Cherri Matthews Web Site

<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> Cherri Matthews Web Site

Cherri Ann Matthews FFHT FICHT ATLM MIfL

Emotional Freedom Techniques Practitioner and Trainer,

Holistic Therapist/Lecturer and Reiki Master/Teacher

The following is meant as a guide only to the treatments that I offer.

If you have any specific question or query about a particular treatment on offer

or its suitability for you please contact me on (01793) 871410 and I will be happy to help you.

What is Hopi Ear Candling?

The Native American Hopi Indian Relaxation Ceremony which calms the mind and soothes the head and ears. Ear candling is the safe and painless way to help unblock your ears and is the gentle alternative to syringing!

Ear candles have been used for centuries by many cultures, including the peoples of the Siberian prairies, Asia and the native North and South American Indians, but take their name from the Native American Hopi Tribe, the oldest Pueblo people with great medicinal knowledge and a high degree of spirituality, who have used their knowledge to help the company who create the medical grade ear candles which I use in my practice today.

Ear candles are long hollow tubes with a filter in one end, and are made of cotton linen, pure beeswax, honey extract and

traditional herbs such as Sage, St John's Wort, Chamomile and pure essential oils. Whilst lying fully-clothed and comfortable on a couch, one end is gently inserted a little way into the client's ear, the candle is then lit and allowed to burn down to the ear. The treatment takes 10-12 minutes for each ear and is combined with a wonderfully relaxing facial and neck massage to induce a deep feeling of calm and well-being.

Ear candles have a purely physical function and work using a light suction action (chimney effect) and the movement of the flame creates a vibration of air in the ear candle, generating a massage-like effect on the eardrum. The physical effect is often described after treatment as a soothing, pressure and pain relieving sensation, mainly in the ear and head area. Treatment may also cause freer nasal breathing and an improved sense of smell.

Ear Candling is a safe, gentle and relaxing ceremony which induces a pleasant feeling of warmth and a balance of pressure in the ears, forehead and sinuses. It is soothing and helpful for earache and headache, ear noise, stress and nervousness. It can be used by both adults and children, and is a stress and pain free alternative to syringing.

What is EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)?

EFT was originally called 'Thought Field Therapy' and was founded by an American Psychologist, Dr Roger Callahan, in the early 1980s. It has since been refined and, although relatively new to the UK, is now being used with unprecedented success all over the world. You may have seen it recently on the 'Richard and Judy Show' on TV, where it had the highest telephone and email response to any article they have ever aired.

Emotional Freedom Technique is:

Simple to learn and apply.
Can be done seated and clothed.
Requires no special tools and is not invasive.
Once learned is a tool for life to apply anytime and anywhere.
Can be used effectively with adults and children. It works well in children on emotional issues, such as behavioral problems, and even bed-wetting.

This simple, yet incredibly effective, technique can be applied to so many situations:

Addictions and Addictive Cravings - can help clients 'kick the habit' of gambling or smoking, etc.
Weight Problems - can help overcome the barriers to weight loss and reinforce will power.
Phobias and Fears - Spiders, flying, snakes, vomiting.
Allergies
Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Anger
Compulsions and Obsessions
Depression, Lethargy and Sadness
Grief and Loss
Guilt
Insomnia
Negative Memories, Nightmares and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Peak Performance
Abreactions
Illness and Pain Management - There are two components illness - the actual physical illness itself, and how it affects our body, and our emotional response to the illness, and how we deal with being ill. If we get upset over our illness and are negative everything becomes harder. Eliminate a negative emotional response and the physical illness will be easier to deal with. The same with pain, if we don't get upset and frustrated with pain and can view it dispassionately, it will become easier to deal with. It sounds easy to say, but with EFT it can become a reality.

An EFT session involves gently tapping a sequence of meridian points on the body, with the fingertips. This simple yet

powerful technique re-balances the energies of the body, releasing unwanted emotions, allowing an inner sense of calm

to return. Because EFT uses your own energy system to create changes the treatment is tailor made for you as an individual. Everybody's healing needs are different. Whatever you need to resolve will be stored in your energy system. Rather than adhering to a set treatment protocol for each type of problem, EFT is designed for the individual, with no side effects. Because EFT utilizes the body's natural energy system it is very safe to use. It does not add a medicinal substance or use deep psychological probing. Applying the technique only balances the energy system, nothing more.

