By Leslie Gilbert Elman
Have you thanked your hands lately? Maybe it’s time you did. No body part does so much for you and requires so little. Give them a rub now and then. You might be amazed by how good a little hands-on treatment can make your whole body feel.
You probably know that your feet are covered with reflexology points that can unlock trapped physical energy and restore your body’s harmonious balance. Your hands have those points too, and you don’t have to take your shoes off to reach them.
The Healing Chi Hand Reflexology treatment at Sundara Inn & Spa in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, taps into the hands’ reflexology points in just thirty minutes – fifteen per hand. It starts with an exfoliation using the spa’s signature Sandstone Polish and a light spray of honeysuckle-scented Hydrating Mist. Then the therapist walks her thumbs over the palm of each hand paying special attention to critical points like the one at the mound below each pinkie that corresponds to the shoulder.
“A lot of spa newcomers try this treatment” says Sundara’s lead massage therapist Jill Cline, RMT, and their response is almost always the same: “I didn’t know my hands hurt so much!”
At Bliss Spas in New York, London, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, therapists see a steady flow of office workers coming in for the thirty-minute Arm-istice hand and arm treatment. The treatment begins with deep penetrating moist heat applied to the upper back and shoulders. Then the arms, upper back, neck, and shoulders are massaged. Finally the hands are gently stretched and massaged using a combination of massage strokes and reflexology to find and open the ‘trigger points’ of contracted muscle fiber.
“There are so many people suffering from overuse-related injuries” says Ann Marie Cilmi, Bliss’s senior manager of training. “Arm-istice is geared toward alleviating their pain. But computer jockeys aren’t the only ones who overwork their hands. Hairdressers are prime candidates for repetitive motion injuries” Cilmi notes. “Using the round brush and rotating the wrist over and over causes pain over time.”
People who work with tools, like electricians and plumbers, also put a lot of stress on their hands. The manual repetition of twisting a screwdriver, for example, overworks the muscles, while the vibration of a power tool can affect the nerves in the arms and hands. Sundara’s Cline recalls doing hand reflexology on a carpenter recently, He said, “I don’t care what you do as long as you work my hands.”
Give Yourself a Hand
No matter what you do for a living, chances are that you use your hands – over and over. Even ordinary tasks like chopping vegetables, folding laundry, and blow-drying your hair can force your hands and arms into unnatural positions that cause muscle strain. And as your hands tense and tighten, the flow of energy throughout your body can become blocked. A few minutes of hand reflexology can open the flow again. The good news is that you can perform this treatment on yourself wherever and whenever you like; at your desk, in a meeting, on a plane, or in front of the TV.
Use gentle pressure with the thumbs to slowly work out the blockages. “You’re feeling for anything different” Cline explains. “Sometimes it feels like a clump. Usually there’s heat involved because there’s a lot of blood in the area.” If you feel relief when you press on a certain spot, she adds, that’s because the spot was blocked and your massage released the block.
In Hand Reflexology: The Key to Perfect Health (Prentice Hall, 2000), authors Mildred Carter and Tammy Weber recommend a rolling or rotating pressure that you can feel beneath the skin. But remember that you’re not striving to realign the fragile bones of the hand; you’re simply trying to keep the blood and chi energy flowing all the way down to your fingertips.
Sit comfortably and massage over the palms of your hands taking your time and giving a few extra seconds, about seven, to points that feel tight and painful. Don’t forget the webs between your fingers and what Carter and Weber call the ‘Magical V’ between the thumb and forefinger. Squeezing these areas can stimulate muscles and nerves to relieve headache, indigestion, and other discomfort.
In fact, Carter and Weber maintain that hand reflexology can ease everything from eyestrain to menstrual cramps. The pads at the base of each finger correspond to the eyes and ears. The pulse point on the outer part of the wrist, directly below the thumb, corresponds to the lower abdomen, where cramps generally strike.
Take about ten minutes per hand to massage and work the reflexology points; then finish with an application of moisturizing lotion so your hands look as good as they feel when the massage is done.
HEADS UP
To ease headache pain, focus on reflexology points that correspond to the brain, neck, shoulders, eyes, and sinuses.1) Work the thumbs by pressing gently but firmly on the surface, pad, and tip including the outer edge.
2) Using the thumb and forefinger of the opposite hand, twist the thumb to the right and to the left a few times. Then roll the thumb around and around to the right and to the left. Repeat with the other fingers to loosen them.
3) Work the tips of each finger, using your thumbnail to stimulate a sensation like pins and needles. Squeeze gently but firmly on the webbing between the fingers.
4) Press firmly on the mounds at the base of each finger and the thumb. Hold for 5 to 7 seconds.
Adapted from Hand Reflexology: The Key to Perfect Health by Mildred Carter and Tammy Weber (Prentice Hall, 2000)HELPING HANDS
Ann Marie Cilmi of Bliss Spa offers these tips for helping your hands.Hold one arm straight out in front of you. With the other hand, grasp your wrist and pull gently, but firmly, away from your body to stretch the forearm muscles. Repeat with the other arm.
If you work at a desk, stand up and shake out your hands and arms every 30 minutes to keep blood flowing.
Hold out your hands, fingers spread. One at a time, rotate your fingers and thumbs clockwise and counter-clockwise.
If your hands feel cold or numb, gently massage them to improve blood flow.
Choose ergonomically designed office equipment “chairs, desks, computer keyboards, that reduce stress on your arms and hands.
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