turning clients away - sob sob

[Akass]

Once again, I have lost another client. Someone rang me (Yellow Pages really does generate a lot of interest) asking for treatments for morning sickness. I have been taught that you shouldn't treat for the first three months - does everyone agree that this was the right thing to do. I really don't believe that reflexology could cause any harm but I suppose we have to abide by what we were taught!

By the way. Where do you all buy your supplies (cream) from?

 

[JZD]

Hello ambermoon

oooohhh that is so frustrating. Personally I think you did the right thing though. I have a client who has suffered two miscarriages but has had regular treatments from before all the trouble (with breaks for the pregnancies) and looking back in hindsight I'm glad I refused treatment while she was pregnant.

I sort of agree with you in one way, I don't think that Reflexology can cause a miscarriage. The important words here being 'I don't think'. The honest truth is I don't really know for certain if it can or not. I've heard it said many times 'if it's not meant to be then the loss would have occured anyway', but if I had gone ahead with the treatment the question would always have been, in my mind and in my clients, did it cause the miscarriages? Neither of us would have known for sure.

May I ask you, you mentioned you have lost a client 'yet again' have you lost clients before because of this problem?

love
Susan

 

[Sean B]

it is best to err on the side of caution....treatment normally commences weeks 12-14. One of the biggest reasons for this is if someone needs to find a reason for a miscarriage because of grief etc you may find yourself a target....

T
x

 

[only me]

I have to say that I've come to the same conclusion and wont treat during the first 12 weeks now. I was swayed for a while by Ann Gillanders that reflexology is always safe, but why risk it. Especially for precious pregnancies after treating for sub fertility.

My tutor again recently said it was best not too and I trust her judgement, she has years of experience.

I recently told a PCOS client that I wouldn't give her reflex once she is pregnant, (she is on waiting list for IVF) which was quite difficult as she is reallly nice and we enjoy the treatments, but I did offer a cup of tea and a chat and IHM if she would like.

You can also use some acupressure to help morning sickness and other effects, so its worth learning these.

Jan x

 

[captain electro v-2.0]

which is a pity because, the most positive thing i learnt was that, if a pregnancy is not viable, nothing we do will change that for good or bad. you imagine all the horrors that behalf some women before they even know they are pregnant and yet they go to healthy full term. mother nature (in the words of my mentor susanne enzer) wants to keep us going and will do her utmost to do so.

if there were no other contras, i would have treated this lady. reflexology is very effective to calm morning sickness but we must all do what feels right for us.

 

[Just Be]

I also would have treated this lady if she hadn't had an previous miscarriages or unstable pregnancies. I once treated a lady from 5 weeks because she was suffering abdominal cramps (baby was fine - seemed to be a type of morning sickness without the sickness[&:]) . Her GP OK'd the treatment and actually thought it was a good idea. The pains went and she continued with reflexology throughout the pregnancy (and now after). Reflexology is such a gentle treatment that I don't think we should get too hung up on contraindications, especially when we have the benefit of experience behind us. Are you newly qualified Ambermoon? if so, treat as you were taught for now, until you ahve had further training and experience to give you confidence to make your own mind up. BTW i know that soem insurance co's won't insure for pregnant clients but teh AoR insurance is fine however many weeks they are.

Sarah x

 

[Buddhist Objectivist]

Hi,

I, too, would have treated this lady.

Might I recommend that you take a Pregnancy and Labour add-on to your Reflkexology qualification - then you CAN get insurance for this situation.

I did (with the IFR) and it dispelled many of the myths and old wives' tales about not giving Reflexology treatment during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Essentially - if the permission of the pregnant lady's doctor and/or midwife has been obtained, there is no reason why a Reflexology treatment all through the pregnency AND through the confinement should not be given provided care is taken over the reflexes for the womb, etc.

Please don't turn away clients. Get qualified in that area and increase your client base.

 

[sandy123]

Hi - preganancy& therapies but I think our beliefs - as always are such contraindications themselves. " how we feel " I'd say is most important.
plus what we have been told, taught !