Time Travel - No matter how long standing the suffering has been, whether it started yesterday or forty years ago,

clearing the energy system can release the effects. Problems past, present and future can all be addressed with this

remarkable technique. This is because emotions are timeless. For instance, if you failed to resolve feelings of anger about how your mother treated you twenty years ago, chances are, when you recall that particular time, you will experience the same emotions again. When these feelings resurface they can be quickly processed energetically. All emotions are felt in the present,even when the event is yet to happen. Because of this, EFT can be applied to past memories that are still distressing and future events that produce anxiety.

Express Don't Suppress - Unlike medication, EFT does not seek to suppress unwanted emotional reactions, but to release and resolve them. This technique is not about denying, repressing or disassociating from you feelings. Unexpressed emotions can vent themselves in alternative ways, producing physical health problems or deeper emotional problems, such as depression. Denied emotions can express themselves in a sideways fashion, as mini neurosis, anxiety or obsessions. Either way, when emotions are suppressed, we end up more chronically disturbed

than we were in the first place.

Lasting Results - Once every aspect of the initial problem has been addressed, the results are often permanent. You

will gain more than temporary relief or a 'quick fix', the benefits are long lasting. People report that their problems literally lose all intensity after only a few minutes of treatment. Issues that have caused intense distress in the past,

pale into insignificance. Events in the future, that would usually produce a high degree of stress become easy to negotiate, individualsexplain that they just 'forgot' to be afraid when faced with their dreaded ordeal or feel resolved about previous emotional problems.

You Don't Need to Know - When using an energetic approach to healing, it is not essential to know where the feelings

stem from. Similarly, it is not necessary to identify the incident that causes each emotion. The fact that they exist is

enough to elicit a healing response.

Sometimes these feelings derive from early childhood experiences, before we are able to communicate our needs.

This can make it hard to pin-point or verbalize the original cause of our pain. The source could also lie within the unconscious mind, beyond our conscious awareness. This can be very frustrating, as the reason behind our feelings

can be elusive and difficult to explain. However, this does not detract from their importance, as feelings are very real, regardless of whether they can be explained rationally.

It is not uncommon, to find memories, thoughts and connections surfacing as you work through your emotions with EFT. Great insight can be gained, yet it is not always necessary to know where the problem stems from in order to resolve it. But importantly, you do not have to suffer or re-live painful memories to gain results.

Simplicity - EFT is extremely simple to learn and apply. This means that, as well as working with a therapist, it can be

used as effectively for self-help. Everyone can learn the basics in less than half an hour. It is an uncomplicated and

straightforward approach that even children find simply to apply. Once learnt, the technique remains the same whatever the issue.

Because of its very simplicity, the potential of EFT is often underestimated. Appreciating how a therapy, focused entirelyon the energy system, causes such powerful psychological changes can be quite inconceivable and consequently overlooked. Yet,an increasing number of people are obtaining positive emotional benefits on a regular basis. In itself, EFT appears to hold the answer to many modern day emotional difficulties such as stress, phobias, insecurities, and depression.

Clients often need only two or three sessions to effectively learn the tapping sequence and resolve any issues. Once

learned EFT is a tool for life, that can be carried with you always, to use in any situation that has an emotional or

mental component. Emotional Freedom Technique does what it says - it can help you to resolve issues, gain back

some control and give you emotional freedom from so many situations, past, present and future.

What is Reflexology?

The History of Reflexology

Reflexology is the theory and therapy that uses the feet to treat the whole body. The therapy was developed by Eunice

Ingham (the Mother of Reflexology) in the mid-to-late twentieth century. However, the principles behind it - massaging thefeet and treating the body holistically (treating the whole body, mind and spirit) - dates back thousands of years.

Massaging and touching the feet to help the body is a very ancient practice, the earliest known records of this were foundin the tomb of a physician called Ankhmahor in Egypt in 1897. The tomb dated back to 2330 BC and shows a

series of pictures of people massaging or manipulating the feet and hands of others. The American Indian tribes considered massaging the feet an important method of maintaining physical, mental and spiritual balance.

Also, the Chinese have been using the application of pressure as a healing therapy for over 5000 years. Acupressure

(using thumb pressure) and acupuncture (using needles) both work on the system that there is a relationship between

the point where pressure is applied and the rest of the body, and have been used for thousands of years.

Dr William Fitzgerald discovered Zone Therapy in the early twentieth century, which was to become very important

in the development of Reflexology. Dr Fitzgerald noticed that by pressing on one part of the body, another part of the body would be anaesthetised. Eventually this led to him working out a theory that the body is divided into ten longitudinal zones, five on either side of the central line of the body. Everything in each zone is connected, so pressure on a toe at one end will affect the head at the other end.

