FootNotes

These have been hard days for me standing on my own two feet. I don’t know what to think after the trial and what people are saying. I have been looking for something to lift my spirit. Perhaps you have, too.
 
I found solace in filmmaker Ken Burns‘ graduation address this May at Brandeis University. He said many powerful things and what touched me most deeply was when he talked about the kinship of our souls. Yes, we are truly in this together.
 
Photo ...

Never have you responded to a newsletter like last month’s "What’s in your heart to do?" Over 50% of you opened Footnotes: that’s 325 people and more than 30 of you wrote me about it.
Travel seems to be our biggest heart’s desire. Whether it was the idea of swimming the English Channel and all the prep that would take, or visiting Istanbul on a cruise ship, or flying to Indiana to see the Solar Eclipse on April 8th.
Here is One Heart's Story:
In 2017 when ...

You know… the place you want to go, the poem you want to write, the dear friend you want to visit, the dessert you want to cook?
 
This is not the time to let those dreams go. They are what give you life, regardless of your diagnosis, grief, pain, or other troubles.
 
A client told me a few months ago about her incurable diagnosis that came out of the blue. Reflexology is now soothing her nerves and relaxing her body, but it is not a cure.
 
Recently I asked her, “What ...

Nancie Hines, MA, OR LMT 18833
ARCB-National Board Certified Reflexologist
One of two Nationally Certified Reflexologists in Portland

For questions & scheduling: 
503-867-2778 or 
Nancie.Hines@gmail.com ​

This month I turn 78. I never want to retire. Because I found the perfect job for me and I love getting up every day and offering you reflexology. As long as you’re willing to come, I’m willing to be here.
 
But retirement is a question for many of us. Probably the biggest question is, Am I Ready? This month a dear friend, Yasmin Nguyen, a remarkable speaker and author, came to town to share his insights on “Finding Your Joy.” ...

What are you waiting for?
 
What did you do for yourself this summer? I’m talking about what did you do to revive your Body, Mind, and Spirit?
 
It’s called Self Care. The care you do for yourself to keep going. It’s not selfish, you know, it’s essential. Because after these last three years, things didn’t suddenly snap back to the good old days. My clients tell me how things aren’t better. And how you’re coping with much more.
 
Self Care ...

A client wrote me that she was returning from her 9,000-mile car trip with her grandchildren and 100 miles from Portland she had a car accident. They are okay; however, the car was totaled.
 
She’s been to the doctor and I encouraged her to keep her reflexology appointment. Why? Because here’s how reflexology helps after a car accident and trauma. 
 
When I reflex your feet, hands, and ears I’m working on your parasympathetic nervous system… the nervous system ...

These days I often ask you at the beginning of our session where you ache. Because I want to make sure I reflex those area on your feet, hands and ears. Lately, I’ve been asking those with pain, where’s your heating pad?
Why? Because when I was in massage school (10 years ago now), we learned that heat works better than ice in soothing the nerves and relaxing aching muscles, tendons, and the whole body. That’s why when you come, I offer you a massage table with a heated pad under ...

You know it’s often nerve-wracking to try something new. Like coming to Portland Reflexology for the first time. You may get confused driving in my SW neighborhood. Or not fully understand what you’ve signed up for. You may be concerned about what questions I’m going to ask during the intake or how my hands will feel on your feet, hands, and ears. Or be apprehensive about meeting my small dog, Dakota, whether you’ve had dogs all your life or not. And then on your ...

Ah-choo... Ah-choo... That's the sound of Hay Fever
 
It reminds me of the day I was at Best Buy (long before Covid) getting some gadget, and the young man helping me had a sneezing fit, runny nose, and red eyes. He was miserable. “It’s just my spring allergies,” he said. “Would you like to know a spot on your ears that’s very effective in clearing allergies?” I asked. Then I showed him the spot on the top of his ear rim and told him if he held this spot ...

No masks required beginning April. Relief for chronic headaches.
 
Starting Monday, April 3, masks are no longer required in doctors’ offices, and alternative health offices. That’s Portland Reflexology.  I’ve changed the HEPA filters in my air purifying machines and will continue to clean for you. But mostly, I’m delighted to meet many of you face-to-face for the first time. I may still wear my mask. I like hiding my wrinkles!
 
Your headache may ...

Happy Valentine's Day! Portland Reflexology is now starting its 15th year!
Here I am… Monday through Saturday with reflexology because I’ve seen what these sessions do for the hundreds of people who come every year.
This winter I was referring to Bill Flocco's "Reflexology" book regarding  psoriasis to help someone with those red itchy bumps. Over time, her bumps began to diminish and I thought, why aren’t I offering everyone who comes more hands-on information ...

