Articles

Article from Families Magazine, November 2006

Health Matters and a change of Career for Jane Andrews

From about 6 months old it was clear that one of my children was having problems with constipation, a very distressing condition for anyone but especially for a baby. Visits to the GP provided me with prescriptions for laxatives and advice about diet. I was obviously extremely concerned that it was to do with what I was feeding him but realistically I knew it couldn’t possibly be related to his diet as he was eating exactly the same as his twin who had no such problems. Over the course of the next 3 years we went from having spells when the bouts of constipation were not quite so bad to horrendous days when he was crying in agony and I was crying because I felt so helpless.

It was obvious that we could not go on like this indefinitely, all the while on fluctuating amounts of laxatives. When it was suggested it might be time to see a specialist and have further investigations carried out I was unsure and I wanted to be certain that I had, indeed, tried every other possible route. It was my Health Visitor who suggested we should visit the Complementary Therapy Nurse at the Sick Kids. I was shown how to do reflexology.

Now for the technical bit: Reflexology is a unique system of foot massage where the feet are massaged using a very precise technique. The areas or reflexes found in the feet correspond to different organs and systems in the body and by applying pressure to the corresponding reflexes imbalances of energy within the body are brought back into balance. It is a holistic therapy and treats the whole person with the object of inducing a state of balance and harmony to the body and mind. For my son, I was shown where the reflexes which related to the digestive system were located in the foot and over the next few months was able to wean him off the laxatives completely and more importantly was able to avoid any kind of intrusive examinations. He was like a different child.

I continued to massage his feet whenever he felt like it and he knew why and when he needed to have his feet done!

I was determined that I wanted to find out more about reflexology and undertook a 12 month course which included many case studies, lots of studying of anatomy and physiology (not my background!) and a final exam. I qualified in 2005 and am now a practising reflexologist. I am a member of both the British Reflexology Association and the Scottish Institute of Reflexology. I am very committed to reflexology and am continually amazed by the results. It can be used independently or alongside conventional medicine to help so many conditions for both the young and not so young!

If you would like any further information please contact me on 07890 912 706 or email info@janeandrewstherapies.com