Eunice Ingham took this theory one step further by concentrating on the feet. She recognised that all the nerves end

in the feet, the feet are at the end of every zone, they are generally covered up and therefore more sensitive and that pressure on various points on the feet helped relieve pain. And so reflexology as we know it today, using the feet as a map of the whole body and applying pressure to certain parts of the feet to bring the whole body back into balance was born.

Eunice Ingham died in 1974, but her work is continued today by her nephew Dwight Byers. Doreen Bayly studied under

Ingham in the US and brought Reflexology to Britain in 1966, when she set up the Bayly School of Reflexology.

Reflexology is the science that works on the principle that reflex points in the feet and hands correspond to every gland,

organ and part of the body. Whatever name it goes under, this is as true today as it was 5000 years ago.

Cross-reflexes or Referral Areas

In reflexology each foot is treated like a mirror or map of the whole body. The feet reflect all of the body's parts, systems

organs and glands in an almost identical way. If you were to place an enlarged picture of a foot against a picture of a spine,for instance, you would see that the shape and curve were identical, even down to having 26 bones in the spine and the foot.

In reflexology although both feet reflect the whole body, it would be true to say that the right foot governs the right-handside of the body and the left foot the left-hand side. When you bring the two feet together, you have a complete outline of the human body, with the big toe representing the head and the lateral (outside sides of the feet reflecting

the outside of the body. You will often find that feet really do reflect body type as well, those with large, wide shoulders have wide feet from the toe joint to the outside edge. Tall, slim people tend to have long, slim feet with long toes, and as previously stated the curves of the feet look just like the curve of the spine.

Reflexology works on the principle that if a practitioner presses a reflex point on the foot, then the corresponding part on the body will be stimulated. Reflexes are found on the soles, tops of the feet and along the inside and outside parts of the feet.

Areas of the feet which relate clearly to parts of the body are as follows:

The toes represent the head and neck.
The sides of the feet represent the major parts of the skeleton - on the inner side of the foot is the spine reflex and the outer side relates to the hip, knee, elbow, upper arm and shoulder.
The ball of the foot represents the thoracic area.
The arch of the foot represents the abdominal cavity.
The heel represents the pelvic and reproductive areas.
The top of the foot represents the lymphatic circulation.

Benefits of Reflexology

Another way to look at the body in reflexology is as zones. Imagine the body looking like ten slices of toast in a toast rack.

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5 4 3 2 1 | 1 2 3 4 5

Imagine that there is a mid-line running down the centre of the body and that the left hand big toe and thumb are all within the left-hand slice number 1 and the right-hand big toe and thumb are in the right-hand slice number 1. So the little finger and little toes are number 5.

This diagram represents the ten zones of the body, running lengthways through the body, each zone roughly corresponds to a finger/toe, are all the same approximate width and run back to front as well as head to toe. The idea being that everything in the same slice affects each other.

Although not a medical treatment, reflexology helps to maintain and restore health. The reflexologist can detect imbalances in the body by working on the feet and then works on problem areas accordingly to help correct them. However, it is not a cure, more a helping hand for the body's self-healing; reflexology helps balance the systems of the body helping them work more efficiently which, in turn, speeds up the healing process.

Reflexology:-

Improves circulation by stimulating and facilitating better transport of nutrients and oxygen around the body, increasing the efficiency of all organs and cells. and encouraging the elimination of waste.
Reduces stress by reducing nerve tension and generating deep relaxation, allowing the body to rest and repair itself. As reflexology releases trapped nervous energy it improves neural efficiency - approximately 7000 nerves are stimulated during a reflexology massage. It is estimated that 75% of dis-ease is stress related.
Provides deep relaxation, which is the first step towards restoring balance in the body.
Provides pain relief by having a positive effect on the nervous system and promoting the release of endorphins, which are a natural pain-relieving agent and help to elevate mood.
Facilitates homeostasis. Being a holistic therapy, reflexology aims to facilitate better health and well-being by treating the whole body and the whole person through the feet (or hands). Reflexology can help to return the body to a state of balance and harmony by encouraging the mind and body to better health.
Revitalization of energy, by relaxing and opening up the energy pathways (meridian lines), which can help clear blockages and revitalize the body with renewed energy.
Strengthens the immune system by initiating the body's own healing forces with often become suppressed through illness, stress and medication. Reflexology helps to improve the body's defences and encourages better immunity.

What is Baby Reflex

Baby Reflex is specially adapted reflexology for babies. The techniques where originally developed for bonding and over the years have helped to ease, relieve and eliminate many baby discomforts and have proved to be very popular and successful with parents. As more parents seek an organic and natural lifestyle, you will find that Baby Reflex offers the benefits of a safe, non-invasive and drug-free natural alternative.

