Getting to Know You - Michelle Becz Reflexologist

Reflexology is gaining in popularity as an incredibly effective healing treatment in the Western world. For those who are unfamiliar with the technique, can you explain what Reflexology is?

Reflexology is a form of natural healing which has been practiced for centuries. It works off the principle that your body is mapped on your feet with reflexes corresponding to organs, glands, and the musculoskeletal system.  Reflexologists use a protocol of manual techniques that stimulate the complex neural pathways linking body systems, supporting the body’s efforts to function optimally.

A reflexology session is deeply relaxing for several reasons.  For one, there are over 7,000 nerve endings per foot, so reflexology is very relaxing to the nervous system.  In addition, the comfortable zero gravity chair I do my sessions in allows the client to happily be in a reclined position for a full session. While clients are nestled under a sheet and blanket and are atop the warm heat of the Biomat, I systematically work the reflexes on the feet…. often lulling them to sleep.

*Reflexologists do not diagnose, prescribe, or treat and we are not a substitute for other medical professionals.

What led you to pursue a career in Reflexology?

I attended Assumption College right after high school and obtained a bachelor’s degree in Social and Rehabilitation services so my work interest always included service to others.  When I had children, I made the decision to be a “stay-at-home” mom and did occasional per-diem work as a social worker in a nursing home.  When my kids reached the ages where they no longer needed so much attention, I began to find myself thinking about work that allowed for a flexible schedule so I could balance work and motherhood, while at the same time nurturing my growing interest in the interconnectedness of the mind, body, and spirit.  In researching my options, I came across the opportunity to train in reflexology.   I remembered some powerful, personal experiences I had when my own feet were worked to relieve pain and receive some much needed nurturing and before I knew it, I was studying reflexology and looking for as many volunteers as possible to learn and perfect the skill.

I know you have seen some incredible changes in clients’ health through Reflexology. Can you tell us about some of these experiences?

In my 10 years of practice, I have had the pleasure of working a lot of feet, and I have witnessed how powerful a reflexology session can be in helping the body regain its balance when struggling with a health challenge.  I have seen clients helped with fibromyalgia, migraines, neuropathy, restless leg syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, knee pain, lymphatic drainage issues, constipation, inflammation, and stress and anxiety among other things.

Your session takes place in a Zero Gravity reclining chair, on top of a BioMat. Most places charge for use of the BioMat, but this is included in your session. Can you tell us what the BioMat does and why you love to use it in your sessions?

When I was practicing in CT, I invested in a BioMat because I believed it complemented a reflexology session well, not only because it generated heat to make the client cozy, but also by offering additional help to the body with detoxification and balancing.   

The BioMat at is an FDA approved therapeutic heating pad.   It has no harmful electromagnetic waves and uses remote computer frequencies that activate the far infrared light waves and negative ions embedded in the amethyst and tourmaline crystals. Here's a breakdown of the benefits:

• Far Infrared heat increases circulation to detoxify the body of harmful toxins and acid waste
• Negative Ions have a positive effect on the rate at which serotonin is oxidized in the blood stream, resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy.
• Amethyst bolsters the production of hormones and strengthens the cleansing organs, the circulatory system and blood, the immune system and body metabolism.  Amethyst soothes the nervous system and aids in the transmission of neural signals.  Memory skills improve with the use of this stone in therapy.
• Tourmaline is a natural source of negative ions and far infrared rays and is known to be helpful for improving circulation and strengthening the immune system function.

What do you love most about what you do?

There are a couple of things that really make reflexology work that I LOVE.  For one, I really enjoy nurturing my client in a session.  When someone comes in and life is feeling overwhelming, I love being able to nestle them into the chair, cover them up so they feel safe and warm and then pour love into their feet through reflexology.  It is gratifying to know this person came in feeling “tapped out” and I can help refill their energy stores a bit.  I see it as a session of total unconditional love…. I need nothing in return from them so they are free to just receive and reap the full benefit of the session.

The other facet I really enjoy about doing reflexology is assessing and customizing my sessions so they offer the most benefit to the client.  I love tailoring each session and working extra time on the reflexes specific to that individual’s needs. 

What are some ways you nourish yourself, so you can give so much to your clients?

I have learned as a “bodyworker” that I need to receive bodywork as well to keep myself feeling good.  I love getting acupuncture, massage, craniosacral work and facials (I am still looking for a reflexologist) and I have learned that taking time out for myself is not indulgent but rather an investment in my own health.  I also enjoy yoga, taking walks and doing a cardio spin class at least once a week to burn up some of those stress hormones!  But you will also find me sitting and reading with a cup of tea most days and on weekends I like to go on adventures with my husband.

