Craving for Sounds, even Noise!

This post is about what was going with my ears last year; it was quite a journey and it was not easy to write about it and has been sitting in my draft folder waiting to be finalized.     

- One day in January my ears remained a bit clogged after the morning shower.  That day, we sat outside with friends after  Mowgli's morning walk.  It was sunny but there was a bit of a chilly wind.  I assume I wore a hat as usual.  However, the next day I developed mild cold symptoms.  My ears continued to be off a bit but it was manageable with self care if a bit irritable at times; the other symptoms disappeared.   

While self care alleviated the clogged ears, it did not last very  long, and I had a bit too much stress aside from that to have time for a long session to do exchange with a colleague.

So I decided I needed medical help.  It did not feel like an

infection, but still, I wanted to be back to normal.
Unfortunately, my doctor was not available within the following days.  I then checked with my first acupuncturist on East 53rd street (I could not imagine making it farther than that) to get help with re-balancing and strengthening; no opening either; she had a baby so she is only in part time.  Finally, I checked with my buddy Amy who uses sounds for healing, she was not available either.  I did not have the energy to continue my search.   
Amy, by the way, had used a tuning fork (first time for me) on me for a little during a yoga training we both assisted at - it felt soothing, and I wanted more of that and other healing sounds.

Healing sounds specifically sounded very appealing (and yes, I am always attracted to holistic healing; I love the way it makes me feel).  
It was interesting how I found myself literally craving for sounds; makes sense, doesn't it?  I was even yearning for noise, the city was all of a sudden too quiet.  While I often listened to Thomas Amelio's CD, for some reason I did not do that that much during that time.  I should have blasted his mantras - duh!  As I said there was a bit too much stress. I think I was exhausted and it affected my level of creativity and impacted my instincts.        

With no one available, it was clear I needed to intensify self care despite the fact that the only symptom continued to be what felt like clogged ears.  I worked the:
the ear and eustachian tube reflexes on the hands
ear reflexes on the face (on the forehead) and 
the ear reflexes on the ears themselves. 

I used a bit of pressure and detailed these reflexes very thoroughly.  On both hands the there were points on the eustachian tube reflexes that were very tender.  As reflexologist I was happy (sometimes the reflexes are right on) but still I wanted to be back to normal that minute.  The "client" was getting very impatient.    

And then it turned around: 
The next morning I remember vividly. It was a Saturday, I woke up feeling drained, sad, frustrated and again it felt too quiet.  Still in bed, after my usual basic Dien Cham session, I started palpating around the area where the ears meet the face.  There was a soft point that made it feel like I was massaging inside the ear (by massaging around the outer ear), and when I opened my mouth wide (see above photo) and angled my finger tips I could get into an area that felt just a bit sensitive and liquidy; it felt like I was in the area that needed attention.  And that was when suddenly the ears popped and from then on it was starting to get better quickly.

I added the immune system reflexes, because without a doubt the immune system needed a tune-up.  At that point I felt assured that reflexology, getting rest, eating well, bundling up, neti pot, oils (see below) - I did one or the other - whatever I had time for and I knew then that indeed a doctor's appointment was not needed any longer.    

Every time I took a shower I was reminded to be careful around the ears and even now I continue to send TLC to these areas via the respective reflexes.  I should also mention that when I worked the ear reflexes on the ear lobes (I looked them up on the ear reflexology chart), I wound up in the pierced area and it was very sensitive, but only that one time.  (By the way, Marie-France Muller in a chapter in the back of the book was wondering about how piercing affects our health; the sensitivity reminded me of that)     
Throughout that time I reflected on how it must feel to lose some or all hearing which some of us do as we get older.  This was prompted by a very brief episode when I could not hear my own footsteps before it all turned around and I could not hear Mowgli or Royal walk towards me.  That was a bit scary.  I felt so vulnerable and was a bit worried.  The level of stress made it worse.    

Addendum: Here are some of my "live" contemplations
Studying chakras/meditation/mantras with Thomas Amelio was on my wish list for a long time.  Time was ripe around this spring(Alchemy of the Chakras.)  The mantras (ancient sounds) he starts the class with are powerful healing sounds that benefit all layers of oneself.  I am very grateful to be able to hear one hundred percent again.

Here is a sample for you to enjoy - enjoy the vibration: http://www.klaritymusic.com/UserData/SoundClips/Thomas%20Amelio.mp3
Perhaps this was a message from the universe; just like my wrist (believed to be carpal tunnel) in 2005 made me get into Reflexology.  And in the late 80's I realized that while weight lifting was fun, counting sets and the pick-up scene (there were not many girls in the weight room back then) got boring quickly which resulted in the search for something else and opened the door to yoga which left me relaxed, grounded and never bored me.

Summing up:  I continue to learn about myself; as for self care, these last few years, it has been been more difficult to take care of myself.  While I have many tools in my holistic healing tool kit, when I am stressed, instincts can be impacted.  To de-stress every day is more than ever a must.  Keeping balance on a daily basis is the best scenario; a good diet is a must.  Thank you for listening and take care of your ears.

- On one of the reflexology-related Facebook pages, the issue tinnitus came up today, May 10, 2017.  I shared some details about this post and also the link and should add that there was also some ringing in the left ear foremost.  I my case, I am almost sure that a somewhat weakened immune system was the cause.  I am a firm believer in daily self care.  

I also used some oregano, rosermary and lavernder oils which I had at home.

Check out these 8 Ears Massages (remember, just by massaging the entire surface of both ears you are working the entire body through the ear reflexes and will help yourself to rebalance.
 

The Kripalu pen marks the area where the ear meets the face; I was exploring this area thoroughly.  This is a spinal reflex according to facial reflexology and I do it to warm up the body before dien cham sessions and also end a session this way usually. (Mowgli, the labrotti rescue loves this reflex very much.)

Sincerely Yours,
BIRGIT NAGELE, ARCB, LVCYT
www.ban-chi.net