Baby Reflex was started by a qualified Reflexologist, Teacher and Chartered Physiotherapist called Jenny Lee (MCSP MAR). Jenny has over 15 years experience of working with mothers and young children and has carried out a number

of pilot studies in conjunction with GPs, designed to examine the effects of Reflexology on childhood asthma. The results of those studies revealed benefits of reduced asthma, better sleep patterns, greater ability to relax, an improved quality of life and most importantly, the children really enjoyed the treatments. Using all her experience and taking into account its all-round benefits, Jenny introduced this new area of Reflexology and called it ‘Baby Reflex’.

Baby Reflex works in the same way that traditional Reflexology works in adults, it just uses specially adapted techniques to suit the needs of babies , taking into account their size and well-being. Only qualified Reflexologists who have been taught by Jenny or her teachers are able to teach Baby Reflex and you will find me listed as one of their registered Practitioners on the Baby Reflex website at www.babyreflex.co.uk.

Benefits of Baby Reflex

Baby Reflex helps to generally calm and relax babies. It also stimulates reflex points on the feet that correspond to specific areas in the body to help with ear problems, sinuses, the eyes, teething, colic, constipation, wind, sleeping problems and many other physical complaints.

Baby Reflex also offers many benefits to parents. Performing the Baby Reflex routine helps mothers to bond with their babies, which in turn can lead to less post-natal depression. If baby is calmer and less stressed, this in turn means that parents will be calmer and less stressed! A calm baby can also affect the relationship between the parents, if parents are not stressed their relationship will be better.

Baby Reflex can also be performed by other family members, such as fathers, grandparents and (responsible older) siblings. This is a great bonding experience, which also takes the stress of off the mother, helps to share the responsibility of caring for baby, helps other family members to feel ‘more involved’ and frees up some time for mother to have some ‘me time’! Fathers can sometimes feel a little left out of the bonding experience, performing Baby Reflex can be valuable bonding time.

What is Reiki?

Reiki is a safe, gentle, non-intrusive hands-on healing technique for use on yourself or with others, which uses spiritual energy to treat physical ailments without using pressure, manipulation or massage. However, it is much more than a physical therapy. It is a holistic system for balancing, healing and harmonising all aspects of the person - body, mind, emotions and spirit - and it can also be used to encourage personal and spiritual awareness and growth.

History of Reiki

The Japanese word Reiki (pronounced Ray Kee in the West, and Lay Kee in Japan) is usually translated as 'Universal Life-force Energy'. The word is divided into two parts:

Rei is translated as the 'wisdom and knowledge of all the Universe and Ki is the life-force energy which flows through every living thing - plants, animals and people - and which is present in some form in everything around us, even in rocks and inanimate objects.

In Japan the word Reiki can be used to describe any form of healing using spiritual energy, but in the West when we talk about Reiki we are usually referring to the form of healing practice developed by a Japanese Buddhist priest, Dr Mikao Usui (1865-1926), who, after many years of study, discovered a way of accessing and using this healing energy, and of passing this ability on to other people. During the last few years of his life he founded Usui Reiki Ryoho, which means the Usui Spiritual Energy Healing Method, and this has become widely known throughout the world simply as 'Reiki'.

Reiki has come to the West by being passed down as one Reiki Master attunes another to become a Master themselves. My lineage is as follows:

Dr Mikao Usui

Chujiro Hayashi

Hawayo Takata

Phyllis Furumoto

Cherie Prasulin

Pat Jack

William Lee Rand

Patrick Hamouy

Lynn Curtis King

Ina Maria D'Costa

Cherri Ann Matthews

Energy and Reiki

We talk about 'energy' in different ways, perhaps referring to energy sources such as electricity or the calorific value of food, but the definition of energy is much broader. Einstein and later quantum physicists have explained that at an atomic level everything that exists in the Universe is energy, vibrating and oscillating at different rates; that physical matter and energy are just two forms of the same thing. So energy is all there is. Some of these energetic vibrations we are familiar with, such as sound, light, radiowaves or X-rays. These are all part of the electromagnetic spectrum, and from a scientific perspective the only difference betweenthese various forms of energy is that each oscillates at a different frequency or rate of vibration.

Human beings are also comprised of electromagnetic energy and every cell, atom and subatomic particle that makes up the human body is vibrating at different rates depending upon their biochemical make-up. For example, the specific electrical output of the human heart can be measured on an ECG machine and the electromagnetic output of the whole body can be measured using an

The normal biological frequency for the human body is around 250 cps (cycles per second), however, research has been carried out recording the output at sites on the body traditionally associated with high-energy spots known as chakras (from the Sanskrit word for wheel or vortex).Most people in the study recorded within the normal range, but when tests were carried out on people who used healing energies(such as Reiki) it was found that their frequencies registered in a band between 400 and 800 cps. It is interesting to note thatscience has confirmed something that has been part of spiritual wisdom in many cultures for thousands of years - that an unseenenergy flows through and connects all living things.

