On a quiet evening, Aunt Li, a 60-year-old retired teacher, sat in her cozy living room with a slight worry on her face. Although retirement has given her more freedom and time to relax, as she has gotten older, she has begun to feel some of the uninvited guests that the years have brought with her – back pain and sleep problems.
Aunt Li has been an energetic person all her life. As a long-standing teacher, she is always optimistic, positive, and passionate about her work. After her retirement, she continued to maintain an active lifestyle, often participating in various community activities, walking with friends, and doing tai chi. However, in recent months, she has found herself tossing and turning often at night, and often experiencing back pain during the day. This bothered her because she had always been health-conscious and had few health problems.
"Maybe it's old age," Aunt Li said to herself, knowing that as she gets older, her body functions will gradually decline, but she doesn't want to give up on her pursuit of a better quality of life. To improve these symptoms, she tried various methods: changing her eating habits, increasing the amount of exercise, and even going to the hospital for a comprehensive physical examination, but none of these measures seemed to bring significant improvement.
At the suggestion of a friend, Aunt Li began her foot soaking journey. Every night, she prepares a basin of hot water at a temperature of about 40 to 45 degrees Celsius, and the soaking time is controlled to 15 to 20 minutes. When soaking her feet, she gently massages her ankles and soles, occasionally pressing on the springs located on the soles of her feet. This process not only brought her a kind of physical warmth, but also gradually became a moment of relaxation for her every day.
At the beginning, Aunt Li did not feel much change, and the back pain still existed, but she did not give up. As time went by, about a week later, Auntie Li began to notice that her lower back was no longer as painful as before, and her sleep at night began to become more peaceful. She was amazed at how effective such a simple method could be, which strengthened her determination to continue to persevere.
In the process of continuing to practice, Aunt Li began to try to combine more techniques. After soaking her feet, she gently pinched the muscles in her legs with both hands, and sometimes gently tapped her lower back, as if she was performing a small massage treatment for her body. She noticed that these simple movements not only relieved her pain, but even made her feel more relaxed and comfortable than she had ever felt before.
Aunt Li's sleep quality has also improved unconsciously. She found that she fell asleep more easily at night and woke up in a much better mental state than before. She began to realize that foot soaking not only relieves physical pain, but also improves sleep quality, which is very important for people her age.
Just when Auntie Li was curious about this change, she decided to delve into the science behind foot soaking and manual massage. Through research and consultation with medical professionals, she learned that warm water can help relax muscles and soothe joint pain, while specific manual massages can stimulate acupressure points and increase blood circulation, thereby relieving low back pain. What's more, it also promotes relaxation, which in turn improves sleep quality.
Filled with gratitude, Auntie Lee began to recommend this method to her friends. She shared the steps to soak your feet: soak your feet in warm water for 30 minutes every night, keeping the water temperature at 40-45 degrees Celsius is optimal, and add an appropriate amount of Chinese herbs, such as mugwort leaves or ginger slices, to enhance the effect. She also stressed that the massage should be gentle and rhythmic, and be careful not to use too much force, especially in the lower back area, which requires special care and patience.
Not only did Auntie Lee benefit herself, but her friends also began to try and feel the benefits of this simple self-care method. Men and women, young and old, as long as they have similar problems, can benefit from it.