MYMOP Evaluation Tool

The MYMOP Evaluation Tool

The Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile, or MYMOP as it is commonly known, is an evaluation tool developed by Dr Charlotte Paterson. It is widely used by healthcare practitioners including complementary therapists and takes the form of a simple questionnaire completed by the patient or client. It is used to measure changes in the patient’s experience of a number of symptoms which they identify at the beginning of a series of treatments. Symptoms can be physical, emotional or social.
It is a useful way to gather data about treatment outcomes and we strongly encourage practitioners to use MYMOP where possible to continue to build the evidence base for complementary therapies.
For further information and to download the tool plus instructions go to the University of Bristol’s site here: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/primaryhealthcare/resources/mymop/

Reflexology training for the blind and visually impaired

The Resource Development and Information Technology Ministry, through the Human Resource Development Department (JPSM), has produced 120 reflexologists among the blind visually impaired (BUI) group in Sabah over a 10-year period since 1999.

This, at the same time, helps to reduce over-dependency on the Government, financially and in terms of job, he said when officiating at the Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia (SKM) Level 3 - Legs, Hands and Ears Reflexology course completion ceremony by JPSM at the Palace Hotel, here, Friday.

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=88138

Reflexologists say rules proposed in Clark County hurt business

More than 1,000 people in Clark County are reflexologists, according to county estimates.

Han opened the reflexology business a couple of blocks from The Orleans in 2012. Now, she worries that a proposed ordinance will force her and the 10 reflexologists at Happy Feet out of business. She is concerned the proposal would cost her business that comes in late at night, much of it from casino workers after their shifts end.

Clark County officials are concerned that without regulations, illegitimate operators will pose as reflexologists to avoid the more stringent existing requirements to open a massage parlor. Both massage parlors and reflexology businesses have a reputation in the valley as potential places where prostitution can happen.

The Las Vegas City Council in December 2011 tightened regulations for reflexology clinics and massage parlors to combat trafficking.

Reflexologists have to get a county business license but one without any required training or background checks.

Reflexologists provide foot, hand and ear rubs based on the concept that they stimulate reflexes that benefit the body as a whole, providing overall benefits such as boosted circulation and an improved immune system.

The county’s proposal would institute training requirements for certification and restrict the hours of operation for such businesses.

Read more here.

Corporate wellbeing schemes boost staff productivity

He told the January edition of Supply Business: “Some chief executives think wellbeing is

the future. If work forces lead healthy lives, they will be happier and more productive and have less sickness absence, so the company will be more successful.”

Packages can include massages and reflexology at work, access to health-related benefits, subsidised gym membership, fresh fruit, healthy food in canteens, flexible working policies, walking programmes, counselling services, an employee assistance programme or cycle-to-work schemes.

http://www.supplymanagement.com/news/2013/corporate-wellbeing-schemes-boost-staff-productivity

RiEN EDUCATION WORKING GROUP

EDUCATION WORKING GROUP - your help please!

The board has decided to create an Education Group as part of Rien as agreed in Athens in May. This will be led by Orlando Volpe, Vice-Chair of RiEN

The aim of this group is to have a clear picture of what the level of education for reflexologist is all over Europe. We already have some details regarding full member organizations. This is helpful but i...s just a starting point.

To cover all the activities I have in mind, I do need four (4) people working with me at least. If you are interested in joining the new Education Group please send me an application stating your experience in reflexology - orlando.volpe@alice.it -

This work will be on voluntary basis. I do hope that in the future there will be some money recognition too for all the people involved in the Rien grouth. Actually one of our aims is to have more and more members and shool members and also for this we do have some ideas on how to proceed.

Once the education group has been created , I (Orlano Volpe) will arrange a Skype meeting where we can discuss in details the work we have to do.

The Education Group is the first of several groups we have intention to create to involve more and more our members.

Thanks for your kind attention.

The WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014–2023

 "The WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014–2023 was developed and launched in response to the World Health Assembly resolution on traditional me...dicine (WHA62.13). The strategy aims to support Member States in developing proactive policies and implementing action plans that will strengthen the role traditional medicine plays in keeping populations healthy.

Addressing the challenges, responding to the needs identified by Member States and building on the work done under the WHO traditional medicine strategy: 2002–2005, the updated strategy for the period 2014–2023 devotes more attention than its predecessor to prioritizing health services and systems, including traditional and complementary medicine products, practices and practitioners."
http://www.who.int/medicines/publications/traditional/trm_strategy14_23/en/

EUROPEAN REFLEXOLOGY DAY

Never too early to start preparing.