This energy is known by many names - Ki in Japan, Chi or Qi in China, Prana in India, Light, Spirit or Holy Ghost by Christians, or as Vitality or Life-force. Reiki is a specific band or frequency of energy for healing and self-healing that works synergistically with Ki, but at a higher vibration. Because Reiki energy is vibrating at a very high rate it is not normally visible to the human eye, but its use can be detected by a Kirlian camera, and some people do see it, usually as a white/gold stream of energy similar to the spiral shape of the DNA double helix.

However, unlike ki, which is present everywhere and in everything, Reiki does not flow automatically through everyone from birth. It flows only through people who have been 'attuned' to its vibrational frequency. This attunement, or spiritual empowerment, is the way in which the healing ability of Reiki is passed energetically from a Reiki Master to a student during sacred ceremony. After an attunement a student can use Reiki on themselves or on other people and may also be used to enhance other aspects of the practitioner's home and work life.

The energy will flow into the Practitioners energy body and out through the palms of their hands, which will then be placed very gently on specific places on the head and body of the person receiving the Reiki treatment. The practitioner either holds their hands still, or occasionally taps gently with the fingertips or pats lightly with the flat of the palm, so there is no need for massage or pressure of any kind.

Benefits of Reiki

Because Reiki is a very high vibrational energy, it can flow into over and through anything, including solid matter. This enables it to work holistically on the whole person and as it flows into the aura and physical body, it helps to break down energetic disruptions or blockages, clearing and balancing the chakras and straightening the energy pathways (meridians) to allow the life-force to flow in a healthy and natural way around the whole body.

This influx of high frequency healing energy stimulates and accelerates the body's own natural healing ability, so that pain relief and physical healing can take place quickly and easily. In addition, Reiki automatically adjusts to suit the recipient, so that each person receives as much or a little as they need and in the places throughout their body they need it most. It is important to state that the patient is the one doing their own healing and the practitioner is merely the facilitator.

The process of a Reiki healing treatment is very simple, and the person receiving it will usually either lie on a massage couch or sit in a chair, and they can remain fully clothed, although they are usually asked to remove their shoes. For a whole-body treatment approximately twenty-plus hand positions will be used, depending on what is needed, and a treatment can take anywhere from one to one and a half hours. The client will remain fully clothed throughout and will usually start by lying on their back, comfortably supported. If need be the client will be asked to turn over during the treatment, but will always be made to feel comfortable. Whilst having the treatment a client may report feeling peaceful, relaxed, may fall asleep, and some say that they feel tingling or that the practitioner's hands become warm or hot.

Unlike other therapeutic bodywork systems, Reiki healing involves a powerful and concentrated form of energy. This means it is not easy to describe the physiological effects of treatment. However, it is still a profoundly powerful healing tool and its benefits are generally for reaching. Reiki is something which has to be experienced and is often impossible to describe clearly in words. Reiki affects each person differently and each experience is unique, subtle and profound changes may occur inwardly as the body is encouraged to heal itself. It can help to:

Induce a state of deep relaxation.
Relieve pain (physical and emotional).
Accelerate natural healing.
Aid the detoxification process of the body.
Calm the mind and body, restoring a feeling of peace.
Dissolve energy blockages in the body.
Focus the mind, helping to negate confusion and help solve problems.
Release tension and negative stress.
Rebalance the body's energy.
Release emotions.
Improve health and well-being.
Amplify energy levels.

Reiki works well with virtually all complementary therapies, but particularly well with any 'hands-on' therapy, such as aromatherapy, reflexology, Shiatsu, metamorphic technique, acupressure, cranio-sacral therapy, chiropractic, osteopathy and any others where massage or manipulation are involved.

Reiki is not a diagnostic tool and is not meant to replace normal allopathic medical treatment, but rather as a means of supporting and complementing conventional medical treatment, and as such many health professionals, such as doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, are now being trained in Reiki. Many hospitals, hospices, clinics and doctors' surgeries now include healing and recognise the part that Reiki has to play in helping patients to recover holistically and to stay relaxed and stress-free.

What is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is the art and science of using essential oils to help restore balance between the body and mind. These essential oils are extracted as concentrated liquids from flowers, grasses, fruits, leaves, roots and trees for many different purposes. It is essential to choose a qualified Aromatherapist to carry out treatment as some essential oils can be toxic.

