What is Reflexology?

What is reflexology? 

Foot Reflexology works on the principle that there are points on the foot that correspond to every part, gland, and organ in the body. By applying pressure to these points, tension is relieved in a corresponding body part and the body can return to its normal balanced state. The body is seen as a whole integrated connective system similar to the Chinese tradition which sees the body as a network of energy channels. For an interesting website on Chinese medicine, click here. Some form of this practice has apparently been used from ancient times and in different cultures. The modern revival of reflexology in the west began in the 1920s with the work of American physicians W. Fitzgerald and J.S. Riley. Building on their work, Eunice D. Ingham developed it into a therapy (the Ingham Method) and through her efforts it began to be practiced widely. Brief histories of the topic are given in articles from the International Institute of Reflexology and on several other websites.

Many countries have national associations that organize activities and set standards of practice. The International Council of Reflexologists attempts to bring together practitioners from different countries and lists many organizations on its website. At least three countries (China, Denmark and the United Kingdom) recognize reflexology in their national health care systems.

Much of the evidence regarding the effectiveness of this practice is anecdotal but some experimental data are becoming available. Abstracts of research papers can be found, for example, on the website of the Pacific Institute of Reflexology.
A typical treatment session lasts 45 to 60 minutes. The client relaxes while the practitioner takes a history, cleans the feet, warms them up and then applies pressure to the reflex points in a systematic way. To find a reflexologist, or to learn how to become a practitioner, contact your local or national association. Courses in reflexology practice and teaching, with certification through the Reflexology Association of Canada, are given in Canada and internationally by Wellness Training Services. The concept of walking on a pebbly surface as a healthful activity has been known for a long time. "Cobblestone paths" exist in public parks in many parts of the world. Examples of these are found in China and the state of Washington, USA. Devices such as the mat described on this website do not fully replace a treatment by a qualified practitioner but they have the advantage that they are always available for a self-administered foot massage. These mats are designed to apply pressure to the reflex points as well as to give a general massage to the muscles on the bottoms of the feet.

NOTE: Reflexologists do not diagnose, prescribe or treat specific conditions. Always consult your medical professional for health related problems.

Want to do reflexology at home, buy one of our reflexology mats.  Here is the link below. 

Thank you.

                                                  www.footreflexology-massagemat.com

Why?

RIP Cpl. Nathan Cirillo

I have got to say right off the bat that I don't pretend to know anything about any radical religion and frankly speaking I don't think I really want to know much about them - but what I would like to know is why hurt others?

Is there not a fundamental humanity base in your culture? Do you not sympathise with others of the human race, or are you just completely brain washed into thinking this is something your God wants you to do. And by the way what "God" of any religion would WANT you to harm others.

I can't even kill a bug let alone being able to take another persons life in the name of anything I may believe in.

I have come to the conclusion that people who assume any radicalism must not be right in the head to begin with, there must be some underlying mental issues.

Check out this video of a school presumably teaching their children to behead.

http://www.wnd.com/2014/10/canada-mosque-teaches-4-year-olds-how-to-behead/

I should mention that this video was taken years ago according to another report and that the children are simply reinacting a historic event. Here is a link to the counter article.

http://www.shalomlife.com/news/26208/no-a-canadian-mosque-is-not-teaching-4-year-olds-to-behead/

 a quote from the above article....

“It’s a Shiite school, and it’s commemorating one of the great tragedies in Islamic history, which is the slaughter of the Prophet Muhammad’s family by the caliphate of the time,” says Fatah, who also notes that he himself watched these plays as a boy growing up in Pakistan.

I don't even know how to conclude this blog, I am at a loss for words.

I am deeply saddened and very concerned that people are being conditioned to believe that murdering others is an honorable thing to do.

Please go in peace not hatred.


What are your thoughts?  Please feel free to share

Thank you.

An article about the Ottawa shooting:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa-shooting-where-did-michael-zehaf-bibeau-get-his-gun-1.2811249

Ebola - Yes, I am going there...

Ok.....as I take a deep breath!!! I am going to give my take on this God awful worldwide problem that is call Ebola. (caution swearing ahead)

I think that I have a healthy balance of being cautious and being slightly paranoid when it comes to germs, how they are spread, keeping my hands washed, wiping down door knobs and heavy traffic areas of my house. 

I just can't wrap my head around the fact that trained professionals and world leaders are taking this epidemic in such a nonchalant way.

It has become abundantly clear to me that people with direct contact with those known to have Ebola should without a doubt be quarantined for the 21 days after last contact in an effort to contain it.  Do not get on a fucking plane and travel the world because you are confident you are healthy - how dare you?

The staff at the Texas Hospital should have been put on a MANDATORY 21 days quarantine JUST IN CASE.....and now lo and behold we have 2 nurses infected out of the 77 people reported to have been in contact with the infected patient & they were in full Hazmat suits to boot!!! Ya let me travel on an airplane 1 day before being tested positive for Ebola all while knowing one of my colleagues is infected whom I worked along side of.  Bonehead move on the 2nd nurses behalf, what was she thinking?  What is that hospital thinking?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ebola-outbreak-dallas-nurse-took-frontier-airlines-flight-before-becoming-ill-1.2798937

This is happening, this is not a joke!!!  Many are saying not to fall prey to the hype.  Others are saying this is natures way of a natural human purge, some are even saying that there isn't Ebola happening in Africa and that it is all a media ploy or some kind of Pharmaceutical money grab.  Really?  Come on.....I say get a grip and err on the side of caution.

