Do you have dry or cracked heels? Learn the Chinese Medicine principles on why you have dry heels for a solution that not only heals your heals, but also leads to improvements in your overall health and vitality.
I often get asked if there are Chinese Reflexology points to address foot-related issues such as bunions, plantar fasciitis, and cracked heels. Unfortunately, there isn’t a Chinese Reflexology point for the feet—which is rather ironic since it is foot reflexology. However, Chinese Reflexology can help with all of these foot conditions, especially when combined with other healing modalities.
Even if there was a reflexology point solely for the feet (bad pun intended), it wouldn’t be enough to heel (another intended bad pun) the foot conditions listed above. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, the foot issue isn’t the main problem.
Problems with the feet are often a symptom of TCM imbalances in the body.
Chinese Medicine differs from Western medicine. The Western approach is to target the symptoms with drugs, surgery, or therapies to eliminate the symptoms.
If you have a problem with your foot, the conventional approach would be to see a foot specialist. Similarly, if you have chronic sinus inflammation, you would probably go see an ear, nose, and throat specialist.
But focusing on an isolated body part doesn’t address the root cause.
The Focus Is on Balance
TCM looks at the whole body and focuses on bringing it back into balance. When the body is back in balance, the symptoms resolve. If you only treat the symptoms and not the root, then the root problem still exists, and over time, different health issues may come up.
With traditional acupuncture and Chinese Medicinal herbs, it’s necessary to determine what’s out of balance in terms of the body’s energy organs and meridians, yin and yang elements such as blood and qi (life force energy.
Is qi flowing smoothly and abundantly through the energy meridians? Is there enough yin and yang in the body? Is there an energy block? If so, which meridians are affected? How do these imbalances interact with each other?
Doing a TCM diagnosis is pretty complicated. Even though there are classic definitions and signs for the different imbalances, how they manifest in an individual will vary depending on the person. That’s another way that Chinese Medicine differs from Western medicine. It’s not a one size fits all approach. Healing must be customized to the individual.
The good news is that with Chinese Reflexology—which is based on the principles of Chinese Medicine—you don’t need to figure out your own TCM diagnosis.
While it is helpful to know what the imbalances are, learning how to massage all 50+ Chinese Reflexology points ensures that you cover all of the body’s energy meridians and important organs.
Chinese Reflexology enables you to target areas of the body while also addressing the root imbalances in the body’s energy meridians because you’re massaging points for the whole body. The holistic approach helps strengthen and harmonize the body so it can heal itself. Your body knows what to do. Sometimes all it needs is a nudge in the right direction, and that’s the goal of Chinese Reflexology.
When you massage all of the body’s Chinese Reflexology points, you get a holistic whole body approach for restoring balance and harmony.
So let’s talk about dry cracked heels…
We’ll focus on dry and cracked heels in this article because they’re quite common. For many people, it’s worse in the winter, which is when I’m writing this article. In the future, I can create content with recommendations for bunions and planter fasciitis, but let’s stay focused on the cracked heels for now.
Time to state the obvious: dry cracked heels are due to dry skin.
When there’s dry skin, people usually reach for the moisturizer. There are wonderful moisturizing balms, and I’ll share one of my favorite foot moisturizers in next month’s “My Favorite Things for Feet That Have Stood the Test of Time” article.
However, even the best moisturizers are a temporary fix because you have to keep reapplying them. You are applying moisture at a superficial level, and the deeper root of the imbalance—why is the skin dry?—is not addressed.
Skin is dry because of a systemic imbalance in the body. The whole body is dry. If this imbalance is not addressed, the dryness can lead to serious health issues in the future.
Common TCM Imbalances for Dry and Cracked Heels
1) Yin Deficiency
In Chinese Medicine, when the whole body is overly dry, that means there’s not enough moisture or fluids, aka yin. This imbalance is referred to as a yin deficiency. Yin represents the body’s fluids, which includes blood and lymph. Therefore, simply drinking more water is not going to solve the issue.
Yin deficiency usually develops over many years due to one’s lifestyle and body constitution. As the body’s yin starts to decline, this can lead to dry and cracked heels.
One way to think of this is to compare the body to a river and its surrounding ecosystem. If the water levels are ample, the river and the forest are in good health. However, when there is a prolonged drought, the water level recedes. If the drought continues, eventually the riverbed dries up and begins to crack.