Flexibility is the name of the game these days
If I’ve learned anything in these last 22 months, I’ve learned that I’m not in charge. You and I make an appointment for Tuesday at 1pm, but on Tuesday if you don’t feel good, you simply call and we reschedule. That’s been my policy since Covid started. And we understand.
 
Recently I learned this lesson again, just days before I was to board a plane to Inverness, Scotland to see my daughter, Jessica. ...

 
 
Where has time gone?
It’s been 15 months since I reopened Portland Reflexology for you.
What a journey this has been for all of us.
Thank you for continuing to come or coming for the first time.
 
One of the highlights of this year was flying to San Francisco for a 4-hour visit with my 101-year-old former mother-in-law; we held hands and I watched her sleep. She told me she loved me. And I let her love in like never before. That love inspired me to return ...

How Touch Affects Us
When I asked you what’s the first thing you’re going to do when it’s safe, many of you said, “Hug my children whom I haven’t seen in months.”
Touch reduces our stress and soothes our nerves. It’s amazing how holding a hand or massaging a shoulder or reflexing a foot can deeply relax our body and ground and bring us back to center.
I see it in your face and hear it in your voice when you leave my reflexology room. But ...

You're invited to come see my paintings in
Multnomah Village!
 
Dearest Portland Reflexology Clients, Friends, and Family,
Please come see my paintings at a gallery in Multnomah Village!
You may not be aware of Art in the Village, a little gallery right across from the U.S. Post Office on SW 40th, but this fall gallery owner and artist Donna Sanson invited me to participate in her holiday show, and I’m thrilled.
Donna has put together an eye-feast for your soul. ...

Love letter to You
In these last seven months, I’ve come to realize how important you are to me. I look at my calendar and think of you. In fact, it’s a little embarrassing that I care that your water line burst, your feet ache, your retirement party had no employees... that I care about your artwork, the changes in your MS, your mother in the nursing home, that your house sold, your jaw’s out of alignment because of stress, about your weight gain, your kidney ...

Portland Reflexology successfully re-opens
Hooray!  We’ve done it together. We’ve opened Portland Reflexology successfully. I couldn’t have done this without you… your appointments, your trust, and your kind words. You have told me you didn’t realize how much you’ve missed your sessions. You've said this is just what you’ve needed. And you’ve made another appointment.
Thank you.
Those 12 weeks not working gave me a real opportunity ...

Portland Reflexology is OPEN for you. Where do we begin again? In your backyard?  At my home office?
If you’d like a reflexology session and aren’t ready to leave home, then let me come to you. I’ve been making home visits with my reflexology chair for 12 years now. So, there’s no need to leave home. And there’s no need for me to come inside. I have the towels, sanitizer, lotion, blankets, stool, everything I need to take care of you under the sky. Especially ...

 Do I miss you? Yes, I do! 
For a while I thought I could keep my home sanitized enough to keep you safe, then I realized I couldn’t. How quickly life changed in Oregon for all of us. I’ve been home alone since March 19… emptying drawers, cleaning out file folders, washing windows, scouring the frig, stove, and kitchen floor. I even completed my health directive… a project started in 2018.
But life does get better. This March my condominium community ...

Should you come for reflexology?
 
The most important benefits of reflexology are stress reduction, improved circulation, and detoxification. You feel it when you come so you know what I’m talking about. This has to be one of the most stressful times we’ve ever experienced. So as long as I can, I’m offering reflexology to you.
Here’s what I’m doing to keep you safe. Then you decide.
When I send out your reminder a day before your appointment, I’ll ask ...

Did you know most people are wearing shoes that are too small and they don’t know it? Yes, their feet hurt, but they’ve been wearing the same size or same style for years, they tell me.
Here’s the deal. Feet change because our weight and activities change. Now you can see how your feet are fitting inside your shoes by taking out the shoe linings in your shoes.
 
Then stand on both linings and see for yourself. 
 
If your longest toe is at the ...

What brings you joy?  
In these last few weeks, I’ve had many new clients. One had my card for a few years and finally called. Another found me on the Internet. She is 84. Another came with a bag full of shoes. Her feet were “killing her” she said, and I wanted to check how those shoes were fitting.
 
Whatever the reason people find me, it is my joy to talk about feet and shoes, and then provide deep relaxation in these stressful days. 
How do I know this ...

The importance of Touch
Portland Reflexology is all about gentle touch, so it’s no wonder my Medicare clients come consistently. I say this because of the experience I had when I met my new doctor and went over Medicare-required questions for 90 minutes. 
Here’s what happened: 
She typed. Then she typed some more. She asked about drinking, exercise, appetite, sex... a whole range of human behaviors, and she just kept typing.
The most striking thing to me? She ...