Quarantine and or Isolate those people who were in direct contact with Ebola infected patient for the 21 days, this will be way more effective than letting potential carriers walk amongst the population , no?  Mind you - here is a study saying that the 21 days MAY not be enough.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141015112323.htm

The longer this little bugger called Ebola is out there the more likely it will mutate into a different strain, so I urge people not to travel if you have been even near someone with Ebola.  We don't need any more news reporters going to infected areas of Africa.  Stay put for crying out loud. Lock down the Texas Hospital and its staff and lets get a handle on this. Drastic measures for a drastic, potentially worldwide catastrophic epidemic.

Finally, I want to mention that those dealing with this are very brave and I thank them for helping the sick. However, you too may very well be a carrier and as such you should isolate yourself accordingly.

What are your thoughts on this?

Please share & post your thoughts in the comment section below. 

Thanks for reading by blog.

#Ebola #Outbreak #Africa #Travel

My Pet Peeves

I did a blog on my favorite things and now I here are some of my Pet peeves:

Wikipedia defines Pet peeves as:
A pet peeve or pet hate is a minor annoyance that an individual identifies as particularly annoying to themselves, to a greater degree than others may find it.

We all have them and they are different for each of us and they can usually be very pronounced if we are already annoyed.

Here are some of mine. (in no particular order)

• People talking or being loud at the movie theater:

I find it very annoying that people would be so inconsiderate of others who paid to watch a movie in peace.  Be quite at the movies people!!!

• Waiting in long lines:

For example waiting in a big line up at Tim Hortons for people getting big orders.  Hey Timmies, have a coffee only line will ya!!!

• Picking up dog shit:

I know it is the law but how disgusting is it to hunch over and scoop up warm shit, I mean come on back when I was a kid if you stepped in it you just wiped it off, what's the big deal???

• People blowing their nose in public:

Snot.....enough said

• Being late:

I can't stand being late and not being able to do anything about it - like being stuck in traffic knowing you are going to be late and someone waiting for you.

• Leaving pets in too hot of a car or too cold:

I can't get over how stupid some people are, just baffles me that they just don't get how dangerous this is to their pet. I am one of those people that would smash the window open!!!

• People who are sick, yet they go out about their day or send their kids to school:

Okay - this is a big one for me.  Again can't believe I have to spell this out for some really dumbass people. If you are sick (contagious in someway)....STAY THE HECK HOME.  Same goes for your kids, don't pump them up with Tylenol and send them off to School/Daycare to spread the illness. Geeeessshhhhh.

• Mean spirited people

There are some people who are just out and out mean.  They have no clue how to be a nice, kind person.  These people really rub me the wrong way, I often wonder what made them that way and I try to be extra kind to these individuals.....as unfortunately I know a few of them.

Well, that is basically it lol.  What are your Pet Peeves?

Please share your comments below, thanks for reading my blog.

#petpeeves #annoying #blog #pest #stupidity

Last year was hard - yet I am Thankful for it

Thanksgiving, a time to reflect on what you are thankful for the year past. I got to tell you that although it was one of the hardest years in recent memory and yet I am Thankful for it.

Going back a year - Our T.V show had now been airing for about a month and things were going great. Fans would approach us and talk about the show and how much they loved it. Our work life was doing great, family was great, health was great - hey nothing to complain about here! but then things just got really tough.

Although I am not going to go into too much detail here (as we are writing a memoir down the road) I will say that it was a year wasted on waiting. We waited and put a lot of opportunities on hold as we were 100% certain that our beloved TV show would get subsequent season. For reasons still unknown to us the network took forever to make the call to our production company and when they did we knew we were screwed - we would now face months of near financial catastrophe.

It was literally one day after finding out that the TV show would not be renewed that our daughter did not show up for work, this was uncharacteristic of her and in my gut I knew to call the emergency dept. the emergency nurse answered the phone and I frantically asked if they had our daughter there, her response was "Well, this is a very difficult call for us to make." I nearly died - she confirmed that our daughter was in fact there and had flipped her car.  Turns out she flipped her car 2 times and landed upside down into a frozen pond. We rushed to the emergency dept. and found her strapped on a stretcher. I kissed her forehead and she cried saying she was sorry about the car. Bless her heart....She walked away with a tiny scratch, what a miracle.

Shortly after that it would be back to the same emergency department but this time with our son - who got a nasty spider bite and had a red line creeping up his arm which if left untreated could turn into potential fatal blood poisoning.

I could go on but I think I am painting a pretty clear picture about how this past year went down - and it continued to go down, way down.......I could bitch I could complain and I could point fingers but a wise women told us once "Take the higher road!" hard to do but will lead by her example.

