Crystals or boney bits

[ipnez]

I am not really convinced when I hear of people finding crystals in clients feet. Surely if these are crystaline areas or calcium build ups then they would disappear through normal everyday walking as we would be naturally reflexing that area.
The most common point that people say is crystal laden seems to be the shoulder reflex point. I may be wrong but could this not be ligaments and small bone.
If there were calcium or crystalised areas in the feet would we not have solid evidence by now with autopsy examinations or other scientific study.
I would welcome anyone's comments on this. I need convincing

Thanks in advance
Tony

 

[love m? or hat? m??]

Tony I think that you are probably right here no matter what the manuals and professionals say. If you manipulate tendons and rub them over bone it feels 'crunchy' which is probably where the crystal idea comes from, although there is a medical condition where people do get some soft tissue calcification but I think that this is a healing reaction to trauma in that part of the body and here is a link to a website that shows xrays of this calcification.

http://www.rad.washington.edu/mskbook/softtissueca.html

I have reflexology sessions weekly, I am an experienced in a number of healing systems which I practice on myself daily as well as having over 30 years experience with Tai Chi and Aikido and I still get 'crystals' in the shoulder reflex

I think that the jury is still out on this one... I hope there will be some interesting discussions on this...

 

[kiwikid]

Well, when you say about the shoulder reflex showing up, having had many years of shoulder problems I can pass on a few incidental things I was told:
The shoulder is the most complex joint in the body with many more things that can go wrong than, say the hip. This is because there is no bony joint as such - the rotator cuff which forms the socket of the joint is made up of muscle and ligament. It's also the joint which is hardest to put right.

And also to answer the point about crystals, they are a well known medical phenomenon called tophi. In gout they are composed mainly of uric acid and congregate at extremities, which is where the blood leaves them and flows off elsewhere. These crystals are extremely painful, as anyone with gout can tell you!

The reflexology crystals are generally made of calcium and have been found in the feet and hands in autopsies. What hasn't been proved AFAIK is the connection between the location of these crystals and the part of the body that reflexology claims to be located on the foot or hand.

HTH

 

[Lore]

i was always under the impression that "crystals" were deposits of uric acid... are you sure its calcium?

tony, you are bringing up some good points... however, many areas that i have found "crystals" are often areas that dont get walked on, as such... like, back of neck reflex, side of head, colon (yes, i have... once!), eye... see? what you say would make sense... sometimes .

btw, i was a little disappointed that moshe didnt answer your question about fallen arches/ high insteps... but enjoyed the free book advert!!

 

[divinemystick]

I'm just saying what my tutor's told me....

 

[MARIE LOVES SCOTT]

Rosie
Thanks for the reply. I am not saying that all reflex points are worked during walking but the shoulder reflex certainly would be. I am sure there are some reflexologists out there that are convinced that they have found "crystals" when in fact they are bones and tendons. Any over manipulation on these areas could cause unnecessary pain and bruising.

Chris you said that they have found these crystals in the feet during autopsy. Have you seen the evidence somewhere. If so I would be very interested to see it. I havent seen any reference to this in any books I have read or maybe you have a weblink to it that you could share.
Tony

 

[eqkkigjk]

As I said before, I'm only telling you what my tutor told me - perhaps I ought to ask her where she got the information from!