Foot to Soul Reflexology & Healing Therapies

08/15/2025

Did you know that today is International Relaxation Day?

What better way to unwind and relax than having your feet treated to a reflexology session?

Give us a call at 604-618-6684 to arrange for your next (or first) appointment and enjoy all the benefits foot reflexology has to offer.

08/09/2025

🌿 The Liver & Lymph Connection: What Happens to Your Liver During Lymphatic Drainage?

Understanding How Detox and Drainage Support This Vital Organ

The liver is often called your body’s detox powerhouse, but did you know it also plays a central role in your lymphatic system?

When you receive lymphatic drainage therapy, your body isn’t just clearing puffiness or inflammation—it’s actively supporting the liver’s ability to filter, process, and eliminate toxins. In fact, your liver and lymph are in constant conversation.

Let’s explore what actually happens to your liver during lymph drainage—and why supporting this relationship is critical for healing, detoxification, hormonal balance, and energy.

🧬 1. The Liver Produces a Massive Amount of Lymph

Your liver produces 25–50% of your total lymphatic fluid each day.
That’s more than your entire digestive tract, skin, and muscles combined.

This fluid:
• Carries immune cells
• Transports fats and fat-soluble vitamins
• Collects metabolic waste, hormones, and toxins
• Delivers these to lymph nodes and eventually the bloodstream for elimination

💡 If your liver is sluggish, congested, or inflamed—it can lead to lymphatic stagnation.

💆‍♀️ 2. During Lymphatic Drainage, Pressure Is Taken Off the Liver

When you stimulate lymphatic flow through manual therapy, rebounders, dry brushing, or devices like the Ballancer Pro, you help:
• Decongest surrounding tissues
• Drain stagnant lymph from the abdomen (cisterna chyli region)
• Reduce the liver’s toxic burden
• Improve nutrient absorption and bile flow

📍 In therapy, the upper abdominal quadrants are often addressed to stimulate the liver’s lymphatic vessels, improve venous return, and enhance organ drainage.

🔄 3. Liver Lymph Flows Into the Thoracic Duct—Your Body’s Main Drainpipe

Here’s what happens physiologically:
• Lymph from the liver (via hepatic lymphatics) collects waste, pathogens, excess hormones, and immune debris
• This fluid moves into the cisterna chyli, a large lymphatic reservoir near the belly button
• It then drains into the thoracic duct, which empties into the bloodstream just below your left collarbone
• The bloodstream delivers these filtered toxins to the kidneys, colon, lungs, and skin for final elimination

🌀 A clogged or slow lymphatic system causes backup in this flow, burdening the liver and reducing detox capacity.

🔥 4. Inflammation & Liver Congestion Show Up in the Lymph

If the liver is overwhelmed (due to:
• alcohol,
• medications,
• mold exposure,
• infections,
• heavy metals,
• chronic stress, or
• hormone excess),

…it becomes inflamed and sluggish. This creates:
• Thicker, more toxic lymph fluid
• Buildup in abdominal nodes
• Facial and eye puffiness
• Fatigue and hormonal imbalances

Lymphatic drainage supports the mobilization of this waste, which eases liver load and supports phase 1 & 2 liver detox pathways.

🫀 5. Lymphatic Drainage Enhances Liver-Organ Communication

The liver doesn’t work alone. It communicates with:
• The gut (via the portal vein)
• The spleen (immune modulation)
• The hormonal system (estrogen, cortisol, insulin)
• The brain (via the vagus nerve and neuroinflammation signals)

By draining lymph:
• You improve gut-liver axis function
• You reduce neurotoxic overload
• You support hormone clearance through liver detox
• You ease inflammation in other organs (especially the skin and brain)

🧠 This is why many people report better mental clarity, improved skin tone, and even less PMS after consistent lymphatic therapy.

💧 6. What You May Feel After Liver-Focused Lymphatic Drainage

✨ You may experience:
• Mild nausea or bloating (detox reaction)
• Increased urination or bowel movements
• Clearer skin
• Decreased abdominal swelling
• Emotional release (the liver stores unprocessed anger, according to TCM)
• More energy after the detox pathways are cleared

Support this process with:
✅ Hydration with electrolytes
✅ Liver-supporting herbs (milk thistle, dandelion, artichoke)
✅ Epsom salt baths
✅ Castor oil packs over the liver
✅ Anti-inflammatory, whole food nutrition

🌿 Final Thoughts: Your Liver Needs the Lymph—and the Lymph Needs the Liver

Lymphatic therapy is not just about circulation—it’s about clearing the pathways so the liver can do its job with less resistance.
By restoring flow, you relieve inflammation, accelerate detox, and help your entire body rebalance.

✨ A happy liver = a flowing lymph system.
A flowing lymph system = a healthier, clearer, and more vibrant you.

08/08/2025

👣 The Power of Reflexology in Lymphatic Healing

When feet speak, the body listens.

