Be well now.

Iridologists use a map of the iris, such as the one you see here, along with a camera or magnifying glass to carefully examine every part of the iris and make a diagnosis.

Rozanna Rousseau says that the mental and physical are impossible to separate.

It is believed in iridology and in various other healing modalities that our emotions actually match the frequencies of our organs. For instance, anger can hold an emotional charge in the liver. The liver can counter-balance the anger easily, so that emotion naturally wants to sit there.

Different color shadings and specks of  color within the iris can tell an iridologist a lot about the body. For instance, a yellow shading over an area can reveal that fear is being carried in the kidneys.

Blockages in the body occur when a certain emotion can’t settle in a preferred area of the body. Anger can find it’s way to the kidneys if it can’t make it to the liver. Holding anger in the kidneys is a very uncomfortable place, physically. For example, anger is hot and when it sits in the kidneys, it can cause physical symptoms such as burning urination.

Using this modality can also give indication to whether you are right- or left-brain dominant and offer insight into particular elements of your personality. View the previous blog entry to learn more about Rozanna Rousseau’s practice.

R.H.N., C.Ir., and Intuitive Healer Rozanna Rousseau uses various modalities in her healing practice.

Quite often, holistic healers discover their calling by first stumbling upon alternative wellness modes in search of ways to improve their own health. Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Certified Iridologist and Intuitive Healer Rozanna Rousseau, R.H.N., C.Ir., came to discover multiple modalities for healing when her health began to decline from rheumatoid arthritis in 1991. Her journey moved her further away from reliance on traditional medicine and toward a new path.

When Rousseau’s doctor informed her that he wasn’t going to cure her, but would instead help her manage the disease, she stopped ingesting prescription medication. Rousseau suffered in pain for six months until she discovered a new way to manage her own health – through nutrition.

“We give our power away to doctors,” Rousseau says. “We don’t take responsibility for our health and we’re taught at a very early age to give it away. Only you can change your diet and decide which meds to take.”

Rousseau’s passion for nutrition fueled her curiosity. She graduated from The Canadian School of Natural Nutrition in 2000 and from Nature’s Way Herbal Health Institute for Iridology in 2002. She worked at the Tree of Life as a raw food chef in 2004 and then as a holistic allergist at Health Technologies. In 2006, she became a certified Bodytalk practitioner.

Rousseau incorporates everything she learned in her healing practice, but it was the study of Iridology that taught her the eyes were the window into the soul–and the body.

Iridology’s original discovery is believed to have happened 160 years ago, when Dr. Ignatz von Peczely of Budapest, Hungary, now considered the father of iridology, found correlations to organs and body systems in the iris. As a young boy, he accidentally broke the leg of an owl and noticed a dark stripe develop in the lower region of the owl’s iris. Later, when von Peczely became a doctor, he gathered scientific confirmations that the iris developed particular markings in his patients. Then, based on decades of research, he constructed a map of the iris.

The iris is the color part of the eye, which has markings, colors and configurations that reveal the level of health in the organs, glands and body tissues.

Markings occur simply because the eye is a direct outgrowth of the brain. The optic nerve is a nerve-bundle, comprised of hundreds of thousands of individual nerve fibers. The brain is the control center and the nervous system is the highway of information. The iris is the monitor screen that displays the levels of health and the only brain tissue that can be seen without surgical intervention.

“The eye is an amazing tool,” she says. “The first to develop is your central nervous system. In four to six weeks of conception, the eyes pop out of the forebrain.”

Rousseau uses a magnifying glass and a camera to help her read the iris. She incorporates her understanding of how the body, mind and soul communicate with each other to offer awareness to the health challenges of her clients. She says colors in the eye can provide her with information about genetic make-up, personality traits and right- or left-brain dominance.

Rousseau can read emotions through the iris. In Chinese medicine, everything is energy–even emotions, which match the organ’s energetic frequencies.

Iridology is an art in science. Rousseau says the art is in the interpretation. No two iridologists will read the eye the same way.

“I can give my point of view with my background and someone else will come a different way,” she says. “People will be drawn to whom they need to see. You always find the right person. That’s why we have so many healers.”

Over generations, the markings in the iris have changed due to new types of surgeries, such as metal or plastic surgical implants. The study of iridology has advanced tremendously over the years and the practice is continuously evolving.

“Genetics, environment and belief systems all play a role and dictate one’s reality and the type of healing they may need,” she says. “I educate my clients on how to listen to their intuition.”

For Rousseau, there is no cookie cutter solution for healing, but she says all healing can occur naturally.

“I am walking proof that people can beat illness without drugs,” she says, “The body really does know how to heal [and] it converses with you all the time.”

Please leave your comments about what you are up to this Earth Day and how your conscious efforts will leave a positive impact.

I plan to help my mother plant her vegetable garden for summer goodies for the family, continue re-using and recycling and further reduce my meat consumption to one meal per week. Of course, we should always be conscious of leaving lights on and water running unnecessarily.

Please post your ideas!

If you didn’t already make plans to attend the Earth Day Climate Rally in D.C. on April 25, you can celebrate Earth Day in Richmond, Va., 12-5 p.m., (same day) which is only two hours away… without the traffic!