EUROPEAN REFLEXOLOGY DAY - Last Saturday of April Annually- 26th April 2014

Started by the member organisations of RiEN as a way to promote Reflexology as a valuable healing tool in Europe and to help fund raise money to enable them to remain part of the EFCAM project.

EFCAM is a Federation of European Federations of specific CAM modalities and national CAM umbrella organisations. Its principal objective is to achieve equality of access to CAM throughout Europe.
http://www.efcam.eu/

Read more here:
http://www.reflexeurope.org/tiki-index.php?page=European+Reflexology+Day

Scrutiny regarding Reflexology claims.

1. With all this scrutiny going around regarding Reflexology claims in the EU, when you watch this what do you think?

1. 
   Do you agree or disagree?

The ASA is stopping complementary therapists from advertising. They have censored us from even mentioning any medical condition on our websites and will not acknowledge benefit for more than a handful of conditions ignoring NHS, NICE and World Health Organisation Evidence. They have also 'banned' patient testimonials. This is unacceptable censorship and a serious threat to natural medicine which has helped millions worldwide. Sign the petition on the following link and lets do something about it!

ASA bias against and censorship of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)

Beware what you claim, the Advertising Standards Authority is on the look out!

Another decision upheld by the authority concerned a website advertisement for Wonderful Works promoting the benefits of reflexology.

The website stated "some uses for reflexology we have done include but not limited to: diabetes ... cancer (all types) and breast cancer.''

The complainant said there was no evidence to support the claims made.

The complaints board said the advertisement contained unrealistic outcomes and exaggerated claims that were likely to mislead or deceive consumers and ordered the advertisement ordered to be removed.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=11169108

Σας εκπαιδεύουν κατά τέτοιο τρόπο ώστε πιστεύετε ότι μπορείτε να "θεραπεύσετε" με την Ρεφλεξολογία?


have you been trained to believe you can cure diseases with Reflexology? "Current attempts at regulation have exposed these contradictions. The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (or OfQuack, as they are affectionately known) has a Code of Conduct which forbids alternative therapists making claims without evidence. Blogger Simon Perry complained about every single reflexologist on the register, on the day they joined, if they were claiming to treat things like arthritis, infertility, babies with colic, and so on. All were told off, but the CNHC decided that fitness to practice was not impaired, because their reflexology expert said that the practitioners would have honestly believed their claims to be reasonable, since they would have been trained to believe that they could treat these diseases."http://www.badscience.net/2010/02/how-do-you-regulate-wu/



Στην Αγγλία "αυτός" τους τσίμπησε με την χρήση ενός προγράμματος. Εθελοντικός έλεγχος (voluntary regulation) φα'τηνα τώρα, happy?
http://adventuresinnonsense.blogspot.gr/2009/11/cnhc-wishes-to-place-on-formal-record_27.html

Orthopedic Reflexology speculation

A few days ago a discussion begun in a facebook group regarding reflexology. The discussion follows, and though it is difficult to 100% understand what is being said (possibly if descriptions where made in terms of skeletal anatomy this would be easier) I find this challenging and have dicided to tackle it through an Orthopedic Reflexology rationale.  

- Very interesting reaction today. Right in the centre of the median arch of the foot almost on the foot itself was a very sensitive spot which gave the client severe cramping. Fortunately it is a reacton she was already aware of and apologised for not telling me! Was able to work the rest of the area and from kidney, down urinary tract to bladder with no issues. Only thing I could think of is that it is linked to her IBS. She also had very sensitive areas at the thoracic/lumbar area with no reported back issues. Possibly linked to the IBS via inneravation?
- Also I was able to ease the pain on the spinal reflex with a few seconds of soft pressure.

- The area you describe sounds like the end and beginning (on each foot) of the transverse colon (if I'm understanding your description correctly) so this would make perfect sense that it was associated with her IBS. Sometimes reflexes are not in exactly the same spot on the feet from one client to another as indeed they do vary slightly in the body itself. As the colon is a muscle it could also make sense that the foot was cramping when the bowel reflex was worked on - as the bowel may have been cramping at the same time. Be interested to here other theories too.

- Yes, I also linked the cramping in her foot and the spasmodic nature of IBS. Although then I wondered if that was too obvious!




