Friday, September 01, 2006

New Age Nonsense



I am sceptical when it comes to claims for alternative medicines. I am happy for those who seem to have found natural cures for ailments, but as for me, if I have a headache I take paracetomol. And as for feng shui- well, don't get me started! So a couple of months ago when we were having a fund raising day at work for breast cancer I had not bothered to sign up for the offered reflexology sessions. However, on the morning concerned the fund raising organiser was panicing because she did not have enough people committed to the reflexology and as it was a) or a good cause and b)I figured it would be very relaxing having my feet massaged, I went along and had a 15 minute session.

Two months later I am still in a state of disbelief about what transpired. Firstly she immediately told me I have a problem in my right shoulder. I was absolutely amazed. I DO have a problem with my right shoulder...sort of anyway. I was completely unaware that I had one but my friend who I work out with at the gym is a physio and she spotted I have limited flexibility in my shoulder. Apart from her the only other person who has spotted the problem is my pilates teacher who is very 'hands on' and has identified this 'shoulder problem'. To say I was astonished when withing seconds of picking up my foot this reflexologist could tell me that is the biggest understatement I have ever made....and I am not generally given to under statements! I have been extremely lucky to date with my health only having had minor problems but in the space of that 15 minutes she spotted everything I have ever had...eg was able to tell me exactly where I hurt my back - seven years ago for god's sake, and she knew I had had pleurisy - that was nearly 15 years ago.


I told this story to my friend the physio. She told me that a student reflexologist was practising on her foot and was obviously worried about something. After letting her suffer for a few minutes she said to the student "It's OK...you can't find it because I haven't got one." And then she let me compare my foot to hers. Where I have a lump on my ankle she has a dip following the complete removal of her womb a few years ago. Weird huh?

Anyway, what all this is leading up to is that when this woman told me I needed to be drinking at least two litres of water a day I took her word for it and am now religiously consuming two litres of water a day. I feel so much better for it as well. I notice for example that I no longer get tired in the middle of the afternoon and it has occured to me that in the same way that kids at school are now encouraged to drink water all day to aid their concentration, it also works for me. But there is just the one problem so I was wondering....does any one know of any alternative medicine to stop me needing a wee every flaming half hour?

14 comments:

Lisa Rullsenberg said...

That final sentence is a killer!

Sorry, no solution to the weeing, but can I ask how you get in the habit of drinking so well? I ask because I am RUBBISH at drinking enough and all manner of attempts have thus far failed. My office is right by a water cooler; I have had bottle or glasses of water on my desk go stale before managing to drink them; and sports cap bottles are a feat of technological design that defeat me.

Holly said...

Reflexology is a great thing - the reason I would imagine that she picked up on everything is because different parts of your feet are connected to different parts of your body! Quite amazing really, I would love to go to a reflexology session however I dont like people touching my feet!!

John said...

Nah, as reidski would say, it's all pish. And you get tired in the middle of the afternoon because your body is using up energy to digest your lunch, and drinking water prevents dehydration, which also leads to tiredness. It's not a reflexologist's secret.

Did the reflexologist have any other qualifications? If she didn't, I suspect she probably does pilates too, or maybe she just observed the way you walked into the room. That's the way these scams work.

Anxious said...

I have been drinking loads of water for many years but still get sluggish in the afternoon. Still, if it makes a difference to you, that's great!

Shooting Parrots said...

I've never had my bumps felt, as it were, but I am a big water drinker and have worked out that you need to drink 10 of those plastic cupfuls you find by the water cooler. Not all at once though.

David said...

Such is my understanding of this sort of stuff, I felt like asking for my money back before having an Indian Head Massage recently when the practitioner looked very un-Indian.

Until we had one of those 'Oh you thought...yes I did think..Oh you didn't!' type conversations.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

No medicine to stop you needing all those wees but you can buy disposable nappies for grown-ups - the type that incontinent old people favour. As for reflexology - like you I'm always cynical about such shit but your account really makes me wonder - some of these things of course predate modern medicine and have a much longer pedigree.

Spunky Trunks said...

I am a very cycnical man.

I was ill and had reflexology. Being a big doubter of this kind of stuff, I thought I'd test him.

Anyway he's pootling around all over my feet and get to my toes and I can feel something all over the front of my forehead. So I ask him which bit he's working on. 'Sinuses' says he without looking up.

Anyway, he was the only fella who made me feel any better during my illness and all the doctors were useless.

When I left I felt like I was walking on sponge and I slept the best I'd sleept in years.

To be fair he did also keep aking if i had constipation, which I didn't. BUT mostly it was good.

These things are there to be tried.

Reidski said...

Reflexology? Head fucking massage? All a load of utter pish!
Now, as for how I managed to make you feel much, much better last night? Well, these alternative medicine loons can only guess ...

Babs said...

Ooog!! I had sort of the same thing happen to me!! My Ma had insisted I try out some reflexology chick for the spazzes (yea like that'd work??--I can see it working for some things but it can't change a fooked brain, y'know??)

Anyway she hit one spot on my foot and I felt something. Then she did something on the other foot and got nothing from me. She kept trying and trying and then said something was wrong, something was missing. I was like well what's it meant for?? She informs me it's an 'ovary' thing. Which, of course, freaked me out entirely, since I've only got the one. I told her as much and she was like 'No wonder!!'

Didn't go back, mind you, but it did freak me out.

J.J said...

Well looking at these comments, in spite of the cynics amongst us I think that the aye's have it and reflexology is indeed magic!

And thinking about my water consumption, although my concentration seems better all in all my productivity has probably fallen due to the number of visits I have to make to the water cooler or the toilet. That probably makes it a mixed blessing.

John said...

Kuh! Anecdotalism wins out over hard sceince yet again.

Katy Newton said...

Apparently the constant peeing wears off after a while as your body gets used to using all of the extra water.

Allegedly.

J.J said...

Oh Katy, I can't tell you how much I hope that happens quite soon.

I am crossing my legs as I write this!