Click here for more information. Need directions?

Ellwood Thompson’s will be creating an outdoor Farmer’s Market. Learn more.

Find events in your area.

Facial reflex zones

This face map shows certain areas of the face that directly correlate with the body. According to Eastern medicine, professional massage in certain areas of the face can release toxins by concentrating on specific areas to create better health.

Read more.

When we splurge on a facial, we typically do so for the obvious benefits – beautiful skin and an hour of complete relaxation. But facials offer more than skin polishing and pampering. The byproduct of this service, which is arguably the most important reason to receive a facial, is lymphatic drainage – a term less likely to be uttered in a spa atmosphere.

Erin Wischer, manager of Let's Face It Spa in Richmond, Va., discusses lymphatic drainage through facial massage.

“We call it facial massage,” says Erin Wischer, licensed aesthetician and manager of Let’s Face It Spa, in Richmond, Va. “It seems like we’re doing something scary if we say lymphatic drainage because it sounds like a medical term.”

Based in Eastern medicine, lymphatic drainage therapy is a technique performed by licensed aestheticians to improve the natural flow of the lymphatic system – a body system comprised of vessels and ducts that help move toxins away from healthy cells and supplies germ-fighting properties to cells under attack by viruses.

When blockages exist, lymph nodes can become swollen and therefore unable to do their job properly. Lymphatic drainage through facial massage is also beneficial to the circulatory, respiratory, muscular and endocrine systems.

Wischer says the human face is essentially a map of the body.

“I can get a good idea of what may be happening in the body just by looking at the face,” she says.

For instance, under-eye puffiness can mean unhealthy kidneys, while broken capillaries around the nose reveals poor vein circulation in the body. Allergy sufferers can benefit from attention to pressure points in the sinus area.

“When I’m doing lymphatic drainage, I am collecting the toxins and stimulating areas of the face to encourage detoxification in certain areas of the body – I pull everything out,” Wischer says. “The last thing I will do is press [the temple area] or circle down the neck and then press to release the toxins.”

She describes the process as internal garbage removal.

“After I’ve collected all the garbage, I hit the disposal button,” she says.

When owner and licensed aesthetician Tamara Miller opened Let’s Face It Spa, she brought with her 23 years of experience in esthetics through licensed practicing, teaching and merchandise development. Miller conducted extensive research before choosing product lines.

She discovered two French skincare lines, Carita – an anti-aging line and Decléor – an essential oil base line. Miller says the product creators are considered the forerunners of skin care and teach their own specific facial techniques without encouraging the use of machines.

Lymphatic drainage through facial massage along with regular exercise, a healthy diet and stress management encourages a free-flowing lymphatic system. Wischer recommends lymphatic drainage every four to six weeks.

Callia Wolff, NCTMB, LMT answers questions about CranioSacral therapy.

You said the cells in the body carry memories. If the body agrees to release certain memories during CranioSacral therapy, are they then permanently removed from the body or cellular memory?

Wolff – Once the memory is released from the cells, it is no longer held in the body. Your mind can hang onto it if it chooses to do so and you can choose to call it back to your body,  but it won’t have the same charge or sticking power. Most people, of course, would not choose to bring trauma back in to their life if they can avoid it. Keep in mind that there are layers to all our life experiences that can link into past-life karma, soul stories, cosmic agreements, etc.  So if you have a major release and the issue still doesn’t feel completely resolved  there may be more subconscious material involved.

I recently read about scientists discovering that we carry the memories of our ancestors in our DNA. If this is true, can those memories be released?

Wolff – Yes, working on the level of DNA, ancestors and family lineage is also a part of this work. It’s all connected.

The effects of CranioSacral therapy will last for about three days. Although experiences are different for each person, are there general experiences that can be expected, besides heavy dreaming?

Wolff – If I had to generalize, I would say that people tend to be more relaxed and open. I hear the word, “clear” and “bright” from people as feedback. Lately, I’ve heard the word, “unstuck” as well. Dreams are important. Meditation deepens. Sometimes unconscious material begins to surface and emotions present themselves – a process begins.

Callia and I began the process by sitting together with our eyes closed, taking deep breaths. She told me to do a quick mental scan of my body to figure out what areas may be asking for attention. I wasn’t exactly sure how to point out these areas, but during the scan I felt a heaviness in my shoulders and lower abdomen.

The lower abdomen is the location of the root chakra. I recently discovered (during my first Reiki session) that my root chakra was closed. Strangely, it has been closed every time I have received Reiki, but always reopened after each session.

Callia did her own scan of my body from head-to-toe. She began the CranioSacral work by placing her hands on my lower back, over the sacrum – located in the upper-middle area of the pelvis. I felt a strong presence of energy in that area.

Callia placed my own hand on my abdomen and put her hand over mine.

A few minutes later she said, “That’s great, go ahead and give yourself Reiki.”

I looked up at her, confused.

“You’re giving Reiki to yourself,” she said.

“I am?” I asked.

“Yes. If you have ever received it then you are an open channel and can use it to heal yourself. Do you feel that?”