So let us begin by detecting the spot that triggered the cramping. 
If I have understood correctly, the area at hand would be the reflex area for the large intenstine (transverse colon) in the 1st zone (Right in the centre of the median arch). This would be around the joint medial cuneiform and navicular bones. This area is a "tricky one", it has been referred to as a zone of confusion! The zone is illustrated in the picture (right).

Here, due to the confusion, it is proven how essential it is to observe and notice the result of the cramping. The "result" will tell us which muscle(s) are associated and following the zone and meridian. What could follow is initially placing/naming the reflex area and then working this area out, either it being a reflex area, a muscle, a tendon sheath, a nerve sheath,  or trigger point.

Red structures are solar plexus and mesenteric plexus according to Nerve reflexology and Hanne Marquardt mapping. Adrenals are somewhere there also!

So if the 1st toe plantar flexed it would be the flexor hallucis longus tendon with the associated brevis hallucis muscle.
If the foot everted and plantar flexed it would be the peroneus longus tendon .
If the foot inverted and plantar flexed it would be the tibialis posterior muscle as "The main portion inserts into the tuberosity of the navicular and the plantar surface of the first cuneiform." 
The latter seems the most attractive hypothesis because the Reflexologists asking states: 
1st "Also I was able to ease the pain on the spinal reflex with a few seconds of soft pressure. = insertion of main protion. 

And 2nd  "She also had very sensitive areas at the thoracic/lumbar area with no reported back issues."
And this tendon has attachments as described: The plantar portion inserts into the bases of the second, third and fourth metatarsals, the second and third cuneiforms and the cuboid.

Now there is this issue with the clients IBS - Irritable bowel syndrome, and all visceral issues that proceed well with the "complementary help" of Reflexology! 

In their book, Barral and Croibier (pg 10) describe something interesting having to do with the plantar  and palmar surface of the feet and hands, exactly the areas reflexologists focus their work on.  
 “These dysfunctions are found typically at the distal ends of the extremities; They mainly occur when nerves with a high neurovisceral portion* are involved, like the median nerve or the tibial nerve.”

*Of or relating to innervation of the internal organs by the autonomic nervous system.

Tibial innervation all the way!

So there is possibly an association between this clients IBS and the cramping in her feet, but is there also vice versa the "therapeutic handling" of her IBS symptoms through her feet?

HYPOTHESIS

If we Reflexologists "work" on the soles of the feet (reflex map), we are also working on the cutaneous innervation to the sole of the foot which is provided by the tibial nerve which has a high neurovisceral portion. When we do this in an appropriate way, staying in the pain limits (hedonic tone = hurts good!) of our client, is it possible to alleviate this womans IBS symptoms?

 I do not utilize the word "cure" because as Hippocrates states in his 1st aphorism, it is not all up to us!  

Aphorisms

Section I

Life is short, and Art long; the crisis fleeting; experience perilous, and decision difficult. The physician must not only be prepared to do what is right himself, but also to make the patient, the attendants, and externals cooperate.

There is also one more comment which is quite accurate but needs even more highlighting, "Sometimes reflexes are not in exactly the same spot on the feet from one client to another as indeed they do vary slightly in the body itself."

"Have a look at these pictures, does the large intenstine look anything like the one on the reflexology chart you where taught in Reflexology school? " 

No worries Reflexology friends, either way your experienced hands are guiding you, and when in doubt always, always remember Eunice Ingham's aphorism, we (modern day reflexologists) have shown her enough diesrespect!

"If you're feeling out of kilter. 

Don't know why or what about. 

Let your feet reveal the answer. 

Find the sore spot work it out" 

In conclusion I still have a "gut feeling" that the structure(s) at hand is/are the lumbricals and the Flexor digitorum longus muscle

but I would need to know what was the result of the cramping to have a better idea.

Well as Hippocrates said in his 1st aphorism 

Life is short, and Art long; the crisis fleeting; experience perilous, and decision difficult. 

