Try sunflower oil to get rid of the metallic taste following chemotherapy

While carrying out a reflexology treatment in the cancer unit yesterday one of my patients was having a chat with one of the doctors.  He asked how she was coping with the metallic taste in her mouth which is so common during a course of chemotherapy.  She surprised us both by saying that it hadn't been a problem for her as she had found her own remedy and of course both of us wanted to know what it was!

She said that 3 or 4 days after her chemo she uses a mouthwash of 1 tbsp of sunflower oil which she swishes round her mouth and gums for at least 10 minutes.  She says it has a very viscous consistency to start off with and then gradually becomes more liquified and after 10 mins when she spits it out it has turned white.  She said that she had tried it earlier after chemo but found that she couldn't stomach it so had to wait the 3 or 4 days to be able to manage a whole 10 minutes.  She said she has had no metallic taste so has been able to continue eating her favourite foods, and she hasn't had any mouth ulcers or soreness.  (This week was her 5th chemo out of 6 sessions)

I thought I would search around a bit on the internet and indeed this is an Ayurvedic technique called oil pulling and there is lots of info on various websites about it and its also recommended by Deepak Chopra in his book Perfect Health: The Complete Mind/Body Guide, Revised and Updated Edition  as a detox technique for cleansing the taste buds.

Sounds like this could be well worth a try for anyone you know undergoing chemo and suffering from mouth and taste problems - it certainly won't do any harm anyway!

Stiff and Aching Fingers after reflexology

Many of us as reflexologists have suffered from aching fingers after a busy week.  Thankfully I don't suffer so much now as I've learnt to look after my hands and do stretches every day to warm them up before I start work and stretch them out at the end of the day. 

However I only started to do this after moving from part time reflexology work to full time - it was then that I would lie in bed at night with throbbing fingers wondering if I'd done the right thing in going full time - was I going to have to give up because of RSI? 

Gradually after a number of weeks, and regular stretching exercises my hands and fingers became accustomed to their new work load and the pain disappeared but I was reminded of it when I saw this article in the Guardian and thought it may be useful for others!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/mar/22/three-minute-fix-yoga-hand-exercise

Reflexology on the cancer ward

Today was my Tuesday in the Cancer Unit where I volunteer on a fortnightly basis.  Unusually I wasn't full with pre-booked treatments today and didn't have any takers in the chemotherapy ward.  It seemed to be a case of one patient saying no thanks and then everyone else being too polite to say yes please!

So my services were offered on the main cancer ward in the hospital which was a first for me.  The atmosphere on the main ward was just as friendly and welcoming as I was used to.  In the cancer unit the patients I offer treatments to generally look very well, many of them do suffer from hair loss due to the chemotherapy but apart from that very often you wouldn't know that they were ill at all!  However on the main ward in the hospital the patients do look ill.  The other difference is that many of them are hooked up to different pieces of equipment and remain in their hospital beds for their treatments, meaning you have to adapt your treatments to fit around the patient.

One of the other adaptations is in the length of treatment, I found that patients were affected more quickly by the reflexology resulting in shorter treatments with the main aim being to relax and calm.  During one of my treatments we were interrupted by a nurse doing observations, and then by the consultant doing the rounds!

Overall a great experience in adaptability and flexibility with my reflexology treatments and I'm definitely looking forward to making a return trip to the ward :)

Reflexology to boost ovulation

This morning I carried out a wonderful reflexology treatment for a new client with the aim to boost her chances of ovulation this month.  The client and her husband are trying for a baby and she has an erratic cycle due to poly cystic ovaries.  After carrying out relaxation techniques and a full body treatment I then focused on stimulating the ovaries and linking to the pituitary gland.  Today was day 9 of the clients cycle so we were aiming to stimulate the ovaries ready for ovulation on day 14.  I carried out my Maternity Reflexology training with Susanne Enzer which teaches us to use both the direct and indirect ovary reflex zones and use a pinching type movement to stimulate.  Then followed by the pinching movement along with a pituitary hold to link them together.  I used these techniques first on the right foot and the client commented afterwards that while I was 'pinching her heel area' she felt a twang in her right pelvic area.  I explained that I'd been stimulating her ovaries at the time.  When I repeated the technique on the left side she again exclaimed that she could feel a strong twang type feeling in her pelvic area, this time on the left side!  We both felt so satisfied that she could feel a reaction  in the exact area I was focusing on - such an encouraging sign for both the client and myself :)

I can't recommend the maternity reflexology training by Susanne Enzer highly enough but if you can't get to the training yourself and would like to know more about the direct & indirect ovary reflex zones and the pinching technique why not check out her Maternity Reflexology Manual at Amazon.