What can reflexology do for us?

Contrary to what many people think, reflexology doesn’t claim to diagnose or cure any conditions.  

Rather, reflexology works with and supports our body’s natural healing abilities.  Some of the benefits of reflexology include helping to:

relieve stress

improve circulation

release pain

improve sleep

reduce physical tension

improve mood

The best way to find out how reflexology can help is to try it for yourself :-)

In 2024 I completed a 19 module course for supporting women through menopause (peri-menopause through to post menopause). 

Reflexology has been found to be very effective in relieving both the physical and emotional symptoms of the menopause. It’s a wonderful holistic therapy which supports women through this significant transition, with or without HRT. 

Women go through the menopause when our ovaries start to stop producing reproductive hormones such as progesterone and oestrogen. 

Whilst oestrogen and progesterone are primarily for reproduction, they also play many roles in the health of our brain, muscles, bones, nerves, liver, immune system, digestion.

As such, losing these hormones is a huge shift for women to go through.. 

It's therefore not suprising that whilst readjusting, our bodies can experience some uncomfortable symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, disrupted sleep and brain fog. 

The good news is that we are talking so much more about the menopause.  There is also much more research and understanding about the process itself and how we can manage the physical and emotional symptoms that can come with the transition.

One of the difficulties is that women often find themselves navigating this right of passage at a time when we’re also juggling work, looking after children/teenagers and elderly relatives. 

Looking after ourselves is often overlooked.  

Reflexology can help to support women through all stages of the menopause by:

-     Aiding deep relaxation:  Reflexology is a deeply relaxing experience where we give the body and mind time and space to rest. This is when our bodies heal. In our modern world, it’s unusual to stop for a whole hour and completely let go. Yet if we do, our body will thank us. 

-         Aiding better sleep:  Having a healthy sleep is crucial during a time when the body is going through so much, yet so often sleep can be difficult during the menopause.  It has been statistically proven that reflexology can be an effective therapy for reducing both hot flushes and sleep disturbances, helping us to feel better during the day

-        Relieving stress and anxiety: there is no doubt that stress can exacerbate physical and emotional symptoms of the menopause. Stress affects all of us and is an inevitable part of modern life that we can’t necessarily change. But building in time to step away from that stress can help to counter balance its effects and reduce menopausal symptoms.

-         Improving mood: It’s not surprising that women’s mental health is at risk during the menopause. Hormones play a crucial role in our mood and how we feel. Which is why it’s so good to know that studies have shown that reflexology can be effective in reducing depression in menopause. Stimulating the pituitary gland, hypothalamus and thymus reflex points can help to regulate our peripheral nervous system. This can help to make some of the changes more bearable and relieve the stress and tension that exacerbates so many of the symptoms listed above. 

-        Offering a space to be heard: there is so much to be said for being heard. Reflexology isn't just about the feet -  we are also here to listen. Having someone who understands the physical changes that occur during the menopause and the emotional challenges that come with that can really help. We are here to work with you and your body to support you through this natural but significant transition. 

Yes, of course!  I work with both women who are taking HRT and women who, for a variety of reasons, choose not to.

HRT is proving to be really helpful for alleviating many of the symptoms of the menopause. And it has the added bonus of preventing the weakening of bones leading to osteoporosis.  These days the drugs used are less synthetic than they used to be and come with fewer risks compared to those in the past.

We are, however, all different and HRT isn’t for everyone. I respect the decisions clients make and am also happy to talk through the various pros and cons and signpost on to places for further advice where necessary.  

Since our skin is our biggest organ we need to look after it! 

Therefore, I had not hesitation in sourcing massage balm for Tula from Oleo Bodycare.  Living less than a mile from us, Olivia is a professional aromatherapist. She creates and packages all her products for Oleo at her unit in the St Michael’s trading estate.

Oleo products contain only high quality ingredients (essential oils, herbs, vegetable oils and essences) with no animal products, palm oil or anything synthetic.  As she says :

‘Nature provides an abundance of safe, therapeutic ingredients so we see no reason to use anything synthetic or potentially harmful’

Many of you who live in Bridport may have seen Oleo products in various local shops and at her stall on the Saturday morning market.

A huge thank you to Olivia for all her work - I feel so lucky to be able to source such a high quality massage balm made here in Bridport that nourishes our mind, body and soul.