What is Su Jok?
Su Jok is a Korean form of acupressure combined with reflexology that uses our hands and feet as correspondence systems. These systems are highly active points connected to every area of the body. When stimulated, energy waves are passed to the corresponding organ and to the brain to provide fast relief of many types of pain and management of the symptoms of certain illnesses.
I use several holistic therapies in my Su Jok practice that provide relief of a variety of health concerns, illnesses and chronic pain conditions, as well as give an overall sense of well-being. Some are used alone, some in conjunction with others. Each are matched to your specific needs after evaluation of your particular situation. They are most effective when used over a period of time with regularly scheduled sessions.
What to Expect
To get the most out of Su Jok Reflexology, it is important to have a consultation to ascertain the nature of the problems and to determine an appropriate treatment plan for your specific health concerns. During the initial assessment session, a metal or wooden probe, also known as a jimmy, is used to find areas that correspond to the parts of the body experiencing pain or illness. It is later used to stimulate those pressure points to open up the blocked energy.
While some relief can be felt during the very first session, Su Jok is a therapy that works best when practiced over a period of consecutive sessions utilizing the various therapies used in conjunction with the core Su Jok reflexology: Magnet Therapy, Seed Therapy, Color Therapy and Reflexology.
Su Jok is a holistic therapy that uses the “pressure-pain” points found on the hands and feet which correspond to pain in the body. It is possible to stimulate these points of correspondence using a variety of techniques to manage the pain or health concern in question.
In Korean, Su (hand) and Jok (foot). Together they relate to a therapy that employs hands and feet as treatment areas for the whole body, developed by Professor Park Jae Woo, a visionary Korean scientist and philosopher with great perception and the ability to explain Eastern wisdom in terms of modern science. Our hands and feet host correspondence systems. These systems are highly active points connected to every area of the body. When these points are stimulated, energy waves are passed to the corresponding organ and to the brain.
If you look at your hand in a downward position, it bears a resemblance to the structure of the body. Take first the thumb, it has two phalanges that resemble the head and neck. The top part of the thumb, palm side (yin), is the face and positioned below the nail plate on the yang side is the brain. Under the first joint is the neck; on the yin surface is the location of the throat and on the yang surface the cervical vertebrae.
When the thumb is flexed it reveals the area that corresponds to the lungs, with the heart positioned between the lungs, slightly off center to the left, with the apex sifting on the life-line crease; this crease indicates the line of the upper diaphragm. The index and pinky fingers correspond to the arms and hands, the middle fingers to the legs and feet. And so we are able to continue through the body, with exact mirror images of all organs, body systems and appendages mapped onto the hands and feet.
I believe that with holistic therapies like Su Jok, your health is in your own hands. When you experience the positive results of this form of reflexology it's sure to become part of your life. As a natural health care modality that can be practiced anywhere, anytime, Su Jok Reflexology offers highly effective ways to decrease pain and improve overall health.
Health Concerns Helped by Su Jok
|
SU J |
|
SU J |
|
 | SUJOK | MAGNET THERAPY | |
Scientists believe that magnetic fields perturb the body’s own magnetic energy, which, in turn, triggers more conventional Biochemical and physiological mechanisms.Holistic practitioners have incorporated the power of magnetic therapy to treat many ailments, in particular pain.
Pain is a societal problem of enormous proportions. Over 80 % of Americans have severe back pain sometime in their lives, 40-million suffer from arthritic pain, and 40-million have recurrent headaches. Chronic pain alone costs the economy nearly $100 billion a year. Painkilling drugs do not seem to be the answer. Their effectiveness is limited, the body builds up tolerance, and side effects hospitalize over 76,000 people each year. Because of the need, pain has been the most emphasized magnetic therapy application. Numerous studies support its efficacy.
When held against the skin, magnets relax capillary walls, thereby boosting blood flow to the painful area. They also help prevent the muscle spasms that underlie many forms of pain -- apparently by interfering with muscle contractions. And they interfere with the electrochemical reactions that take place within nerve cells, impeding their ability to transmit pain messages to the brain.
Other general uses include reduction of inflammation, improved circulation, the ability to fight infections, reduction of stress, sleep promotion, correction of various central nervous system disorders, overall energy enhancement, acceleration of healing (especially bone fractures), and athletic performance enhancement.
Because paralysis aggravates many ailments amenable to magnetic therapy, it may be especially relevant for people with spinal cord dysfunction (SCD). Studies have shown that magnetic therapy is effective in controlling pain, enhancing circulation, promoting wound healing, reducing carpal tunnel syndrome, etc.
| SU JOK | SEED THERAPY | ||
Seed therapy is complementary to Su Jok therapy. After acupressure treatment, seeds and larger legumes are placed at the treated point to supply extra life force to facilitate quick healing. Specific shapes, sizes and color seeds or beans are selected for different ailments and held in place to the pain point with an adhesive tape.
