A healing hand with pressure on the feet
Most of the people who go to seek help from Christianne Heal do so because they don't feel well, but they can't pinpoint the problem.
Christianne is a holistic practitioner. She is experienced in counselling, healing, massage, reflexology and Dr Bach Flower remedies. But what she does first of all for her clients is to listen to them before she decides how best she can help.
In fact, lots of us go to the doctor for the same reasons, feeling generally unwell, anxious, with aches and pains, often needing to talk things over with someone qualified but understanding.
Complementary therapies
Christianne spent three years working alongside a GP in Italy where her work in the surgery was simple counselling and teaching relaxation. Doctors just don't have time for lengthy discussions and this is where Christianne’s work fits in beautifully.
“I feel my work should be available on the NHS and be part of a GP's practice. My fees are probably lower than the real cost of drugs, some of which just muddle the brain instead of clearing people’s heads” she said.
She works regularly with a Harley Street consultant psychiatrist doing relaxation therapies with patients and also in a women’s centre in London which charges about one-third of the usual fee for low-income clients.
She says that with reflexology she has helped people suffering from insomnia, asthma, sciatica and catarrh - and also babies with colic.
On one occasion she did seem to wave a “Magic wand” when she cured a patient to back pain which nothing before had helped; doctors were confused and said they had no idea why her method worked - was it reflexology or fluke? In any case the patient was able to cancel his operation.
Reflexology
Reflexology is not new - although growing public awareness of alternative, or, a better word, complementary medicine is new. Reflexology is Chinese and probably as ancient as acupuncture.
It works through pressure points and what makes it special is that it works through the feet.
The theory is that all the bodies organs, muscles and energy channels have various nerve endings in the foot. The toes correspond to the head area, the arch of the foot to the central area of the body and the heel to the pelvic area and legs.
If something goes wrong in the body, energy channels are blocked by the formation of crystals. Manipulation and dispersal of these crystals in the appropriate part of the foot cannot only release tension but does alleviate actual symptoms.
“I had a high-powered businessman come to see me with cluster migraine. He was getting three a day, lasting an hour each. He was the type of person who didn't delegate responsibility and was highly critical of himself too.” Christianne saw the man twice in a 10-day period and taught him relaxation and breathing techniques as well and within that period he only had one mild migraine, she said.
Another spectacular success story was a 13-year-old boy who still wet himself and felt very ashamed and upset by this. Christianne put him on a course of Mimulus, a Dr Bach flower remedy which works against known fears and within five days his symptoms had ceased. His mother was so thrilled that she stopped the course of drops but the wetting started again, and Christianne had to step in and make sure the four-week course was completed. “Within a month his whole condition had cleared up” said Christianne.
Another touching little story is a five-year-old girl who suffers from diabetes who Christianne has been able to help a great deal, even at such a young age in dealing with her illness.
Christianne is a member of the Cambridge Natural Health Information Centre and often gives talks on Reflexology and her other holistic therapies.
This article originally appeared in the Cambridge Weekly News
