Reflexology, Massage & MMT

 My clinic is now closed.

Thank you. 

To my clients, I have enjoyed working with you.

Holistic treatment individualised for you by qualified and experienced practitioner, reflexology including manipulative muscle work and/or massage as required for relaxation, recuperation from injury, relief from pain, as a complementary therapy to assist the healthy healing mechanisms designed for your body and/or mind. 

Qualifications

Diploma of Reflexology (final subjects with Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE) 2013
- including:
- Aromatherapy Massage (SCIT) 2013
- Relaxation/Swedish Massage (Australian Institute of Applied Sciences) 2011
- Sports Massage (Australian Institute of Applied Sciences) 2011

Reflexology Practitioner (Queensland School of Reflexology - with Heather Edwards) 2000
- including Ingham Method
- Advanced Reflexology

Post Graduate Courses & Workshops:
- Cranial Sacral Method (Dr. Martine Faure-Alderson) 2006
- Rwo Shur (Chinese Reflexology, Sue Ehinger) 2009
- Thai Foot Massage (Sharon Ritchey) 2009
- Acupressure and other Protocols (and more) for Sinus/Sinusitis (Vera Emmi) 2016
- Maternity Reflexology (Suzanne Enzer, Lyndall Mollart) 2017
- Kruchik Method - Reflexology for the Treatment of pain 2018
- Foot and Hand Reflexology (Japanese with Kiyoshi Yoshida of Ashimomi Juku) 2018

Other Courses and Workshops
- PDM Reflex Therapy Practitioner (Pierre David) 2001
- Hatchard's Way Manipulative Muscle Therapy or MMT (Bill Hatchard) 2002
- Muscle Balance Analysis (Al Skrobisch) 2015

Member of the Reflexology Association of Australia (http://www.reflexology.org.au) 2000
Member of the International Institute of Reflexology (http://www.reflexology-usa.net) 1991

What is Reflexology?

Reflexology is a deeply relaxing therapy using pressure with thumb and fingers on feet to fine tune your body and help balance any areas of illness, stress or imbalance of any kind.

Reflexology is a Science that deals with the principle that there are reflex areas in the feet and hands which correspond to all of the glands, organs and parts of the body. Reflexology is a unique method of using thumb and fingers on these reflexes to relieve stress and tension, improve blood supply and help achieve homeostasis.

What is a reflex action? An example is when the Dr gives a firm tap to your knee, and then your foot kicks up. That is a reflex action. It is your body's automatic response to a stimulus. Dr Fitzgerald of Boston City Hospital in 1917 published a book on Zone Therapy, how he could relieve pain using pegs and clamps on fingers and toes. Eunice Ingham, a Physiotherapist, took this a step further, she recognized this as a reflex action and wondered if the body responded to a constant pressure with pain relief, what would the reaction be if instead the area on the hands or feet were stimulated? She published her first book on the subject in 1938 "Stories the Feet Can Tell Thru Reflexology".

What can Reflexology help in the body? Just about everything! It just can't work on bits that are missing! Of course not everyone's response is the same, just as not everyone responds the same to medications. However, in my experience, most people will experience improvement for an imbalance in their body within 3 sessions. It is recommended that you have 6 consecutive sessions no further than 1 week apart, otherwise the momentum of improvement can be lost. With each treatment improvements are deeper and last longer. Depending on each individual's response, treatments can then be changed to every 2 weeks, then 3 etc. as the length of time of improvement increases.

What is Massage?

 

Swedish/Relaxation Massage

·         Massage is a natural tranquiliser, it has been proven to slow the heartbeat, and lower blood pressure, the fastest and most effective way to relax

·         Sickness and stress go hand in hand, the more relaxed you are, the healthier you will be

·         Massage is a natural pain reliever, you probably use it every day as a healing instinct, to rub a hurt elbow, to relieve tired eyes, to cuddle a crying baby and pat its back to relieve wind.

·         Massage is not just pain relieving, it is comforting, soothing, reassuring, pampering and makes you feel happy.

 

Sports Massage

·         Assists recovery between intense training sessions

·         Monitors stresses which may be building up in the body, and so warns against potential injury

·         Is the most effective treatment for many types of injury

·         Helps recuperation after injury

(Quote from Hugh Jones, Marathon Runner Champion from Great Britain, as published in the book “Sports Massage” by Dr Jari Ylinen and Mel Cash)

 

Sports massage includes deeper techniques and stretching.

·         Improves circulation and lymphatic circulation, increasing blood flow vital for repair and growth.

·         Improves the removal of waste like lactic acid which builds up after hard exercise, normalising tissue metabolism, reducing pain.

·         Stretching in sports massage is advantageous as fibres can be stretched in all directions, releasing muscle tension.

·         In treatment of past injuries and overuse injuries, Sports Massage helps break down scar tissue and adhesions, break down fibrosis, restoring normal range of movement.

·         Repetitive muscle effort can make muscles hard and inelastic, a negative effect of hard training. Sports massage helps maintain normal elasticity.

·         Where there has been restriction in movement due to pain or bad posture, soft tissues shrink and lose their elasticity, causing pain. Sports Massage stretching effects are beneficial relieving pain.

·         Sports Massage balances the autonomous nervous system, reducing irritation from overactivity, easing abdominal pain and can normalise bowel function which may have been disturbed due to psychological or physical stress.

 

What is PDM Reflex Therapy?

PDM Reflex Therapy is a form of Full Body Reflexology. "PDM" stands for "Pierre David Method". Pierre is a French Canadian who came to Australia and shared his knowledge with us. A full PDM session takes one hour, where the feet, lower legs, hands, back, head, face, collar bone, and ears are all worked with a very thorough thumb and finger technique. Just as there are reflex areas in the feet for all areas of the body, this pattern is repeated throughout the body, even the tongue and the colon have reflexes to the whole body. A very relaxing treatment.

What is Hatchard's Way Manipulative Muscle Therapy?

Hatchard's Way Manipulative Muscle Therapy (MMT) is named after Bill Hatchard, from Adelaide, Australia. He has devised a treatment that brings speedy relief of injuries, aches and pains. As he says in his book published in 2003, "Our bodies comprise a series of muscles, ligaments, tendons, blood vessels, nerves and cords - for efficiency each of these have an optimum resting place or groove from which to operate. Put simply when they get tangled or out of the alignment of their designated groove they give problems ranging from pain to an inability to function with certain limbs. My method removes these tangles or misalignments. This then permits the blood to flow normally again, bringing much needed oxygen to that part of your body In addition, releasing the pinched nerves usually brings instantaneous relief from pain."

Responding to an ad in our Reflexology newsletter, I was able to learn from Bill Hatchard himself when he came to Palmwoods, and later again to the Gold Coast. I continue to be impressed with the painless and quick recovery this treatment gives.

My Clinic

My clinic is now closed.

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