Foot Prints – Chronic Pain
By Ellie Webb, Board Certified Foot Reflexologist
How best to describe life with chronic pain? It is a different journey for each of us. An important thing to remember is that YOU are the best advocate for your own pain management. Your health care team will ask many questions to help identify the source and reasoning behind your condition, and being prepared for a visit with your healthcare practitioner can sometimes be a challenge.
A few helpful hints to keep in mind as you communicate with your healthcare team:
1. Be concise with the information you provide. Keeping a small journal or notebook with you at all times and jotting down specifics during a bout of pain can really assist your provider in providing tools for your care.
2. Write down specific questions to ask your practitioner. These may include:
What is causing my pain?
What can be done, specifically, to make it better?
What can I do to help manage my pain?
Is there a specific plan of treatment for this type of pain?
Be sure and leave space between your questions so you can write down the answers. Even if your practitioner does not have all the answers, it is a great basis for conversation to help with future care.
3. Nature has provided a convenient place on your hand to help with the pain of headaches and other parts of the body. To find this point, make a fist. You will notice a small mound where the thumb and index finger meet. There is a reflex just below the peak of this mound. It is the reflex to the adrenal gland, a gland that releases small amounts of cortisone so is very good for anti-inflammatory purposes. Feel around this area until you notice a tender spot. Pump this area for about 10 seconds and release. Do this 2-3 times, several times a day. This can all help in providing relief from everyday pains.
Happy Reflexing!!
About Ellie Webb:
Ellie uses her healthcare background of Nursing and Pharmacy to provide a source of well-being for her clients.
Her education and certifications include:
- International Institute of Reflexology Certification
- American Reflexology Certification Board Completion
- Continuing Education courses highlighting Reflexology protocols for Fibromyalgia, Plantar Fasciitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and many other chronic inflammatory conditions
Ellie has had a practice in northeast Mesa for over 10 years, and is happy to be a part of the healthcare team at Red Mountain Acupuncture.
“The combination of Acupuncture and Foot Reflexology has shown to be very beneficial in helping our clients reach their healthcare goals more quickly and with a wonderful feeling of well-being”, states Ellie. She believes that better health is attainable by listening to the body’s needs and making the time – even just 30 minutes – to reconnect to the body’s natural healing abilities.
Connect with us: www.healthredmountain.com
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