Speaker 1: 0:14

Hello everybody, it's your boy, anthony. Welcome to another edition of Spade the Podcast. Spade the podcast what's going on, everybody? Dr Njidika Alatunde isa. Visionary naturopath, master, reflexologist, educator, leading author, a podcaster. Author, a podcaster. She's the founder on Focus on Healing and Wellness Institute and creator of Reflexology and Touchology. She's empowered thousands to break free from chronic pain without addiction or medication, using the power of touch, and that's what this episode is going to focus on, and the title of it is called the Touch that Heals, discovering Reflexology's Hidden Power. It's an honor to welcome Dr Ninjadika Alatunde to Spade the podcast. How are you doing today? How are you doing?

Speaker 2: 1:46

I'm doing wonderful and I want to say thank you and I'm looking forward to sharing information with your listeners. It is my honor and privilege as well.

Speaker 1: 1:57

Thank, you so much and again, thank you just for being on my podcast. This is just truly an honor. And just to be able to learn about this, this, this topic because I'm not very familiar with reflexology and touchology and how it coincides. So just to get you know background information on it and then how you incorporate it with pain relieving, it's just I'm so excited to hear about it. So before we, you know, dive in, I just want you to give a brief introduction to who you are, your background, what do you do?

Speaker 2: 2:44

OK, let me see how I can put it in a condensed version. Well, the best way for me to start is when I grew up on what's known as home remedies. Okay, and back in that time, doctors used to come to your home to do visits. You didn't go to the office, the doctor came to your home. So as a child, I'm seeing a doctor visiting my home and I'm saying, oh, wow. So this is what healers do. I want to be a doctor when I grow up.

Speaker 2: 3:21

So what happened was a fast forwarding. I went to school and as soon as I got to school, I realized I said oh no, this is not what doctors that I know about do. So I need to now change my career choice because I don't want to be a doctor. So I went into social work, into social work, and as a social worker I covered the whole gambit, from infants to seniors, every phase of social service you can name. I did it, but what happened was I got concerned because everybody was going to the emergency room for their doctors and I said something's wrong with this picture. And then that all of a sudden sparked the urge again oh, I want to be a doctor. And at that time the world was opening up to natural and alternative therapies. So I went back to school and got my training as a naturopath practitioner. But one of the things that happened I already knew about reflexology before I took my naturopathic training. So all I did was add the reflexology to my naturopathic practice, and so that's the training piece and how I got into it. But to give you a a a sense of the overall journey to get to where I am today, I started my practice with senior citizens. So that's how I got into business.

Speaker 2: 4:59

I started working with seniors, okay, and when you know about one of the things that's important to know about seniors, when you work with seniors, they're at a point in their life where they know what they want, right, they want it when they want it, and you've got to be able to deliver when you say you're going to deliver and all of that. So that's the whole format of working with seniors, right. So that was my intro, but the beautiful part about that, which I have to give hominage to, the seniors that I worked on in terms of where I'm at now on, in terms of where I'm at now, they laid the foundation for all of the work that I have been doing for these last umpteen years and I say that to say is that when I first started working with seniors seniors just love the reflexology Then they came back and said okay, I like this reflexology, but can now you start taking care of my feet and hands, which meant they want manicures and pedicures. I knew nothing about the beauty industry, right? So I go back to school and get trained to do manicures and pedicures. And so what happened in that experience?

Speaker 2: 6:26

I'm based in what I call stress capital, usa, aka Washington DC. That's where I'm located and what happened was there was a school that was on the West coast that came to the East Coast. They came to New York to put together a training program on how to introduce reflexology in the beauty industry. So I said okay, let me go up to New York and see what this training program is all about. So, in the essence of that, I took the training program and they said well, since we're here on the East Coast, if you could put together a training program, we'll come down to DC and do the training program. Never did anything like that before in my life. Got home, called all my little health practitioner friends and put this little class together and they came down and did it. As a result of that, I wound up becoming their East Coast and Southeast instructor, teaching reflexology in the beauty industry Wow.

Speaker 2: 7:33

That was the first foundation of my seniors planning my path of practice in what I do. And out of that I wound up teaching in the beauty industry. And then healthcare practitioners came to me and said, well, how can we add this to our health practice? So I organized and create a certification program for healthcare practitioners, and then from there, practitioners, and then from there my seniors introduced me to their family and their family introduced me to their friends and their businesses and I got into the corporate industry and all of that in terms of reflexology. And then the opiate epidemic came, and when that happened, that forced me to move into research and I started researching how I could find and use reflexology as an alternative for relieving pain instead of people having to use opiates. And that's the full circle in terms of what I do today. And out of the research piece I eventually created what I call relieving pain first before treatment, and that's what I do today.