Michelle is available on Mondays, Tuesdays + Fridays. She is also available on the occasional Saturday, by request.

For a limited time, enjoy a Complimentary Spring Detox added to every 75 or 90 Minute Reflexology session. This Spring Detox Add-On will focus on jump starting your lymphatic system, liver, colon, lungs + kidneys

Detox with Reflexology

In the slower, colder, winter months, our bodies tend to store more toxins since our detoxification organs are impacted by inactivity. Spring is the season of reawakening and a perfect time to kick start your detoxification system.

For a limited time we're offering a Complimentary 15 Minute Detox Add- On with every (75 or 90 Minute) Reflexology session booked. This Detox Add-On focuses on your lymphatic system, kidney, lungs, liver and colon and will jump start your detoxification system, starting you on your way to an internal spring cleaning.

But how does Reflexology, a therapy working on the feet, detoxify the whole body? It's all about the blood flow.

-With over 7,000 nerve endings per foot, Reflexology deeply relaxes our bodies - allowing the blood vessels to dilate, promoting increased blood flow to the whole body. With increased blood flow, the detoxing organs and the lymphatic system are able to function at their peak.

-When the body is in a state of stress, the blood flow is sent to key areas of the body, diverting it away from other areas such as the intestines and gut. While this hardwired body response was intended for short duration, many people are now experiencing a chronic level of stress to some degree. As a result, detoxification is not priority, so these organs are given less blood flow and cannot perform optimally. In a Reflexology session, the cleaning organs and lymphatic system are flushed with the proper amount of blood flow and can perform the job nature intended.

-Each 'relex area' on the foot is a system of nerve endings that correspond to an organ, gland or part of the muscuolskeletal system. Reflexology studies (using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging technology) have shown that when a reflex area is worked, there is increased blood flow in the region of the brain related to the body part the reflex corresponds to. With our Spring Detox Add-On, we will focus on your detoxification system (lymphatic system, lungs, kidneys, liver and colon) to bring more blood flow to these organs and jump start your internal cleanse.

We invite you to shake off winter, jump start your detoxification system and see how incredible you feel with a Spring Detox with Reflexology. This special is available for a limited time only.

Introducing Clinical Grade Peels

Dramatic results, without the downtime and harsh chemicals is what you can expect with our Cosmedix Clinical Grade Peels. These botanically based peels work with your skin to encourage healthy exfoliation and renewal, without harming your healthy skin cells, like traditional chemical peels.

Offering a variety of intensity, each peel will effectively smooth fine lines, reduce large pores, diminish age spots, blemishes, acne marks and leave your skin looking + feeling totally refreshed and rejuvenated.

For best results, our Cosmedix peels are booked in a series and may include a prep kit. A Prep Facial, which includes a skin analysis and consultation, must be booked before your first peel.

Unveil your radiance with one of our four Cosmedix Clinical Grade Peels.

Results you will love, ingredients you can trust. 

Getting to Know You - Cheryl Gregory, ESTHETICIAN

What led you to pursue a career in Esthetics?

I have been in the service industry all of my life and am a natural care giver. I remember receiving a facial, feeling so good and nurtured, and thinking I'd like to provide that feeling for others.

How would you describe your approach to your Skin Care sessions?

I believe the healing process begins with total relaxation. If I can get my clients into a state of relaxation, their skin is more likely to respond positively to the treatment. I use a lot of massage to help penetrate almost all of the products I use. I like to encourage a lot of oxygenated blood to the skin; it's very healing.

What is your favorite Skin Care product you can't live without?

Everybody has different needs, but for me, I can't live without my moisturizer! My favorite right now is Ilike's Hyaluronic Time Erase Comples Moisturizer, but of course, it changes seasonally for me.

You are married with 3 children and have such a nurturing, care giving approach to your sessions. How do you fill yourself up so you can give so much to others?

I love yoga and practice Bikram regularly. I also get regular massages, which helps me replenish and rejuvenate. Fortunately I don't crave junk food and eat really well. I think that helps me feel so good and gives me great energy.

As we know, a healthy lifestyle is one of the most important ways to encourage beautiful skin? What are some of your favorite tips you share with your clients to enhance the work you do?

I think movement and exercise is key to maintaining beautiful skin. Oxygen is essential to the health and maintenance of our skin cells. As we age our skin loses the ability to retain and utilize the oxygen for normal metabolic processes. I try to encourage my clients to move. 

Water water water. Hydration is another key ingredient to healthy skin.