Thus - Importantly we have to do what we feel is right.
What we believe & what the client believes, feels is right.
Of course what we are confident we're doing.
there is no room for indecisiveness on this one

Personally I would always treat a pregnant lady , especially in the 1st trimester, as I believe we cant have it both ways...
we either support the body, enhancing all systems, promoting harmony & balance - or we dont !!
There are ladies who have babies who have been intoxicated daily with alcohol, drugs, dreadful nutrition - goodness knows what else & that ickle baby will cling on for dear life - it will emerge - its been bathed in gin !! chucked down stairs, stood upside down . . and still it arrives !

My trust is with Mother Nature, If the baby is meant to be - it will be
and I dont think ( my humble opinion )
that all the toe twiddling in the world would shift/budge that baby.

However my beliefs have to be the same as my clients,
she will have found me I wouldnt try to pursuade a doubting client
I would reassure but not pursuade. She has to know what she wants & what she believes !

Thus being pretty fatalistic, believing in the ways that Mother Nature knows best .. applications I would apply weekly, encouraging excellent natural nutrition & try to assist through all the sickness etc etc -
what a wonderful time to feel better ! If she feels the need, she should have the option.

I would legally have a signature on all consultation forms & as always with every client - date & write exactly why & what was done via treatment.
Clients reactions etc, finding , discussions etc

Thoughts free flowing - if anyone who has miscarried a baby
if she had then undertaken Reflexology to strengthen & assist becoming pregnant again what then ? - would treatments stop as soon as she was..
i doubt it - she would want to continue or be rather confused.Especially as thus continuity may strengthen that babies chances of staying, reflexology may well be so beneficial to Mum & Baby.

Ambermoon - as Sarah says. ..you must do what you feel is right ,
check your insurance too & I suppose decide which way , one way or the other is for you.

We all only want the best for our clients , when & how we deliver that i guess has to be down to our beliefs, training & experiences.

I do not believe that Reflexology
can do any harm - whatsoever - at anytime.

 

[Jamie James]

I agree with all that has been said here. In the case of my client, we have discussed wether or not to carry on with treatment if she becomes pregnant again as I believe that it can only be benificial to her condition and she even agreed that if another miscarriage occured it would be because there was something else wrong which was making this happen. However I'm afraid I come down on the side of TigerBee and we've decided to stop treatment again if she becomes pregnant. I know a lot of you will be cringing and thinking 'ooh don't do that' but she might feel different if it happens again and could easily lay the blame my way if she had a mind to. By the way my insurance wouldn't cover me in this event. I always have the best interests of my clients in mind but I think it's important to look after mine aswell.

 

[exxed]

But why not leave out the relevant points? Surely that would be the best way to go?[&:] I agree with Pre and all she says (well put). I would just give a good relaxing treatment avoiding reproductive areas and make sure I told her that. You should only avoid treating in pregnancy if there is a history of miscarriage or other problems, right? Difficult if first pregnancy I agree, but there you go.

 

[David D.]

As usual a lot of very sensible and informed opinions, but I dont think I will risk it for the subfertile clients still because if anything happens I will always wonder. Its just an instinctive thing really. Also, not many weeks really from 6 weeks when they know, to the safety of 12 weeks. Do you think its only fair to tell the client that there are 2 schools of thought? I will do a Suzanne Enzer course when possible. She is quite certain its ok then.

I do appreciate the point about babies hanging on in there despite plenty of other worse things, ie alcohol and smoking etc.

Would you treat while someone is having IVF, their hormones are so disrupted.

Jan x

 

[foobar chaka]

Hi Jan

I seem to recall a thread some time ago discussing this. I think it was generally agreed that as reflexology is a very balancing treatment and IVF puts the body into complete imbalance, there would be a conflict during this time.

One of my clients is about to start IVF and I've explained this to her and told her also that if and when she gets pregnant, I would be happy to treat her once she is past the twelve week mark and all is stable.

Lesley

 

[qbsokrgx]

HIya
Will try again, hubby inadvertantly pulled the router out!!!

I would treat anyone wishing to become pregnant, at the point of assisted conception/insemination i would still treat but miss out repo's and pituitary. Once 2 weeks later if a pregnancy has established i do not treat for 12 weeks....
Hope that helps
T
x

 

[souptiogs]

Hello,

The same sort of discussion goes round among Shiatsu therapists. Most of those I know are happy to treat suring th efirts three months. Just avoiding the few points that are good for inducing labour. If the risk was so big, then we would have a natural method against unwanted pregancies...
What about clients who are trying to get pregant? You never know when the pregnacy will start, do you?! I think that there is about a 70% rate of misscarriage during the first month. But it goes unnoticed because it happens between two menstruations.