I immediately noticed my right hand, which rested on top of my abdomen, felt full like I was holding something fluid and warm.

Callia placed her hands on my feet, then my knees and shoulders. She moved to my head, pressing lightly on certain areas. With each of her hand placements, I experienced waves of various emotions. Memories began to surface.

I recalled a wonderful childhood memory. I was lying in a grassy field and staring up at a beautiful indigo sky. There were no clouds, no telephone lines, no trees – nothing in my direct or peripheral view except this one color. My eyes just soaked in the color. I remembered the exact shade of color of the sky on that day – so vividly – and also the feeling of total bliss. I could even recall the feeling of the grass on my arms and legs and the wind blowing softly over me.

Memories of childhood friends that had crossed over and of others that are still here began to surface. This part of the CranioSacral work was a beautiful experience, but there were also difficult moments. I experienced vivid memories of childhood trauma. I actually noticed my body making small movements while on the table, as it released those memories from the body.

After the session, Callia said that my lower body was buzzing with energy. I felt dizzy and my head weighed a ton. So she worked with my cranium a little more in order to slow down the energy flow a bit. I got up from the table feeling like I just woke up from a wonderful nap. My spine felt longer. I actually felt taller.

It’s important to drink lots of water afterwards to flush out toxins. Callia said to be prepared for lots of dreaming during the next few days.

The next three nights I experienced vivid dreams. I kept a journal of them all and reviewed them days later. It seemed to me, in one way or another, every dream focused on assessing and measuring self-progress along with what I intuitively knew I could use to help others in many different ways.

It was a beautiful challenge.

Akin to other esoteric healing modalities, CranioSacral therapy, (CST) begins with providing the body a safe space to heal itself. It operates from the point of view that all things are made of flowing energy – a concept that remains unrecognized in Western medicine.

Callia Wolff, NCTMB, LMT practices CranioSacral and massage therapy in Richmond, Va.

Richmond, Va., native Callia Wolff, NCTMB, LMT connects with bones and junctures in the body when practicing CranioSacral therapy for clients. She says the body knows when it has entered a safe space and when someone is listening in a certain capacity.

“It’s incredibly relaxing to the nervous system,” Wolff says. “The body will respond every time.”

Wolff began her studies in CranioSacral therapy in 2006 under Jim Gilkeson, who teaches Energy Active CranioSacral therapy at the School of Shiatsu and Massage in Northern California – using CranioSacral techniques with a focus on energy work.

In 2007, she returned to Richmond, where she earned her license in medical massage and continues to study and refine her skills in CranioSacral therapy through the Upledger Institute. Wolff plans to specialize in infant and pediatric CranioSacral therapy within the next few years.

The Upledger Institute educates students on the scientific research developed in the mid-1970s by John Upledger, a osteopathic physician, clinical researcher and professor of biomechanics at Michigan State University. He supports the idea that the human skull is capable of movement and can be manipulated because the skull’s sutures are not completely fused. There are 22 bones in the cranium that can move a mere one hundredth of an inch.

Specific to the physiology of the body, CST connects to almost every single bone in the head – affecting blood vessels, nerve fibers and connective tissue. CranioSacral practitioners make minor adjustments to the bones by manipulating them in a gentle and subtle way, using non-force.

Wolff says the CranioSacral system is a body system like the pulmonary, nervous and digestive systems. Spinal fluid bathes all the nerves as it travels up and down the spine and around the brain, with its own rhythm that moves much slower than breath and the heartbeat.

The key to tuning into the rhythm of the CranioSacral system is being able to sit in stillness. When Wolff taps into it, she can feel its oceanic presence.

“The fluid is like a flowing river in the body,” she says. “Anything that creates blockages are removed so that energy can flow more smoothly.”

A full body scan informs Wolff of the areas that need attention and what the body may be ready to acknowledge and release.

“When I am listening to the body, I am following its subtle [micro]-movements and listening on a refined level, letting the body guide me,” she says. “Most of the time my hands just know where they need to go.”

The specialized component of CranioSacral work that Wolff often incorporates in her practice – SomatoEmotional Release, (SER) – works with the cellular memory in the body’s tissue.

SER therapy is what Wolff says challenges her most as a therapist. When applying this specialization, she listens to the physiology of the body, the emotional content and any thoughts or images that may surface.

She works with energy blocks that can become lodged in the nervous system and assists with their release from the energetic, physical, emotional and mental fields of the body. The body will move itself into different positions in order to allow the release to occur.

“Clients who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder can benefit greatly [from this therapy],” she says. “But not everyone is willing to get on a table in a therapeutic process to walk through certain parts of their lives again so they can let it go.”

During the release, clients can feel the releasing of pressure, experience an emotional reaction and the surfacing of memories.

“I love it,” she says. “I’ve always been drawn to emotional healing and the nurturing of others. It’s amazing work and it’s changed my life.”

Wolff offers CranioSacral and massage therapy on a manual level at HealthSource Chiropractic and Progressive Rehabilitation of Richmond. Due to the emotional nature of SER therapy, she only offers this service in her private practice.