History of Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is an ancient art, mentioned by Hippocrates, the father of medicine, in the fourth century BC who said that 'the way to health is to have an aromatic bath and scented massage every day'. He also recognised that burning certain aromatic substances offered protection against contagious diseases - with our advanced scientific knowledge about anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties of particular aromatic oils we can still use this knowledge today at our own social gatherings.

The Egyptians imported oils from China and India to use for embalming, deodorants (as shown in the Papyrus Ebers of 1500BC), for burning in religious ceremonies and for treating mental illness. The Babylonians, and later the Arabs, used perfume in the mortar of their temples and in India early temples were built entirely of sandalwood, ensuring an aromatic atmosphere at all times.

From ancient times, throughout history, until the present day, people of all walks of life have recognised the importance of aromatics in medicine, ceremony, hygiene and of the benefits to the mind and emotions.

The term 'aromatherapy' was coined by a French cosmetic chemist, Renee Gattefosse, who commenced the scientific study of the t herapeutic properties of essential oils in the 1920s. Marguerite Maury, a student of Gattefosse, introduced aromatherapy to Britain in the late 1950s. Maury developed Gattefosse's work by combining the use of essential oils with specialised massage techniques and the 'individual prescription'. She developed a more holistic approach by choosing the essential oils needed according to the physical and emotional needs of the client. Modern day Aromatherapists still use this method of specifically blending according to their clients individual needs.

How Aromatherapy Works and its Benefits

Aromatherapy is a truly holistic therapy, as it aims to treat the whole person by taking into account not only their physical state, but also their emotions, which can have a profound effect on general well-being. It works on the principle that the most effective way to promote health and prevent illness is to strengthen the body's immune system; in so doing, it helps to restore the harmony between mind and body. So Aromatherapy works on two levels by healing the body and soothing the emotions.

To do this it works physically by being massaged into the skin, giving all the relaxing and therapeutic benefits of a massage, but also by penetrating directly into the blood stream through the skin, initiating chemical changes in the body when they react with our hormones and enzymes, and thus having a physiological effect on the systems of the body.

Some essential oils have affinities with certain organs or systems within the body, and will have a special effect on that organ or system when at that point in its circulating journey around the body. The oils will be either wholly or partly deposited in any organs for which they have a special affinity; others will exercise a more general effect. Whichever part of the essential oil is left after its therapeutic work in the body has been done, will be excreted by one pathway or another. It may be passed our of the body in urine or faeces, excreted through the skin as sweat or returned to the lungs to be exhaled with the breath.

Physically massage and essential oils can benefit and affect the following systems:

Circulatory - by increasing circulation.

- by relieving tension.

Lymphatic - by accelerating lymph and tissue fluid circulation.

- increasing the production of white blood cells to stimulate immunity.

- prevent oedema.

- reduce the viscosity of blood.

- reduce generalised swelling in the tissues.

- stimulate the absorption of waste.

Musculo-skeletal - Analgesic oils can aid relaxation of tense and painful muscle fibres, tendons and ligaments.

- Rubefacient oils can assist in increasing blood supply to soft tissues, bones and joints, helping promote flexibility and reduce risk of injury.

- Anti-inflammatory oils can help reduce inflammation around joints.

- Detoxifying oils can assist in eliminating waste products such a lactic acid and uric acid from the tissues.

The other way essential oils work is by entering the body through the respiratory system, interacting with the olfactory and limbic systems to produce a psychological effect when the odour of the oil is inhaled.

The other systems affected by aromatherapy are:-

Limbic - which has multiple connections with the thalamus, hypothalamus and pituitary gland, which is why olfactory sensory receptors can influence endocrine function. It is also the major seat of our emotions, which is why it can elicit an emotional response and also why we often link smells with memories.

Endocrine - There are many similarities between an essential oil and a hormone and so they can affect the production of and act thesame way as a hormone.

Nervous System - Can help reduce nervous tension and help stress-related conditions.

- induces relaxation.

- stimulates the nerves to clear congestion in the nerves and thereby improve the functioning of related organs and tissues.

What is Indian Head Massage?

Indian Head Massage was originally a treatment practised in India by women on their head, scalp and hair as a way of keeping it lustrous and beautiful. The technique has been passed down from mother to daughter for over a thousand years

and is practised by women on each other as a ritual of grooming.

It is also practised by families on each other and has become an important way to bring families together to bond and socialise. Today Indian Head Massage is practised in various forms by not only the above, but also barbers, on beaches and vendors on street corners. The form it takes depends on how the person performing it was taught themselves and is recognised as an important and holistic ritual of everyday life.