These are the days that try our souls. With much we can’t do anything about.  So why not do something seemingly impossible that you can do?  Something you always wanted to do, but were afraid to try? Imagine knitting a sweater; take a knitting class at Northwest Wools.  Date on-line.  Sign up for a 5K walk.  Say No when you always say Yes.  Stop teaching; start writing. Tap with Helen McConnell.  Read fiction if you’re a non-fiction reader. Apply for ...

Now it’s my website. Cherie Collins, Homespun Websites, helped me create my first website and now she’s updated it so it’s readable on your phone as well as your tablet or laptop. The new website uses that incredible video produced by Yasmin Nguyen and his photos and will launch with this newsletter now a blog. https://portlandreflexology.com/
 All and all, it’s been a humbling, unbelievable experience to have so much love and support all these years from you dear people. ...

It’s that ability to move back to our better selves. I just finished reading The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham. Apparently, I’m not the only one reviewing these last 300 years of America’s history. At one point, I was 450th on the list to borrow this library book by the Pulitzer-Prize-winning historian-biographer. Believe me, this is history worth reading.
 
Meacham’s book examines the challenges we went through as a county to become ...

One of the things I remember from my Seattle Reflexology & Massage Center training is that 85% of the trouble people have with their feet is caused by their shoes. This statement came even closer to home when I began selling shoes in 2004 to those with Diabetes and Medicare under the Shoe Bill. That bill was created to help prevent lower leg, foot and toe amputations in those with Diabetes which was costing the government $6 billion a year. It is now known as the Therapeutic Shoe Program for ...

Several of you asked if probiotics help sugar cravings. The Internet has lots of articles, but what’s the truth? Recently I met with my naturopath, Dr. Robert Madda, The Natural Path, and asked him his expert opinion. https://www.naturalpathmed.com/  Dr. Madda has been helping me with my nutrition, hormones and vitamins for more than five years and I feel well taken care of. Here’s what Dr. Madda says:
“Yes, Probiotics benefits have been proven effective in supporting immune ...

This winter three of my clients were diagnosed with a neuroma or a Morton’s Neuroma. So here I am, sharing what I’ve learned about neuromas from my podiatrist and mentor, Dr. Ray McClanahan, owner of Northwest Foot and Ankle: “If your feet feel better when you take those shoes off, that’s your biggest clue it’s your shoes causing the problem.”
 
Somehow your shoes have become too narrow. Perhaps it's because you’ve gone from summer sandals to winter ...

Ten years ago I started Portland Reflexology on January 1 at my apartment in Multnomah Village.It was me and the cat. No website, no cards, no clients. It was one of those great leaps of faith that we all have to make when we do something as outrageous as start a business that begins in our hearts. 
 
There are many people to thank as I look back in my paper Daytimers.  My dear friend, Vonnie, who came that first month and has come every month since. Cherie Collins, owner of Stellaractive, ...

Remember how your body relaxed and responded to Reflexology at your first session? Did you realize when you relax, your muscles and blood vessels also relax and more oxygen and nutrients flow into your 37.2 trillion cells? (This number comes from someone at the Smithsonian Institute who had time to count such things.) Anyway, feeding your cells with more oxygen and nutrients is Job Number 1 for red blood cells. And when the body’s cells get properly fed, they release toxins. So another important ...

Now that it’s rainy and cold, we’re back in our winter shoes and you may find your feet hurt after a summer in sandals. What I learned more than 14 years ago at reflexology school is that 85% of the time our feet hurt because our shoes don’t fit. So I often begin a first visit with a talk about how to best fit shoes.
 
I want your feet to feel good. Because no matter how many times I reflex and stretch and increase circulation in your foot, if you put those precious feet back ...

We are swimming in stress. In our homes, at our jobs, on the freeway, just listening to the radio, even NPR. And it seems to be getting worse. Research tells us that stress contributes up to 80% in the development of illness. So let me help you with stress reduction, which is the #1 benefit of reflexology. I’m grateful to see you, but I’m mostly grateful that you care enough about yourself to let down for an hour. 
 
Reflexology benefits are accumulative. An hour once or twice ...

What I’m re-discovering is the importance of reaching out to my friends. It’s something we women have been doing for centuries. Talking and relating to each other. Delighting in the joys and sharing the sorrows.  These friendships makes us human and able to cope. When we have friends to talk to about what matters most, we can be our authentic selves. 
Recently my dear girlfriends and I had a potluck with husbands in the middle of the week. The camaraderie lingered in my heart ...