Speaker 1: 9:04

Okay, okay. So can you share a defining moment that solidified your passion for natural pain relief?

Speaker 2: 9:22

Ooh, that's a powerful question. Let me see how to answer that one. Um, I can probably think of many different prominent ones that really connect with me. If I had to like sum it all up, I'm going to use this one particular experience that I cherish probably more than anything as it relates to the work that I do, anything as it relates to the work that I do. When I was in practice doing reflexology, I had a client who came to me and every time she came she brought her granddaughter with her to her reflexology session, and at the time, her granddaughter was 10 years old and what happened was she suffered with hypertension and she went into a hypertension crisis. And when this happened happened, her granddaughter grabbed her hands and started trying to emulate what it was that I was doing, and then she went to her feet and started doing working on her feet, doing what she saw me doing, and, as a result of that, by the time the paramedics came, her pressure had dropped and gone back to being normal.

Speaker 2: 11:02

Wow, I say that to say because my most cherished drive in all the work that I do is I teach young people how to do reflexology, and the reason being is because right now, young people are experiencing so much stress.

Speaker 2: 11:22

Yes, they are, and we as adults have outlets in terms of how we can relieve stress, but we're not sharing it with our young people, and that is something that's very special to me. And this particular young lady I said when she started she was 10 years old and she became my first student that paved the way for me to teach young people how to do reflexology, which is my passion. To do reflexology, which is my passion, because one of the things that's very important to me in terms of where I'm at in my life right now is I'm at the point now where I'm ready to pass the baton. And to those young people, it is my honor and privilege to pass the baton on to them, to not do what I do, but to be able to take it and enhance it in terms of how they see where it needs to go, and I can sit back and support them and enjoy the fruits of their creation in taking reflexology to the next level.

Speaker 2: 12:33

Creation and taking reflexology to the next level, so that's probably my driving passion and that's what is most important to me in the work that I do.

Speaker 1: 12:44

Mm-hmm, that's beautiful. That is beautiful as far as with teaching the younger generation. Teaching the younger generation, how?

Speaker 2: 13:02

many children do you currently see now? Well, in terms of the teaching program, I would say, in the number of years, oh wow, there've been quite a few children that, as I look at it now, a lot of them now are adults and they started as young people and as we go through the process so it's been up in the hundreds of young people. And I am re-instituting that program now because one of the things I tell parents do not get upset with young people. The problem that we have with young people is that we want to regulate them and they come. They're coming from a generation. That it's not about do as I say. It's about let me see what you're doing so that I can do so, I can add to it or improve upon it. We've got to learn how, and that's when you hear me say passing the baton. To pass the baton is about giving them a foundation to build upon.

Speaker 2: 14:26

And the one thing that we don't do with young people and for everyone that's listening, it is very easy, it's very basic. The one thing that young people want and if you want to connect with them, I mean seriously connect with them is to give them the best healing tool that you have, and that tool is called listening. All young people want you to do is just take the time to listen to them and with the young people. It's not that I have to agree with everything that they say, but I listen because that puts me also. I become a student and they become a teacher. It's an exchange.

Speaker 2: 15:18

These are our future leaders, these are our future teachers, these are our future healers, and the only way that they can manifest that greatness that's within them is for us to be able to listen and just share tidbits, not do as I say, share tibbets. So this generation, you can't get upset with them because they aren't doing what you think they should be doing, because this is not the time that we grew up in. The life experience that we have is not what's happening right now. Exactly, they are looking for guidance and direction, and the only way you can give that to them is taking the time to listen and hear what they're looking for.

Speaker 1: 16:12

Right, and if you're listening to them, that to them. That would make them feel like they're looking for Right. And if you're listening to them, that to them. That would make them feel like they're being heard and they would appreciate that a lot.

Speaker 2: 16:24

It's about respect. Everybody wants to be respected. Young people deserve to be, regardless of your interpretation or what you that's your value judge, but you can't put it on them. We've got to learn how to get past that, which leads into when we talk about reflexology and touch. This is what it's all about, Right?

Speaker 1: 16:50

Do you have? I'm sorry, I was going to ask do you have any of your students teaching classes?

Speaker 2: 17:02

They have, they have, they have done that. Like I say, like you know, I just give the guidance and I let them learn, be about doing what they do.

Speaker 1: 17:12

Wow, that is amazing. That is amazing Um. What challenges have you faced as far as um in introducing reflexology and touchology as a transformative um healing practice?

