Facial Reflexology to Alleviate Allergy Symptoms (Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America)

Luckily, I personally do not suffer from chronic seasonal (or any other) allergies - at least I am not aware of any- but I have had bouts of symptoms from time to time these last two years or so.   

Last week I had one of these days when I found myself having to do facial reflexology exercises at least three times during my time in the park with Mowgli.  Well, no problem; it is so easy to do it, my hands were dirty but I could use my knuckles, but it also left me wondering about Climate Change and getting older and one's body's changing needs.  This is what I think about a lot; this is work and this is my passion. 

The exercise empowered me, and helped me through the itchy eyes and sneezing, but I decided to also use the neti pot once I got home just to make sure the symptoms would not linger due to pollens being caught in my nostrils.  Kristyn of Smith and Brit Spa and Boutique had reminded me of that.  Thank you, Kristyn.  That made so much sense.  The pollens also gather on our clothes and hair. Interestingly, the ladies at Smith and Brit and I also had plans to do a video for IG the same day - sharing these wonderful exercises based on Marie-France Muller's wonderful teachings.

The weather has been something.  We have had days of summer, then it was a lot like April (in May) if you remember what April traditionally used to be  - lots of rain - which resulted in an explosion of foliage, blossoms and fragrance.  Central Park is more lush than ever, I am still not used to the many shades of green.  

It is so beautiful and so fragrant; another reason to use the neti pot.  I would not want to miss the smell of spring. 

The Expense of Fighting off A Cold Naturally - Looking at the Big Picture

honey, ginger, lemon, neti pot and the book that inspired this blog

I was not dressed warm enough for an extensive morning walk in November.  Mowgli woke me up one morning and I was outside at 7am which was earlier than usual.  I should have gone back inside to get a scarf at least, but decided against it, which was an unwise decision.  

Wanted N O T: Another Cold ever again!

Child's Pose with Fitness Ball - Hugging that big ball!

When I had a bit of energy during the worst of my most recent cold (the 2nd or third bad cold ever), I wrote some notes on my i-phone which I am sharing below; although I was trying to pay attention to the details, it was impossible.  (The healing artist in me is very curious about pain, its patterns, alleviation so part of me was observing the symptoms which helped me get distance from the pain rather than completely be consumed by it).  However, there was just too much going on so I just let go and rested as much as I could, I needed to get back on my feet.  I was generally very weak for two days and there was no way I could do all the self care I wanted to do, so I did something whenever I had a bit of energy, whatever I needed most then.  Connecting to my breath was the one thing that I did the most because it allowed me to simply rest and close my eyes.

I think I would have gone to the doctor but due to what happened last time (the prescription caused side effects that were scarier than the ones I started out with) I decided not to.

Anemia - Week 13

During week 13 I had one of my routine appointments with my acupuncturist who confirmed what I knew already, namely to keep taking it easy and rest if necessary to allow for complete recovery from the virus.  I knew exactly what she meant.  Often, as soon as we are able to function again, we go ahead full-speed and thus drag on symptoms which can lead to more problems down the road.  She also gave me Chinese herbs in pill form which seemed to work very well for me.  I decided to take her reminder seriously: At my urging R. and I interrupted our usual habits and spent more time at home whenever we could; I made sure to remind him what I was reminded of.  I also stocked up on herbal teas and honey.      


There was a need to modify my Dien Cham protocol and I did the following sequences: basic (relaxation, toning up) and EGM (energy giving massage) as usual.  

Anemia - Week 9

The neck/occiput points continued to be very helpful throughout week 9 and alleviated neck pains and a headache that seemed related to it; on Sunday I had a terrible tummy ache.  In retrospect I wondered whether I was coming down with a stomach flu (I am not sure I ever had one thus did not really know what it is supposed to feels like, however I heard it was going around). - I was too tired to look up a protocol as we were driving back to the city and decided to use what I remembered; I worked the stomach zone as per the frog on the face image and a point close to the belly button on the L side that - as I was once told - can help with stomach issue - and I also focused on breathing into the area - about 1 1/2 hours later it was all gone and I was back to normal - was it something I had eaten for lunch?  I skipped dinner  and decided to start drinking fresh ginger tea just in case something was brewing, but luckily that was it.
I should add that I have not been doing the beginning of a cold protocol since I have not had the usual morning sniffle these last couple of days.  Thank god I have not yet had a cold this fall/winter.  Perhaps the combination of using the neti pot and the mentioned protocol helped to get rid of the morning sniffles - I used it twice or three times last week.
Here are some additional findings: (p. 156); a. Pain, b. Shooting Pain; these protocols are on my list of protocols to explore - would one of them have also alleviated my neck pain/head ache had I been aware of them and perhaps my tummy ache more quickly?