Artemis

 

[Rottweiler]

Me again. I did recently treat somebody who was having IVF. She came to help reduce the stress of having the treatment repeated, having failed before. Good news, she is now pregnant and has currently stopped coming, but is having other treatment. It would be worrying if they miscarrried and you or they may always think 'what if?' but I left out the repros and the pituitary as mentioned above and felt that there was no way she could suffer, in fact the opposite, it helped her emotionally. In the end we must all do what is right. I haven't had an specialised training in pregnancy, birth etc, but I agree, trust your instincts and it isn't worth treating if you are not sure.

 

[tqsawcxz]

IVF - now i would hesitate .. presently i do not know enough information
clomide..etc etc the whole process sounds soooo un'natural it would be difficult to understand if the body would respond to reflexology & try to balance the imbalance caused by ivf . .or if it would work alongside with what was happening - ie intention of treatment.
& carefully chosen reflexes & systems supporting the IVFf.
Ooh If i had to treat somebody right here & right now who is on ivf & was waiting to find out if she had conceived
...hmmm my guess is i'd decline.
As she has been through hell to get to that point, i think the ivf , being so emotionally charged. so expensive
so much at stake . . unless she was adamant that she wanted it . .i think i'd decline & wait until i knew she was pregnant & I'd done m,ore research & understood exactly what affets ivf programme has on the body & emotions . Blame could too easily fall at the reflexology door from the ivf peeps & perhaps even the Mum...fact is I dont know how the body would respond & its unlikely that there'll be research/queues of peeps volunteering - ivf with reflex . . ivf without.

I always work from instinct , i have no better guide than my gut reaction & I suppose ultimately thats what we should listen to ( followed /along with training & experience ) with any client ..pregnant or not.

Another free thought thrown in - - many pregnant ladies still can have problems after the 12 weeks...premature births, complications, pre eclampsia etc so really theres no guarantee that all will be the ideal clients after the 12 weeks.

Artemis - Hi - Yes i heard that too, Mother Nature when you consider the amount of sperm to an egg is abundantly prolific.

 

[Nycgirl92]

Me Again!.

We, my wife and I, do give treatments to clients undergoing IVF. If IVF throws their bodies out of balance we have found that Reflexology brings their bodies back into balance and they are more likely to conceive and, with gentle treatment, achieve a successful pregnancy.

One of the main reasons for failures of IVF is the stress and tension imposed on the people undergoing it and the relaxation and balancing effect of Reflexology aids the removal of these disadvantages making conception more likely.

It is unfortunate that, in this day and age there is so much caution and fear of litigation!

 

[ianvreugdenhil]

I knew we had discussed this before and reached a different conclusion.

http://www.healthypages.net/forum/tm.asp?m=25355&mpage=1&key=ivf&anchor#26436

Lesley

 

[purplesmiles19]

Hi Paul - what a breath of fresh air - thank you for sharing that
I think fears have been instilled in me with ivf
- some peeps wont touch an ivf lady - leavingit up to the ivf process.
I did initially disagree, thinking reflex would balance , reduce stress, strengthen systems etc etc - but then with further research into all ivf treatments & affects, drugs & procedures - i found the more i read the more scared i became - it all seemd so un'natural . .
but all was soo serious - and to lose an ivf baby seemed - eeeek
so much more unbearable to those Mums - it would be so easy to lay blame the reflexologists way & as you say we're in a state of pending litigation for everything - somebody has to be blamed !

Thank you , I shall carry on researching
& try to encourage my initial thoughts of reflex & ivf.

 

[deckels]

Hi Aromababe,

I didn't catch the posting you have given us the link to. If I had, my response would have been the same as above.

As in all things, different teachers give different reasons and methods of treatment. I am happy that the teachers of my course (one an experienced practising midwife and Mother and the other a Mother and both reflexologists) knew what they were talking about and had practised Reflexology on those undergoing IVF and those pregnant by IVF.

Reflexology, particularly the IFR method, is SO gentle that I cannot see it doing any harm to Mother and Baby - however conception occurred.

AND - Hi, Pre, thanks for your kind comments [sm=1kis.gif]