Speaker 2: 17:33

Basically, the number one thing is I stand on this. This is my foundation. It's medication-free alternatives to relieving pain and you know, when we talk about that, we're talking about something that big pharma cannot do. Big pharma cannot bottle this farmer cannot do. Big farmer cannot bottle this. Big farmer cannot create it in the way that they see, because this is about the power that each and the power of touch. So the challenge is being able to help people understand that we're going to get, if we're really mentally, emotionally, spiritually and financially with all of the issues that are happening in our life. We've got to understand the pain-stress connection. The two go hand in hand. You do not have pain without stress and you do not have stress without pain. You have to understand that connection and what that connection is. Stress is nothing but something that happens outside of your body that you bring inside, and when you bring it inside of your body, it's going to look for areas in terms of how it's trying to release itself. That could be a backache, that could be a headache, that could be fibromyalgia, that can be a nerve pain, whatever. That is not the normal way for you to release toxins or impurities from the body. So if it's coming to those areas inside the body trying to come out. It's now creative pain that eventually can turn into what's known as a diagnosed illness. But it all happened because of some stress that you brought inside, and stress happens through all kinds of things. I call it when you connect with the drama in your life now bringing in stress, because the things that are a drama and you dwell on it, it turns into stress. Okay, and that's what you have to focus on in terms of where are your thoughts? And if you think about it, understand this about pain Pain does not happen overnight.

Speaker 2: 20:39

Pain happens in a process. What happens with pain? All of a sudden, you start, you get a little ache and you say, oh, that's not too bad, I can get through this. And the body comes back in with a little more intensity in the pain. You say, oh, that's a little bit uncomfortable there, but I'll deal with it. Then the body's going to say, okay, I gave you two warnings. You chose not to deal with either one of those. Now I'm coming back chronically. When they come back chronically, now what are you doing? Oh, I got to go to the doctor to find out how I can relieve this pain.

Speaker 2: 21:18

But you know what, if you paid attention to that first experience of pain, you wouldn't have got to the chronic part, because we don't listen to what's going on inside our bodies. So by not listening and paying attention, we create havoc, and that is so. It's easy to understand, but hard to apply because Because we've been programmed to medication and the quick fix, and the quick fix is what will take you out, not bring you back to optimum health, and that's what you have to come to understand.

Speaker 1: 22:13

Wow, wow. You have to come to understand, wow, wow. Can you walk us through how reflexology works to?

Speaker 2: 22:22

alleviate pain. Okay, First of all, we need to understand what is reflexology. Reflexology is the art and science of working specific reflex nerve ending points that are found on the hands, the feet and the ears to relieve stress, relax the body, improve circulation and remove toxins and impurities from the body. This is what reflexology does. This is how it operates. Now, the best picture I can paint to help you understand this is think about an electrician In your house.

Speaker 2: 23:05

If your electricity goes out, the first thing you do is go to the circuit breaker, flip the switch and the electricity will come back on. If that doesn't work, that means there's some problem with the wiring, so you have to call an electrician to come in and be about reconnecting the wiring. So now you look at your reflexologist as being your electricianist for your body. We work with the wiring. We reconnect the wiring because the wiring is your nerve endings and your nerve endings is the command center for delivering messages throughout the body via the brain.

Speaker 2: 23:50

Okay, 11 systems in the body and each system has their own nerve ending point that a reflexologist will work for a specific health problem. So that's to give you kind of a visual so you can understand the concept of what a reflexologist does. Now, remember I said there's a pain and stress connection. Along with that pain and stress connection, in order to deal with the healing process, you have to understand the mind, the body, the emotions, the spiritual connection in terms of bringing it all together. The holistic approach is mind, body, spirit connection in terms of addressing the pain, stress connection, All of that ties in, which leads to when we talk about, so that your listeners will be able to understand how reflexology operates. Here's an example. Let's use the funny bone in your elbow.

Speaker 2: 25:13

You hit it. What's the first thing you're going to do?

Speaker 1: 25:18

You're going to rub it. No, you're going to.

Speaker 2: 25:23

The very first thing that you're going to do, you're going to say ow, yes, you're going to do a verbal response. It can be nice or it can be not so nice. You're going to do a verbal response and then the nerve ending is going to send a message up to the brain and say trauma is in the elbow. Then what's the second thing you're going to do?

Speaker 1: 25:50

Then the second thing you're going to do is rub it.

Speaker 2: 25:54

Then you're going to rub it, then the nerve is going to send a message to the brain, send relief to the elbow, and that relief is going to be the body's natural pain relievers, known as endorphins, which is what it does. The same this is what a reflexologist does by stimulating the nerve endings in the hands, feet and ears to activate the release of the chemical-free approach to relieving pain that's inside the body through the stimulation of the nerve endings. When you take the medication, what the medication does is numb the nerve endings. When you take the medication, what the medication does is numb the nerve endings. So now there's no communication going on between the nerve endings and the brain. So how are you going to relieve pain? So when that wears off, what happens? When that wears off, what happens?