In the quiet language of pressure points and touch, there lies a powerful form of healing that’s often overlooked — reflexology.
But when paired with an understanding of the lymphatic system, this ancient therapy becomes more than just relaxation —
…it becomes a pathway to fluid movement, immune support, and deep tissue detoxification.

🌿 What is Reflexology?

Reflexology is a therapeutic technique that involves applying gentle pressure to specific points on the feet, hands, or ears — each of which corresponds to an organ, gland, or body system.

Think of it as a map of your body, mirrored in your feet.
Stimulating these points helps trigger neural pathways and activate the body’s own healing responses — particularly through the autonomic nervous system and lymphatic circulation.

🌀 How Does It Support the Lymphatic System?

The lymphatic system is a fluid-based network responsible for:
• Removing waste, toxins, and pathogens
• Supporting immune function
• Regulating inflammation
• Maintaining fluid balance in tissues

But unlike the heart, the lymphatic system has no central pump — it relies on muscle movement, breath, and manual stimulation to flow.

That’s where reflexology becomes powerful:

👣 5 Ways Reflexology Boosts Lymphatic Health

1. Stimulates Lymph Flow Without Strain

Gentle foot pressure increases local and systemic circulation, helping lymphatic fluid move through congested vessels and nodes — especially helpful for those with swelling, fatigue, or sedentary lifestyles.

2. Activates Reflex Zones for Key Organs

By working on the liver, kidneys, colon, spleen, and intestinal reflex points, reflexology supports the body’s natural detox and drainage systems — reducing the burden on the lymph.

3. Reduces Stress and Cortisol

High stress = tight fascia + sluggish lymph flow.
Reflexology downregulates the sympathetic nervous system, allowing for parasympathetic healing, reduced inflammation, and better vagal nerve activation (which impacts gut and lymphatic communication).

4. Improves Digestive-Lymph Connection

The gut is home to 70% of your immune system (GALT). Reflex points on the feet related to the intestines and abdominal area help calm inflammation, improve motility, and stimulate visceral lymphatic flow.

5. Breaks Down Fascial Restrictions

Foot reflexology encourages release of fascial tension, which can compress lymphatic vessels and impair drainage. This is especially helpful in cases of chronic swelling, hormonal fluid retention, or post-surgical stagnation.

✨ Clinical Benefits Observed:
• Reduced swelling and puffiness (especially lower legs, ankles, abdomen)
• Improved energy and reduced fatigue
• Less fluid retention during PMS or hormonal shifts
• Clearer skin and improved elimination
• Calmer mood and better sleep
• Enhanced response when combined with Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD)

🔬 Backed by Research:

Recent studies have shown that reflexology:
• Increases peripheral blood circulation
• Modulates immune and inflammatory markers
• Improves quality of life in chronic illness patients
• Activates vagal tone, which regulates both gut and lymph function

A 2022 pilot study on reflexology and lymphedema in breast cancer survivors showed a statistically significant reduction in arm circumference and reported swelling after six weekly treatments.

🌸 Who Can Benefit Most?

Reflexology is especially beneficial for those with:
• Chronic inflammation
• Autoimmune diseases
• Hormonal imbalances (e.g., PCOS, estrogen dominance)
• Lymphedema or lipedema
• Digestive issues
• Stress-related immune dysfunction
• Post-surgical swelling or trauma

🌿 The Healing Power of Touch

Reflexology is gentle.
It’s non-invasive.
And yet — it can reignite movement in places where your body feels stuck.

Whether used alone or as a complement to lymphatic drainage therapy, reflexology helps the body do what it was designed to do:

🌀 Move.
🧬 Balance.
💧 Detox.
💚 Heal.

Final Thought:

If the lymphatic system is your inner river,
then reflexology is the gentle current that guides it home.

02/26/2025

Reflexology is a method of touch therapy that has been practiced in diverse cultures for centuries. A healing art, used as preventative care or in response to physical or emotional distress, reflexology acts as a catalyst to aid the body towards its own natural healing process.

Researchers believe that reflexology is well over 5,500 years old. The oldest documentation depicting the use of reflexology was found in Egypt on an ancient papyrus scene from around 2500 B.C. It shows medical practitioners treating the hands and feet of their patients. Further evidence from 2330 B.C. was found in the tomb of Ankhmahor at Saqqara, in a scene depicting the practice of reflexology.


The length of time that reflexology practice has been in use attests to the beneficial nature of this modality.

12/26/2024

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our past, present and future clients!

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12/20/2024

12/13/2024

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10/15/2024

Happy Thanksgiving to all my past, current and future clients! May you enjoy a bountiful fall season 🍂🧡

09/24/2024

Did you know that World Reflexology Week is celebrated annually during the last full week of September? In 2024, it will take place from September 23rd to September 29th.

Give us a call and try a treatment session with a certified reflexologist during World Reflexology Week.

Call 604-618-6684 today.