Since feet are some of the furthest extremities in the body, they may get dry and cracked if a person has insufficient yin because there’s not enough blood (from a TCM perspective) to nourish the skin of the feet. The body is going to circulate yin to the most vital organs.
2) Qi and Blood Stagnation
Another possible TCM imbalance is qi and blood stagnation, which basically means poor circulation.
Time to revisit the river analogy. If the river gets backed up or the water level is too low, then the river current will be affected. It won’t flow as well, and this will result in problems both upstream and downstream.
When the flow of blood to the feet is inadequate, then the skin will get drier and flakier, and the heels will start to crack. One additional thing to note is that qi helps move blood in the body, so poor circulation may also be due to low levels of qi. In Chinese Medicine, qi is considered a component of the body’s yang element.
It’s often a combination of both poor circulation and yin deficiency that results in dry cracked heels. Thus, to resolve the issue, one restores balance by improving the flow of qi and blood, and replenishing the body’s yin and yang (aka qi).
One more thing to note is that someone who gets dry and cracked heels because they recently moved to the desert may be different than a person who has had cracked heels for years. The first example could be due to the environment, but the latter is likely due to yin and yang deficiencies.
So rather than just slather on some moisturizer, I invite you to move beyond temporary fixes for symptoms, and instead consider restoring balance in your body by replenishing yin and yang.
Most people—especially if you’re over 40—would benefit from replenishing the yin and yang elements in their bodies. Both of these elements naturally decline with age. Since qi is a component of yang, if yang is low, then qi is low.
People also hasten the depletion of yin and yang through bad habits such as working too much, taking on too many things, pushing themselves too hard, not getting enough rest, not making time for self-care, inadequate diet, sedentary lifestyle, etc.
There’s no miracle quick fix for yin and yang deficiencies. These elements are usually depleted over many years, often decades. As a result, you can’t replenish them in a few weeks. But it is definitely worth the time and effort to replenish your body’s yin and yang.
If one continues to deplete their body’s yin and yang, it’s likely that more health issues will arise, and they can be much more serious than cracked heels. How these imbalances show up will differ for each person. It depends on one’s body constitution, age, gender, lifestyle, and where qi is constricted in their body—and that often depends on their life experiences and where they hold tension and negative emotions.
Yin and yang deficiencies are at the root of many health issues. Some people may only experience minimal effects such as dry heels in the winter or cold feet. Others may experience greater inconveniences like headaches, insomnia, hot flashes, or varicose veins. Over time, if the yin and yang deficiencies continue to worsen, this can lead to more serious issues. In Chinese Medicine, chronic conditions such as hypothyroidism, dementia, osteoporosis, and strokes have their roots in yin and yang deficiencies.
Cracked Heels Are the Canary in the Goldmine
Your feet are an early warning system for what’s going on in your body. It’s good to listen to what they’re telling you.
Dry cracked heels are letting you know that something is out of balance in your body.
It’s better to address imbalances today than a year later because if you do nothing, it will likely get worse. Be proactive with your health because even though yin and yang naturally decline with age, you can slow down the rate of the decrease, and you can also replenish these elements through positive changes in your lifestyle.
I wish I could give you five Chinese Reflexology points that would replenish yin and yang, but it’s not that simple. To bring the body back into balance, especially for replenishing yin and yang, you need a holistic approach—and it takes time.
In my online programs and my Sole Circle membership site, I teach about diet, the mind body connection, customizing your Chinese Reflexology routine, Chinese Medicine theory, the body’s organs and energy meridians, and life purpose—because they’re all interconnected and they all can play a vital role in healing the body.
There is no quick fix to replenish yin and yang. By telling you this truth, I hope you will appreciate the importance of being proactive with your health. A temporary Band-Aid solution doesn’t lead to improved health and vitality in the long run.
Be Proactive with Your Health and Vitality
If you would like to be proactive with your health by learning Chinese Reflexology, join the waitlist for Sole Fundamentals, my introductory Chinese Reflexology course. There’s also a waitlist for Sole Mastery, my in-depth program where you learn all of the Chinese Reflexology points, and how they work together to replenish yin and yang to bring the body back into balance.
A balance between these two programs is the Sole Circle, my online membership site. It’s an incredible reservoir of learning opportunities with the Course Library and monthly live events to support healing and self-care—replenish your yin and yang. You’ll find more information about my online courses here.