It is one of the fastest grown holistic therapies around the world and today has been adapted to include the neck, shoulders, back and upper arms. The movements that form the massage include effleurage, pettrisage, smoothing, tapping,kneading, squeezing, rubbing, friction and pressure movements. The massage roughly follows a pattern of working on the back, shoulders, upper arms, neck, head, scalp and face. The whole treatment is finished off by balancing the client's chakras or energy centres of the heart, throat, third eye and crown.

The reasons that Indian Head Massage has become so popular are because it is:

It is non-invasive and the client can remain fully clothed.
It is relatively quick to perform (it takes approximately 40 minutes).
There are no special resources are needed.
Clients who have special needs may receive a treatment with the minimum of fuss.

The Benefits of Indian Head Massage:

Indian Head Massage is a truly holistic treatment in that, although it is only performed on the upper part of the body, it has many physiological and psychological benefits and therefore the benefits are widespread.

Physiological Benefits:-

It increases the blood flow to the head, neck and shoulders, nourishing the tissues and encouraging healing and improving circulation.
Increases lymphatic flow to the head, neck and shoulders, aiding the elimination of toxins and waste produced, reducing oedema and stimulating the immune system.
It relaxes the muscle and nerve fibres of the head, neck and shoulders. Which in turn relieves muscle tension, fatigue and aches and pains, increases flexibility, improves posture and can even help to relieve tension headaches.
Reduces spasms, restriction and adhesions in the muscle fibres, thus relieving pain and discomfort and improving joint mobility.
Decreases inflammation in the tissues giving pain relief and reducing stress paced on bones and joints.
Decreases stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, slowing down and deepening breathing, slowing heart rate, reducing blood pressure, stress and anxiety.
Activates the parasympathetic nervous system, encouraging the body to relax and promoting sleep.
Improves circulation to the skin, hair and scalp, encouraging cell regeneration, promoting healthy hair growth and improving the condition of skin and hair.
Relaxes and soothes tense eye muscles, helping to relieve tired eyes and eyestrain and brightening the eyes.

Psychological Benefits:-

Increases the supply of oxygen to the brain, which helps relieve mental fatigue, promotes clearer thinking, improves concentration and increases productivity.
Stimulates the release of endorphins from the brain, helping to relieve pain, emotional stress and repressed feelings. This is also known to elevate mood and help anxiety and depression.

Indian Head Massage and Hair Condition

It is scalp massage that plays the biggest part in helping the hair. When scalp muscles tighten, especially under stress, this restricts the flow of blood, which leads to headaches, eyestrain and neck and shoulder tension. Indian head massage

helps to relieve stress in the head by improving circulation and the condition of the hair. Regular head massage can also help to relax the muscles and nerve fibres of the scalp and so relieve tension and fatigue.

To achieve this the therapist will use rubbing, friction, ruffling, plucking, smoothing, tapping and squeezing movements across the whole of the head. The therapist will also use their fingers to perform pressures, covering al the pressure points over the scalp. Later on in the massage they will also use some pressures over the face, which will help to relieve tension around the eyes and the sinus areas.

Hair, like skin, is a visible reminder of our state of health and the structure of the hair records what is happening in our bodies. The greatest favour we can do for our hair is to look after our healthy. A nourishing died, frequent exercise and regular restorative sleep is what it takes to feed it from the roots. Loose muscles on the scalp will assist in better blood circulation. Regular Indian head massage strengthens the hair roots and improved the blood circulation under the scalp. As a result the hair follicles become stronger. The special hair oils that can be used in massage are absorbed and provide nutrients to the roots. Being kind to the hair in washing and treatment will also play a great part.

Using oils will keep hair lustrous and strong. It is absorbed into the roots of the hair, strengthening it, removing drynessand aiding scalp disorders. Oil can soften the skin of the scalp, promoting hair grown, slowing down hair loss and creating vibrant, shiny hair. The oils are partially absorbed through the pores of the skin and their effect is both internal and external.

What is Holistic (Swedish) Massage?

Holistic (Swedish) massage has similar movements and benefits to most other forms of massage. The main difference being that the practitioner will use more brisk movements such as 'hacking' or 'chopping', and 'cupping'. This is designed to break down fat deposits and stimulate circulation and lymphatic drainage. It is a fast paced and vigorous massage, deeply stimulating and energising.

History of Massage

A combination of herbs, exercise and massage was used in China as long ago as 3000BC to treat illness and maintain health. In India a sacred Hindu text called the Ayur-Veda (the Art of Life) written around 1800BC lists massage as one of its 'principles of hygiene;. In Japan, in the sixth century AD, techniques adopted from China further developed into a form of finger pressure called shiatsu, which is widely practised around the world today. In ancient times the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all practice forms of massage and realised its benefits for health and well-being.

