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I'd always been curious about Reflexology, the method of foot massage in which pressure is applied systematically to specific spots on the feet to stimulate different parts of the body (for example, pressing the toes can help clear sinuses; pressing the heel can aid in digestion). At best, I thought, Reflexology could be a natural, non-invasive way to treat the nagging pain behind my left shoulder blade and chronically upset stomach; at worst, it would be an hour-long foot massage (which sounded pretty good too). So it was with an open mind - and bare feet - that I visited Lou Veltri, a Certified Reflexologist with a serene office space in Old Greenwich.
Lou started our session by asking me a series of questions about my health history, diet, lifestyle, and sleep patterns. Then he led me to a ridiculously comfortable reclining chair with raised footrests where he gently massaged my feet and manipulated my toes and ankles. "Think of this as the warm-up before the real work," he said. "Like stretching before you go for a run." Before diving into the "real work," which involves techniques like thumb-walking and squeezing, Lou reminded me to tell him if I felt any discomfort. Pain has a diagnostic purpose in Reflexology. Tenderness in a particular spot indicates an imbalance in the corresponding body part.
The first twinge I felt was under the little toe of my right foot. "Shoulders," said Lou, nodding. No surprise there, for me or Lou: "No matter what somebody comes in for, almost everybody turns out to have tension in their upper back," he said. "Spend a lot of time on the computer?" Guilty. Lou moved his fingers more towards the ball of my foot. "Ow," I said. "Those are your lungs," said Lou. "Do you have any breathing problems?" I shook my head. This one mystified me - I've never had asthma and don't smoke. "What about your skin?" Lou explained that skin and lung troubles are closely linked. Aha! I've dealt with irritating bouts of eczema on my hands for years.
By the time Lou made it to my left foot, more pieces of my personal health puzzle had fallen into place (I'll spare you the details). Suffice it to say, there was either something to this whole Reflexology thing or Lou was a psychic. Plus I was completely relaxed. Of course this was due to the fact that someone was rubbing my feet, but Lou's soft-spoken manner and pleasant conversation helped, too. I learned that his first career was as a corporate executive. After joining the ranks of the downsized, he decided to indulge a longtime interest in alternative medicine. After much research, "Reflexology turned out to be the best fit for me," he said. He was certified at the New York Open Center and now works in tandem with the Greenwich Hospital Center for Integrative Medicine in addition to caring for his private practice patients, whose ailments range from diabetes to side effects from cancer treatment. Lou even makes house calls. For more info, call him at 203-344-9506 or visit his website.