I usually open enrollment into my online programs about once every year or every other year. In the meantime, here are three action items:
1. Start with the Kidneys
For both yin and yang deficiencies, the most important organ and meridian that is going to be weak and out of balance is the Kidney. Massaging just the Kidney point alone is insufficient because everything in the body is interconnected. Multiple organs and meridians and lifestyle choices affect the Kidneys.
However, it’s the best point for getting started. Perhaps as you massage your feet over time, the opportunity to learn more will arise. As I always say, some reflexology is better than no reflexology. But it’s important to follow the instructions and not over-massage the point. That can be harmful.
You’ll learn how to locate and massage the Kidney point safely by signing up for free online lessons.
If you’ve already joined my mailing list and don’t remember where the lessons are, search your email for a message with the subject header, “Recharge & Thrive.”
If you’re on my mailing list and can’t find the lessons or never received them, find a recent newsletter and unsubscribe with the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the message. Then go here to resubscribe for the lessons.
2. Minimize Consumption of Foods and Beverages That Dry Out the Body
In Chinese Medicine, foods are classified by their TCM properties in terms of how they affect the body. That’s why a liquid could actually be drying in the body. For yin deficiency, you want to reduce certain foods and beverages that have a drying effect on the body’s yin.
Hot refers to something other than the temperature because there can be cold liquids (e.g. chilled vodka) that are considered hot. While this is more complex than I can describe in this article, I will be teaching a class in Spring 2024 in the Sole Circle on Chinese Medicine Food Therapy.
However, I would recommend reducing the following: spicy foods such as hot sauce or Flaming Hot Cheetos, alcohol, and chocolate. These all have a “heating” effect in the body, which can exacerbate a yin deficiency. For example, someone who experiences hot flashes may notice that they’re worse when they’re drinking more alcohol or coffee than usual.
3. Action Item #3: Take No Action
One of the best ways to recharge your body’s yin and yang is to stop depleting them so quickly—or in other words, rest. Yang represents action and yin represents rest. Most people are far too active, and don’t allocate enough time for rest.
In addition, if you’re someone who has a tendency to take on too much, push yourself too hard, or help everyone else before yourself, then you likely have a skewed idea of what rest is. So take whatever your idea of rest is and multiply it by 10.
Recharge Your Life Force – You Can Do This!
It is possible to replenish yin and yang. However, it does take time because you’re addressing imbalances that have likely been going on for years, if not decades. But you can do this!
I have reflexology students in a range of ages from those in their 20s to students who are 70+ years in age. What they have in common is a generosity of spirit and a desire to help others. This has led them to overextend themselves for many years.
But as they learn Chinese Reflexology with my support and guidance, and they practice reflexology with suggested customizations to meet their health goals, many students have shared incredible stories of transformation and improvement in their health and vitality. They also share stories of improved health in their children, spouses, and parents because they’ve been practicing Chinese Reflexology on them, too (I teach how to practice on others in Sole Fundamentals and Sole Mastery).
These improvements can be quite miraculous, but how one heals and what heals in the body will vary depending on the individual and their willingness to address lifestyle and emotional roots of imbalances.
One student saw that her pure white hair (sign of weak Kidney yin and yang) had changed back to grey. A friend who hadn’t seen her in a while didn’t recognize her because of the dramatic change in her hair color.
While this is an amusing anecdote, it has incredible implications. The change from white to grey is an amazing sign that the student was strengthening and replenishing her body’s life force energy!
Another student joined the Sole Mastery program because she suffered from idiopathic seizures that were becoming more frequent and serious over the years. I couldn’t guarantee that learning how to practice Chinese Reflexology would eliminate the seizures, but I did know that it would help address the root imbalances in the body, and that would help the body heal itself.
This student enrolled in my Sole Mastery program and learned how to practice all 50+ Chinese Reflexology points. She also learned about the important mind body connection, and made changes in her life to stop depleting yin and yang.
During the 6-month program, she started to see a reduction in the frequency of seizures and incidences. I heard from her a few years after she completed the program. She continued practicing regularly and was able to reduce her seizure medication, and was living virtually symptom-free. The last time I spoke to her, she was embarking on the path to completely eliminate the seizure medication.
Hearing about students’ personal transformations is what invigorates me and fuels my heart and soul. That’s why I keep writing free articles, producing free videos, and hosting my annual free course giveaway.
Everyone deserves to live a life of amazing health and vitality. You absolutely deserve it! Especially if you’re helping others and making the world a better place. The world needs more people like you, and it needs you to stay healthy and thrive.
Wishing you amazing health and vitality!
Holly
