April 25, 2007
Boost your well-being - one bumpy step at a time
Sims dedicates nation's first public reflexology paths
Boost your health – one bumpy step at a time – with a visit to cobblestone "reflexology" footpaths at King County's Marymoor and White Center parks.
"Health and wellness are vital to the residents of King County and many are turning to complementary therapies, such as reflexology, as a way of maintaining health, in addition to traditional Western health practices," said County Executive Ron Sims as he helped dedicate the footpaths at Marymoor Park today. He was joined by representatives of King County Parks, AegisLiving and Paths of Health, Inc.
Reflexology is an ancient practice based on the belief that reflex points exist in the feet, hands and ears which correspond to all parts of the body. Walking on specifically placed, uneven natural stones is believed to stimulate acupressure points in the feet that lead to improved circulation and reduce overall stress. Reflexology paths are common in Asia where people walk daily to enhance health and well-being.
Construction of the paths was made possible in part due to a generous donation from ÁegisLiving and in-kind contribution by Paths of Health, Inc. Sims said more paths are on the way in King County Parks.
"Installing these professionally designed reflexology paths at Marymoor and White Center parks furthers my goal of finding new ways to increase healthy practices in our King County communities," Sims said. "We've had such a great response to our reflexology paths that we're thrilled to announce that King County will build two more paths."
Over the past month, King County has been working with the community around 132nd Square Park in Kirkland to get at their vision for park improvements. 132nd Square Park is the next suggested location for a reflexology path and over the next few months, King County Parks will look at communities in South King County for suggestions on where the fourth Parks Reflexology Path should go.
These are the latest public amenities that King County is providing to parks users through a collaborative partnership with a private business. ÁegisLiving, a Redmond-based, nationally recognized leader in senior living, donated $10,000 to King County Parks to help develop the new reflexology paths.
ÁegisLiving co-founder and CEO Dwayne Clark said he began researching the benefits of reflexology about 10 years ago, reaching a point in his life when he began looking for alternative methods to promote health and well-being that supplement and sometimes even replace traditional care such as medications.
"At ÁegisLiving, we constantly seek out and implement innovative health philosophies and care techniques for our residents and employees," said Clark. "Our positive experiences led me to introduce reflexology to all our communities. I'm a true believer. With the new King County reflexology paths, now everyone will have access to the benefits of reflexology."
King County also received in-kind and technical support installing the paths from Elizabeth Marazita and Paths of Health, Inc., one of the nation's leading companies in the country to install these therapeutically designed paths.
Marazita, a licensed acupuncturist and co-founder of Paths of Health, Inc., is a member of the clinical faculty in Reflexology and Qi Gong at the University of Washington's School of Nursing. She is an adjunct faculty in reflexology and Qi Gong at Bastyr University's annual Complementary and Alternative Medicine Camp and Continuing Education Program.
For more information about King County's new reflexology paths, visit the Web site at www.metrokc.gov/reflex. For information about the AegisLiving visit www.aegisliving.com and for information about Paths of Health, Inc., go to www.pathsofhealth.com.
King County Parks – Your Big Backyard, offers more than 25,000 acres of parks and natural lands, including such regional treasures as Marymoor Park and Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, 175 miles of regional trails, plus pools and a world-class aquatic center. By cultivating strong relationships with non-profit, corporate and community partners, King County Parks enhances park amenities while reducing costs. Learn more at http://www.metrokc.gov/parks/.