The shape of the seed is the indicator to which body part it will do maximum benefit to. For example: for treatment of kidney ailments the same shape bean, kidney bean, is selected. The seeds of cranberry, cowberry and lentil provide relief to cough, cold and flu. The thrombus shape of guilder, hawthorn and mountain ash seeds are used to avert thrombosis. Round, spherical shaped seeds of pea, cherry and black pepper are known to provide relief to ailments related to eyes, breast and head, knee joints, uterine fibroids and back problems. The kidney shaped red beans are used to treat kidney and stomach related disorders. The oblong or elongated form seeds are used to resolve problems in the limbs, lips, nose and intestines. The walnut seed is used to cure cerebral disorders. Peach shaped seeds of millet are used to treat urinary tract and gall bladder problems.
Guilder and green pea seeds are used to treat various heart ailments. Cumin and pumpkin seeds help relieve gastric irritation and constipation. Grape seeds are effective in cases of sciatica, diabetes, pancreatic problems and flaccidity in the urinary bladder muscles. Rice is used to relieve swelling, redness, bronchial problems and loss of sensation in fingers and toes.
Chronic inflammation that occurs post invasive procedures and pain related to throat, tooth, shoulder, head, eyes, tonsils are effectively treated with buck wheat seeds. Gout is treated with both barley seeds and buck wheat seeds.
Flax seeds provide relief in inflammation that accompany rhinitis, bronchial infection and gastric irritation. These seeds are known to remove abnormal deposition of toxic body fluids and edema.
Seed therapy is a treatment that can be continued at home for ongoing relief.
 | SU JOK | COLOR THERAPY | ||
Ayurvedic medicine describes the body as having seven main chakras which are spiritual centers located along the spine that are associated with a color, function and organ or bodily system. The colors can become imbalanced and result in physical diseases. These imbalances, whether physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental can be corrected by using the appropriate color as a treatment.
The use of Color Therapy, also known as Chromatherapy, is a truly holistic treatment which dates back thousands of years. It has been known for eons of time that color plays a major role in setting up a particular mood or state of mind. Colors are wavelengths of electro-magnetic energy seen through our eyes. The color we see is the part of the visible spectrum that is reflected back by a certain object.
Color light energy affects all living cells. Used in the right way, color can have a profound and healing effect. It is a well known scientific fact that everything has a vibration, that is to say that all things have their own vibration/frequency and that includes us.
Before examining color and its healing implications, it is important to understand the concept of cause and effect. True healing comes about when the cause of the condition or illness is addressed and transformed. If healing goes no further than a mere relief or masking of the symptoms, then, eventually, that which brought about the need for healing, in the first place, will resurface and manifest itself within the body in one form or another.
Body is an outward expression of that which is taking place within the mind, the soul (subconscious), and the spirit (superconscious) of the individual. Thus, any healing technique which deals only with the physical body and the energy field of the individual tends to accomplish one thing: it jump starts the individual, so to speak, and gives him or her an added boost of energy. That energy boost then allows that person's own internal healing mechanism to become mobilized into greater activity.
Color can help jump-start the tired or diseased body through color healing, implemented in a number of ways. Energy (spiritual) healers often supplement their healing work with color therapy. As they lay their hands on the patient, they mentally direct specific color rays into the patient's aura and body. Oftentimes, the color used is inspired by the superconscious. Other ways include attaching colored objects to the skin in points determined in Su Jok or reflexology treatments. In healing, colors act as balancers: we administer the color(s) someone needs more of, or we give the opposite of the color someone has too much of.
 | SU JOK | REFLEXOLOGY |
Reflexology is an alternative therapy involving the physical act of applying pressure to the feet, hands, or ears with specific thumb, finger, and hand techniques without the use of oil or lotion. It is based on a system of zones and "reflex" areas that reflect an image of the body on the feet and hands, with such work effecting a physical change to the body. These reflex areas on the feet and hands correspond to specific organs, glands, and other parts of the body. For example:
- the tips of the toes reflect the head
- the ball of the foot correspond to the heart and chest
- the liver, pancreas and kidney are in the arch of the foot
- lower back and intestines are reflected in the heel
Practitioners believe that applying pressure to these reflex areas can promote health in the corresponding organs through energetic pathways. A scientific explanation is that the pressure may send signals that balance the nervous system or release chemicals such as endorphins that reduce pain and stress.
Benefits of Reflexology
People experience relief from a variety of body pain and illnesses including:
- Arthritis
- Back pain
- Digestive disorders and problems, such as constipation
- Hormonal imbalances
- Insomnia
- Menstrual disorders, such as premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
- Sports injuries
- Stress and stress-related conditions
- Tension headaches
- Tired feet
Reflexology is a popular alternative therapy that promotes overall healing. It is also used for post-operative or palliative care. A study in the American Cancer Society journal found that one-third of cancer patients used reflexology as a complementary therapy.