Σεμινάριο Reflex Massage

Στο σεμινάριο Reflex Massage θα προσπαθήσουμε το δυνατόν καλύτερα να εξηγήσουμε τα γενικά αποτελέσματα των διαφόρων αντανακλαστικών θεραπειών στο σύνολο τους.
Αρχικά θα μάθουμε να συνδυάζουμε αρχές της κλασσικής Ρεφλεξολογίας με ενισχυτική πρόθεση στην οποιαδήποτε  συνεδρία σωματοθεραπείας και εάν εσείς ήδη εφαρμόζεται.
Για παράδειγμα, σε περίπτωση όπου “σφιχτός” τραπεζοειδής δεν λύνεται θα μάθουμε να Ρεφλεξολογούμε ακριβώς αυτόν τον μυ στα άκρα, επικουρικά, ώστε να επιτευχθεί το επιθυμητό αποτέλεσμα. Επιπρόσθετα θα μπορούσαμε να διεγείρουμε το ανακλαστικό σημείο του νεφρού στον πόδα διότι έχει ανταπόκριση με τον τραπεζοειδή μυ (άνω μοίρα) σύμφωνα με την προσέγγιση του Κινησιολόγου G. Goodheart - 1964 αλλά και της Inge Dougans (ΠΚΙ). Στην περίπτωση όπου το πρόβλημα είναι χρόνιο θα διεγείρουμε και το ανθρωπάριο του Pennfield ανακλαστικά λόγω της μεταβολής που θα έχει προκληθεί από την χρονιότητα.
Στην συνέχεια θα μάθουμε να εξασκούμε θεραπευτικούς χειρισμούς σε απόσταση από την εστία του πόνου ή της ανισορροπίας, στην ίδια ή και στην αντίθετη πλευρά. Κατά αυτόν τον τρόπο μπορούμε να προσεγγίσουμε υπεραλγεινές ζώνες που δεν ανέχονται οποιοδήποτε ερεθισμό, ζώνες που για διάφορους λόγους δεν μπορούμε να αγγίξουμε, ακόμη και τα μέλη που βρίσκονται ακινητοποιημένα με γύψο.

Πληροφορίες και διαβάστε περισσότερα εδώ.

ΚΟΠΗ ΤΗΣ ΠΙΤΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΔΙΑΔΡΑΣΤΙΚΟ ΣΕΜΙΝΑΡΙΟ Σ.Ε.Ρ.

ΠΡΟΣΚΛΗΣΗ

Αγαπητοί Συνάδελφοι,

Με χαρά σας προσκαλούμε στην κοπή της πίτας του Σωματείου μας που θα γίνει την Κυριακή 2 Φεβρουαρίου 2014 στις  7.30 μ.μ. στα γραφεία του Σ.Ε.Ρ. Σπαθάρη 2 & Χρυσοπόλεως, Πολύγωνο.

Στις 6 μ.μ. θα προηγηθεί διαδραστικό με ομιλία του κυρίου Ιωάννη Ντόβρου με θέμα « Ρεφλεξολογία και έρευνα»

Σας περιμένουμε ν΄ανταλλάξουμε τις ευχές μας για ένα δημιουργικό 2014.

Μετά τιμής

Το Δ.Σ. του Σ.Ε.Ρ.

ΣΩΜΑΤΕΙΟ ΕΛΛΗΝΩΝ ΡΕΦΛΕΞΟΛΟΓΩΝ : Σπαθάρη 2, Πολύγωνο, τ.κ. 114 76, Αθήνα

Τηλ.: 210-6424818, fax :210-6451532

Συνάντηση με θέμα την επαγγελματική αποκατάσταση θεραπευτών ΣΕΘ.

Κοινοποιήστε όπου νομίζετε ότι θα φανεί χρήσιμο...

Αυτή την Κυριακή θα πραγματοποιηθεί "ανοιχτή" συνάντηση στο Εργαστήριο Ελευθέρων Σπουδών Natural Health Science με θέμα, τι άλλο, την επαγγελματική αποκατάσταση θεραπευτών ΣΕΘ.

Η συνάντηση γίνεται με αφορμή το ότι επικοινωνούν πλέον καθημερινά συνάδελφοι μαζί μου μέσω τηλεφώνου, e-mail, Facebook και ζητάνε βοήθεια στην εύρεση εργασίας. Το σημαντικό αυτό θέμα δεν αντιμετωπίζεται, ούτε λύνεται κατά αυτό τον τρόπο. ...

Στην συνάντηση θα βρεθούμε όσοι θέλουμε να μοιραστούμε τις αγωνίες και τις δυσκολίες μας, αλλά (ελπίζω) και εκείνοι που έχουν βρει διέξοδο σε αυτά με σκοπό να μοιραστούν τις εμπειρίες τους μαζί μας.