In the sixteenth century a French physician, Ambroise Pare, reputedly helped restore Mary Queen of Scot's health through massage. The greatest advance of therapeutic massage recorded was by a Swedish physiologist called Per Henrik Ling (1776-1839) who established an Institute for researching massage. Ling introduced the French terms for the different types of massage movement, 'effleurage', 'petrissage', 'friction' and 'vibration', that we use today. Through research and practical experience he created a scientific system of therapeutic massage known as Swedish Massage.

In 1894, a group of women established The Society of Trained Masseuses, as the demand for trained massage therapists

grew. In 1920, it was amalgamated with the Institute of Massage and Remedial Exercise and was later registered in 1943

as the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. In 1964 physiotherapy became established as a state registered profession.

Benefits and Effects of Massage:

Physiological Effects:-

Skeletal system -Increases joint mobility, frees adhesions, breaks down scar tissue and decreases inflammation. Improves muscle tone and balance, reducing the physical stress placed on bones and joints.
Muscular system- Relieves muscular tightness, stiffness, spasms and restrictions in muscle tissue. Increases flexibility and increases blood circulation. Reduces muscle fatigue and soreness. Promotes rapid removal of toxins and waste produces from the muscle.
Cardiovascular system - Improves circulation, dilates blood vessels helping them to work more efficiently and produces an enhanced blood flow. Helps temporarily decrease blood pressure, due to dilation of capillaries. Creates hyperaemia (erythema) and reduces ischemia. Decreases the heart rate due to relaxation and the decreased stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system.
Lymphatic system - Reduces oedema and regular massage may help to strengthen the immune system, due to the increase in white blood cells.
Nervous system - Stimulates sensory receptors, this can either stimulate or soothe nerves depending on the techniques used. Stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, helping promote relaxation and reduction of stress. Reduces pain by the release of endorphins.
Respiratory system - Deepens respiration and improves lung capacity by relaxing tightness in respiratory muscles. Slows down rate of respiration due to reduced stimulation of sympathetic nervous system.
Digestive system - Increases peristalsis in large intestine, helping to relieve constipation, colic and gas. Promotes activity of the parasympathetic nervous system aiding digestion.
Urinary system - increases urinary output due to increased circulation and lymph drainage from tissues.
The Skin - improves circulation to the skin, increasing nutrition to cells and encouraging regeneration. Increases production sweat glands, helping to excrete urea and waste products. Vaso-dilation helps improve skin colour. Promotes desquamation (the removal of old, dead, skin cells, thus improving the appearance of the skin), improves elasticity and increases sebum production, which helps to improve skin's suppleness and resistance to infection.

Psychological Effects:-

Reduces stress and anxiety by relaxing both mind and body.
Creates a feeling of well-being and enhanced self-esteem.
Promotes positive body awareness and an improved body image through relaxation.
Eases emotional trauma through relaxation and relief of repressed feelings.

What is Holistic Facial Massage?

A holistic facial massage provides a relaxing upper chest, upper arm, shoulder, neck, face and head massage. The holistic facial consists of two deep cleanses, the upper chest, arm, shoulder and neck massage, the Shiatsu face and head

massage, an optional face mask, tone and moisturise.

The movements over the face and head come from Chinese form of acupressure massage known as Shiatsu. The word

Shiatsu actually means "finger pressure".

Shiatsu is a gentle, non-invasive, yet powerful holistic therapy, firmly rooted in Traditional Chines Medicine (TCM). Shiatsu is a hands-on therapy to harmonise the flow of energy throughout the entire being - mind, body and spirit. It is therefore classed as a 'Holistic Therapy'. Running water does not stagnate - the same with your energy. When it flows, you feel good. When blocked, you might feel ill, or at lease uneasy in yourself, out of sorts. Energy flows through the body along meridian lines or energy channels, that roughly follow the map or layout of the bodies own blood supply.

What are the Benefits?

A Shiatsu facial massage is wonderfully soothing and energising and participants generally feel very relaxed following a

treatment. With experience a practitioner can help relieve symptoms of stress-induced and other common ailments such as head, neck or backache and insomnia, it also generates a wonderful sense of well-being and this feeling will also reflect in the practitioner. Holistic Facial Massage (and Shiatsu in general) is very relaxing for eye-strain, sinus problems, aids lymphatic drainage, aids desquamation and brightens the appearance of fine lines and the skin.

Call Cherri Ann Matthews now on (10793) 871410!