.
I love the study of anatomy (where things are placed in the body) and physiology (what their functions are and why they are where they are). Placing those little adrenal glands right on top of the kidneys, makes perfect, beautiful, harmonious sense! Because of their importance to survival, they are placed with each other in a well-protected spot in the body!Ā See the full list of topics.
Ā In October we will be talking about Respiratory and Flu. The flu season is already upon us so it is a good time to review the best essential oils, blessed waters, and herbal remedies to use when you are in the trenches of the flu. I am also excited to announce that there is a new product, Elderberry Nighttime, that I am sure you will love. Elderberry is well known for use with fevers and for strengthening the immune system. We have seen amazing results so far with Elderberry Nighttime helping people to sleep. Please take a few minutes and review what may help you and your family through the flu this year. See the full list of topics.