People who help others need to retreat and feed their souls.  So this week I ran away to Truth or Consequences, a flat, dry, hot place two hours from Albuquerque to soak in mineral springs and wash away layers of stuff I don’t need any more at the Charles Hotel.
 
I thought I was coming to be alone, but I’ve now seen almost every New Mexican friend I have.  We are all soaking in these wonderful hot tubs, but that’s another blog.  
 
Today I’m ...

Last Monday I taught a self care class about hand reflexology. Then Saturday a 6-hour class called Self Care and Family Care Reflexology created by Judith Nourse, an RN, massage therapist and National Board Certified Reflexologist.  Talk about stepping out of my comfort zone.  Yes, I have over 300 hundred class hours myself and over 1000 hours working with clients, but I’ve never taught a class before.  And last week I taught two.
What I learned in my first class is the words ...

This summer I drove to Lavender Valley, a Hood River lavender farm, and bought their pure grosso lavender essence for my reflexology foot soaks.  The fields were buzzing with bees and the smell of lavender was beyond fresh and satisfying.  Now I am using our very own Oregon Lavender on my Oregon clients.  I delight in every foot bath! 
As you may know, lavender is famous for its calming effect as well as its antiseptic properties.  I also put a few drops in the olive oil ...

I like to give my reflexology clients a glass of water when the session is over.   No ice…just plain, filtered tap water.  Because water plays a vital role in nearly every bodily function and lack of water is the #1 trigger for daytime fatigue. According to Clark Bartram, Bodybuilding.com, a 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, give us trouble with basic math, and make it difficult to focus on the computer screen or a printed page.
 
So how much water ...

One of the great joys of being a reflexologist is being out in Portland meeting other alternative health care providers.  Recently I met up with Karin Edwards, a ROLFER. Besides being fascinated by feet, we also discovered we both encourage clients to take hot Epson Salt baths after a treatment. Two cups of Epsom Salt in the tub does wonders calming the nerves and pulling toxins from one’s system. 
 
According to the Epson Salt Council, epson salt is a compound made of magnisum
and ...

My friend Mary handed me a New York Magazine photo of a man’s bare feet and said, “What can you tell me about this person?”  Actually we can tell a lot about a person by looking at his or her feet.   In fact, an internationally respected reflexologist, author and speaker, Chris Stormer wrote a book called, Language of the Feet-What the feet can reveal about health and wellbeing (ISBN 3-340-93959-1) which is a perfect place to start.
Chris Stormer says when standing ...

I’ve been out dancing in Portland lately.  Three different dance locations and three different dance styles to see why they call Portland the dancin’ town. (Check out this amazing website, PortlandDancing.com   And it didn’t take long before I ended up at The Leotard on NE MLK Blvd for a pair of dancing shoes.  Because no matter what style you dance, you’ve got to have shoes that feel comfortable all night long.  Best part of the deal.  Not only ...

We all agree that walking is more fun with a friend.  So look what I found…a group walk every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 PM, rain or shine.  It’s called Street Rambles,organized by  Mazamas –a hiking, walking, mountaineering club.
 
Grab your walking shoes…the more flat and down- to-earth the better for your feet and let’s go. Meet at the REI store (NW 14th and Johnson in the Pearl District) and for just $2, you’ll be led through Portland’s ...

 
You won’t care what they say about your Vibram FiveFinger Multi Sport shoes because your feet will feel like you’re walking barefoot.  You’ll feel connected to the Earth and free.  This is the shoes for everyone who says,”I’d rather go barefoot.”
 
Where will you find this silly looking shoe that brings your feet back to life? At www.REI.com   In fact, I just looked at their website and found 64 reviews from men and 29 reviews from ...

Today I finally meet Frederick James.   What a privilege to hold this sweet sleeping soul.  The privilege actually began weeks ago when I was invited to Amy and Mark’s home to do reflexology for Amy who was eight months pregnant. Amy and Mark are here from England where reflexology is a part of the national health services.  Vivante Midwifery and Women’s Health in Portland connected us.
As a reflexologist, I have additional training working with expectant mothers.  ...

If you’ve been walking or running in your cushy shoes with inserts and maybe even orthotics, here is sound advice from naturopathic podiatrist, Dr. Ray McClanahan, at Northwest Foot Clinic in NW Portland.  In an article he wrote for Walk About, walking and hiking for fitness.
“While research proves there are significant benefits to walking (or running) in a barefoot position, the change cannot be made overnight. The transition should be made slowly, allowing for the feet and legs ...