And limit unnecessary stress. Stress wreaks havoc on your skin. Do things that fill you up and make you happy! Have you ever seen a super happy person with terrible skin?

We have just launched clinical grade peels with a new (to us) line called, Cosmedix. Can you tell us a little about these peels and why you love them so much?

I have worked with Cosmedix for about four years before I joined the Therapeutic Bodywork team. These metabolic peels are effective in peeling back rough, aging, blemished skin without using harsh chemicals that can damage healthy cells. The peels we use are botanically based treatments that produce dramatic results without the downtime of traditional peels. While sloughing off the dead, outer layer of skin, Cosmedix peels also work by stimulating the skin's natural renewal system - leaving you with better collagen production and elasticity.

They are amazing - you are going to LOVE the results!

Take $15 off your Initial Skin Care Session with Cheryl *

*(must be valued at $100 or more)

Cheryl is available Monday-Friday.

Your internal fire - the salad challange

As discussed previously in our blog titled “Hunkering Down for Winter”, winter is a time to preserve our internal light and yang energies. January is often the coldest month of the year, and yet, a chosen month to begin anew; and for many, it sparks the resolution to lose those unwanted extra pounds. Of course then comes the myriad of fads and diets to achieve these goals. And, more often than not, salads are the go to meal. With a lower total calorie count, salads do at first appear to be the ideal weight loss food. Today, however, we will challenge this belief and show that salads in January may actually hinder loss of those final unwanted pounds in the coming year.

Let’s begin our discussion with our centers- our bellies- our digestion! To better understand how optimal digestion occurs, we will use the analogy of cooking a pot of soup over an open fire: the fire being our metabolism or digestion, and the meal our food intake. In order to bring the pot of soup to a boil, we need a strong fire. In order to achieve a strong fire, we must have ideal conditions. Cold weather will dim its flames and a wet ground will inhibit its spark. Without a strong fire, our soup does not boil and our food does not cook, and when meal comes, there remains lots of inedible, uneaten food. The same can be said for our digestion: without a strong fire, our bellies cannot cook our food and our metabolism cannot work optimally. 

In Chinese Medicine, we call this function of the body our yang energy. Our digestive yang energy sparks a fire to cook down our food into energy and nutrients (often referred to as qi and blood). If our fire or yang energy is weak, we bolster a cold environment and produce an inefficient byproduct called damp. Just like in chemistry when a catabolic reaction occurs and some energy is wasted via heat -when our fire is weak, our metabolism is not as efficient and produces a waste product called damp [picture that tummy chub or even cellulite]. This in turn can eventually encumber our fire even more and it's wet nature will again dim our yang metabolic energies.

In the long run, these byproducts have to be deposited somewhere. Without enough fire to completely metabolize them, we eventually end up with excess weight, mucus in our lungs and sinuses, heavy limbs and often achy, stiff joints.

Now picture your cold salad. Then picture your cold salad straight out of the cold refrigerator. Now picture putting that cold wet salad over your digestive fire, again and again and again, in the cold cold winter months. What happens? Our fires start to putter, our metabolism starts to slow and our yang energy becomes encumbered with yin. Over time, when we eat less calories and push our bodies to exercise more, our depleted yang (or fire) is too weak to keep up and burn efficiently and hence, the more we push, the more fatigued we become and the more stubborn those last few pounds appear. Sigh.

Now, take that salad and lightly steam it. Or, take that salad and turn it into a slow cooked meal or a warm simmered winter stew! By using an external source of fire to do some of the work for you, some of your metabolic energy is freed up to be used elsewhere; and if you play it right, that freed up energy may possibly even be used toward cooking down that extra bit of unwanted stubborn flub over your belly. It truly is simple math!

So this winter, I challenge you to take a 30 Day Salad Fast (tricked you! But at least I got your attention!) and try cooking your veggies (or at minimum, warming your salad to room temperature). Once you gain momentum, you may even consider adding more warming spices like ginger, garlic, onion, curry, cumin and cinnamon to your meals to rev up that metabolism and ward off all the cold attempting to encumber your fire during these winter months. Or better yet, come see us for warming acupuncture treatments and customized herbs catered to your body type. By Spring, your yang energy will be that much stronger to burst forth out of the cold and gain momentum for easy shedding unwanted weight by summer.

Dr. Deb Salazar is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine and Licensed Acupuncturist who specializes in women's health and fertility, and difficult/stubborn/chronic/recalcitrant disease. If you are interested in how acupuncture, herbs and Chinese Medicine can help you this winter, please schedule an appointment today.