Η πρόσκληση είναι ανοιχτή σε όλους, ανεξαρτήτως ειδικότητας και σχολής όπου ολοκλήρωσαν την εκπαίδευση τους. Η συνάντηση ΔΕΝ θα έχει το χαρακτήρα μαθήματος αλλά φιλικής συζήτησης-συνάντησης.

Ευχαριστώ την κ. Άννα Πανταζοπούλου για την παραχώρηση της σχολής ώστε να πραγματοποιηθεί αυτή η συνάντηση.

It's Time to Stop Chasing Rainbows

By Ralph Stephens, BS, LMT, NCTMB

Would you rather be told the truth, even if it were unpleasant – or would you prefer to hear a fabricated storyline that sounds great and matches what you wish for? Many of the "stakeholder" organizations in the massage therapy field are betting that you want the second option and are hoping you can't tell the difference between the two.

"Truthiness" may be commonplace on the political landscape, but we're being bamboozled by the leaders of our field who are pushing an overblown agenda for the massage therapy profession. It's a scenario impossible to achieve from our status quo and could actually cause more damage than good.

Instead of addressing the inherent weaknesses in massage therapy education and practice, these organizations are ramping up efforts to move our field into mainstream healthcare. We're getting served up messages that highlight the expanded opportunities, increased earnings and greater professional recognition awaiting rank-and-file therapists when we get to the "promised land" of integration with Big Medicine. To be sure, massage folks are hungry for better pay and more respect, but the powers that control our healthcare delivery system are not interested in letting any other practitioner groups into the game – especially when there are reimbursement dollars on the table.

But wait a minute ... doesn't the Affordable Care Act have language that mandates coverage for licensed practitioners of complementary and alternative therapists? Yes, but Section 2706 is on the chopping block, as the medical, hospital and insurance lobbies are gearing up to get this provision removed as Obamacare goes into effect. Even if that part of the law stands and is implemented, massage therapists would be at the lowest level of the totem pole. National certification for our field is meaningless and irrelevant here.

We'd be in a system in which reimbursements for massage services would be low, wages paid to massage therapists in medical facilities would also be low (probably not much more than what techs are paid to clean bedpans) and we would lose the most important thing we have today: autonomy.

Being able to treat who we want, using the techniques we choose, with the opportunity to address the whole person (and not just a symptomatic complaint) is a major part of what has made massage therapy successful in the marketplace. Let's not kill the goose that laid the golden egg. Consumers are looking for alternatives to the rushed, impersonal and reductionistic care that is the norm in our medical mainstream. Sacrificing our freedom as practitioners for an empty promise of a brighter future would be a tremendous loss. It's time for our massage organizations to stop chasing rainbows, get honest with themselves and their constituents, and work on solving the real problems limiting our progress as a profession.


Read more here

Ρεφλεξολογία στην Κύπρο

The PASYKAF day centre offers self-help group therapy, volunteer training, music and stress therapy, creative therapy support groups for patients and their children, reflexology, aromatherapy, Bowen technique and Reiki. There is also a confidential telephone helpline, which is staffed by trained volunteers.

http://cyprus-mail.com/2014/01/05/new-centre-boosts-cancer-care-in-paphos/

Beware what you claim...

...the Advertising Standards Authority is on the look out!

Another decision upheld by the authority concerned a website advertisement for Wonderful Works promoting the benefits of reflexology.

The website stated "some uses for reflexology we have done include but not limited to: diabetes ... cancer (all types) and breast cancer.''

The complainant said there was no evidence to support the claims made.

The complaints board said the advertisement contained unrealistic outcomes and exaggerated claims that were likely to mislead or deceive consumers and ordered the advertisement ordered to be removed.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=11169108

wikipedia European Conference of Reflexology

Please contribute if you have information that is missing here.
(by Arve Fahlvik Norway)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Conference_of_Reflexology

2014 begins productively for Reflexology!

My association (Hellenic Association of Reflexologists), publishes a quarterly magazine Εναρμόνιση, in Greek of

course.
From this issue on it will be available in an english publication also named "Harmonization".
For those interested in reading it, contact the editor Fotis Skourletis (fotiskourletis@yahoo.gr) requesting it and it will be sent to you in pdf form.
In it, besides my report on the 14th ICR conference in S. Africa you will find many interesting reflexology related articles and an interview with the (Greek) president of Edireflex (Spanish association) Aliki Vythoulka.

Have a great year!