But here I sit early Saturday morning coffee in hand and the sun shining through the window and seeing the most beautiful color display mother nature has provided us all with and I am thankful for it all. Both of our children are healthy, safe and happy. Tomorrow I welcome into my home my wonderful parents where my husband will put on an amazing meal for us all. We have some truly amazing fans who reach out to us lovingly on a daily basis from around the world - yes our little TV show has aired worldwide and we couldn't be happier about that. (you'd think that going worldwide and having it be successful worldwide would warrant subsequent seasons right? apparently not)

So although it was the year of "H E double hockey sticks" (hell). I am happy, healthy and ready for all the new adventures life has to offer.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.  Many thanks for reading.

What are you Thankful for?

You going to eat that?

I don't know about you but going grocery shopping makes me crazy. I really don't like any type of shopping especially food shopping. As I have become more aware of food and more mindful of what I put in my body it has even become more frustrating.

I am guilty of over thinking certain things and when I dig into something that interests me I can get overwhelmed. Looking into foods that are bad for you is truly an eye opener. For those who haven't done any homework on what it in their food are in for a shock.

Now you have to have SOME common sense and realise that we can't be 100% perfect eaters ALL the time. But we certainly can make an effort to improve.

All fast food is unhealthy but one of the worst places to take your family to eat (in my opinion) is McDonalds. Although they have tried to remarket themselves into the healthy choice place to eat - they are BY FAR unhealthy. Instead try taking the family to the park with a home packed home made picnic (no prepackaged foods). This way not only do you know what is going into their bodies they will be getting fresh air & exercise.  A win win.

I am way from being perfect in this dept. but I am trying on a daily basis to improve. So, back to the grocery store. My thought is that if it is in a box it probably isn't a good food choice. The easiest thing to try and do is by local fresh ingredients as they are in season and look up new fun recipes that you can make with them. It can be a lot of extra work but well worth the effort in the long run.

I am a vegetarian (an ethical choice) and at first I thought it was going to be difficult but really it wasn't. I feel better about the choices I am making as well as leaving animals to be animals and not slaughtering them and eating them. The supply and demand for meat is crazy; back to Mc D's think about all the burgers they sell each and every day worldwide and that is just one chain - then there is A & W, Harvey's, Jack in the Box etc.... Yikes that is a lot of beef (with tons of fillers & hormones) Barf, no thanks.



If you are interested here is a web site to start your "eating better" journey. Now again, it may be overwhelming at first but stick with it and cut yourself some slack. You got this!!!

http://foodbabe.com/

Don't eat blindly - know what you are putting into your body. I am working on this with my 16 year old son, what a battle.

Thank you for reading and please feel free to leave me your comments. Have a great day. :)

#vegetarian #clean #choice #eatwell

Consumerism (a nasty word)

Consumerism is a social and economic order and ideology that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-greater amounts. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumerism)

I wonder where it all started? When did we have to have it all at the expense of our financial future? When did having everything we WANT and not what we NEED become a primary focus?

My parents bought their first home in the mid 1960's for $10,000 and from what I hear from my Mother that if you had an annual earning of over $10,000 you were well to do.  

Nowadays (at least in my area) homes are selling for over $500,000.  As a matter of fact this past weekend we went to a garage sale at an estate around the corner from us that is listed and on the market at almost 4 Million dollars. According to a well known banks website you need to have an annual income of about $107,000.00 in order to qualify to purchase a home worth $500,000.00 - Imagine the income you would have to make to be able to afford that 4 million dollar place - the calculator on the website I got the other information on a $500K home couldn't even give me an answer - it just read to contact a branch to inquire. WOW. If you had an 1960's income nowadays of $9000.00 a year you could afford to buy a home for $2194.00 (according to the same web site). Puts things into perspective.

We live in a WANTS time as apposed to NEEDS; a flip flop from generations past.  A new Cell phone just got released and within days there were over 10 million cell phones sold - Question, what was wrong with all those 10 million peoples other cell phone? Why do we feel the need to have the newest of things.

Buy a bigger, better, newer car. Kids need all the newest high end gadgets, we need a bigger better wedding than such and such........WHY WHY WHY??? If you can' afford it - don't do it. Short term pain, long term gain.

A youngster I was watching one day saw that we were changing our flooring from peel and stick which was pink, dirty and ugly to nice new hardwood flooring.  She asked why were changing it - and what was wrong with the older floor. Stopping me in my tracks I thought "Nothing is wrong with the other floor." Yet We went into Dept. to install this hardwood flooring when in fact the other floor was just fine.

Out with the old - in with the new. A troubling thought as I get older and start to see the trap that I along with just about everyone else has fallen into. Can't afford it - put it on credit, in credit card trouble get a consolidation load, can't afford those payments either refinance your house & the vicious cycle continues. As you get older it becomes so much more important to have no mortgage and a huge savings account (specially those without pensions).  I wish I could go back and tell my younger self what I know now.  Think my kids will listen to me if I try to teach them this now?

Please write your comments and share your stories of struggles and successes on this topic. Or have any resource information that has helped you and your family - pls share it here as well.  Thank you.