Speaker 1: 26:55

The pain is still there. And what?

Speaker 2: 26:57

do you, do you go? Now for what? Some more medication that numbs the nerve in it, but you have not addressed the pain relief problem.

Speaker 1: 27:09

You haven't fixed the problem Wow.

Speaker 2: 27:12

So what's? And when you think about this, what's the one reason a person goes to a doctor? Remember now, they go for relief of pain. What is it that a doctor does? Now, this thing when you go into the doctor and you say, oh, my back is hurting me so bad, can you, you know, relieve this back pain? Now you've asked the doctor, you've told the doctor what you want. You've asked the doctor to give you what you want.

Speaker 2: 27:42

Now let's kind of flip the script to the business side. When you go to the store, you know exactly what you want and you go to the store and buy what you want. When you come to your doctor, you are buying pain relief. That's what you ask the doctor, that's what you want. But what does the doctor do? The first thing a doctor is going to say is what we got to do some tests to find out what's going on with that back problem. But here's some medication for the pain. I don't even know what's causing my back pain, but she's giving me some medication for the pain in my back.

Speaker 2: 28:25

That's not going to address the reason why I have pain. Now you know why this happens. This happens because we are programmed. I always tell my clients, you have to understand that is an exact replica of the insides of your body. It operates exactly the same. When you go buy your car, the mechanic, the salesperson, will tell you you need to do in about four months or whatever. You need to go take the car for maintenance. You need to do this.

Speaker 2: 29:11

Or if, or if You're driving and all of a sudden your engine light comes on and you go, you hear some clanking.

Speaker 2: 29:19

You immediately go to the mechanic and you tell the mechanic what you're experiencing with your car. The mechanic knows what it needs to do because what it's a mechanical operation. You've got to learn how to stop treating your body like you do your car when you go to the doctor. Your body is not a mechanical operation that your doctor can automatically find the remedy for. So by changing that format, you've got to now go to the doctor and say which I tell everybody what's the one thing that children love to say, and their master word is the same words you need to use when you go to the doctor. When you tell a child, well, you can't do this and I don't want you doing this, the first word they're going to say is why? And you're going to have to be able to do the same thing to your doctor. When the doctor says, well, you have, they say you got a diagnosis of asthma, and they'll say okay, you got asthma.

Speaker 2: 30:33

Your question needs to be why do I have asthma? And then the doctor's going to tell you something, and then your next question is well, why that you get the medication for it? Why the medication? You need to start asking questions and then, when you ask the questions, you need to do your research.

Speaker 2: 30:56

Because the number one thing is, if the doctors say you have a diagnosis of asthma, what does that mean? We're talking about something in the circulatory system, we're talking about the respiratory system, we're talking about the lungs, all of those things. So then okay, if I have asthma and that's what I'm diagnosed with and we're talking about my lungs, I need to look at what could be a problem with my lungs, which means that does that mean my lungs need? I need cleansing from my lungs? You know, is cleansing needed? Does that mean I may need to see a chiropractor because they can deal with the structural component? Or I may need to see a chiropractor because they can deal with the structural component, or I may need to see acupuncture because that can deal directly with the nerve. Or do I even need to see a massage therapist? Do I need to relax? Do I need energy work? Is there body work that needs? Do I need to even change my diet? Is nutrition a part of it? Do I need to do X?

Speaker 2: 32:03

You've got to look at, because we have 11 systems. There's so many different aspects because there's no one therapy that can do it all. It's a combination of many therapies for the 11 systems of our body. But you have to take that responsibility, and I say that to say is as a healthcare practitioner. I am not a healer. All I am is the person working with you to assist the body in its healing process. It's a two-way street. The practitioner has to work with the client and the client has to work with the practitioner. It's a give and receive as I give, you receive. As you give, I receive. It's a circular motion and that has to be the operation between client and practitioner in order for you to return back to a state of optimum health and wellness.

Speaker 1: 33:19

Wow, wow, that is some great information.

Speaker 2: 33:25

Next time on Spade the Podcast.

Speaker 1: 33:41

I know you were saying that we were living in a stressful type world and it's hard for us to stay in a state of calm. So what advice would you give to my listeners to help them stay in a state of calm with the help of reflexology? How can we be in that state of calm?

Speaker 2: 33:55

The first thing I'm going to say is We'll see you next time.