The publication continues, “Reflexology is not new, it has its origins in ancient Egypt, China, and India. There are drawings on the walls of a pyramid in Egypt showing people having their hands and feet ‘worked.’”

Feet first
Hoerster has a method in mind when she begins her sessions.

“I start with their feet first,” she says. “Then I can tell where the problem is located.”

After spending about 30 minutes on her clients’ feet, she moves on to the rest of their body.

Hoerster says she can especially relate to her clients at Fox Run. “I’m retired. I have the same pain as they do…we can relate to each other. I feel close to them,” she explains.

‘I was skeptical at first’
Jan Pickell, who moved to Fox Run with her husband Marsh from Beverly Hills, was admittedly a bit skeptical at first when she first heard of reflexology. Things changed, though, when she went to a demonstration Hoerster held in 2003.

“I thought, well, I’d like to find out more about it,” Pickell says, who began going to Hoerster in the spring of 2004. Pickell, who says she’s in good health, didn’t know what to expect when Hoerster began manipulating her feet in search of any problem areas.

When Hoerster got to the part of Pickell’s foot that corresponds to her parathyroid gland, Hoerster asked Pickell if she had surgery in that area, because she was getting no reaction from Pickell. Part of Pickell’s parathyroid gland had been surgically removed.

“I though it was neat that she knew that,” Pickell says, who was made a believer and has been a regular client ever since.

Pickell, who suffers from diabetes, believes that Hoerster’s treatments are a form of preventive maintenance. “It’s a precursor to things that might be happening; anything that can help stave off problems is helpful,” she says. “I don’t like massage.” Reflexology employs more of a pressure/manipulation technique that Pickell really loves.

“After I leave, I feel great. All my blood is flowing—my circulation is great,” she says. “Edith is a very caring person. She really cares about her clients. I thoroughly enjoy it and I highly recommend it.”

Noted surgeon endorses reflexology
Recently featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show and selected as one of Oprah’s favorite books, Healing from the Heart, written by renowned cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, “presents a cutting edge vision of medicine for the 21st century—an outlook incorporating both ancient and ultra-modern approaches to healing,” according to Oprah.com.

“Dr. Oz explains the value of complementary therapies such as hypnosis, guided imagery, massage, reflexology, aromatherapy, music therapy, prayer, yoga, and energy medicine,” according to Oprah.com.

Health benefits at a bargain price
Hoerster says her fee, $30 per one-hour treatment, is “half the price that you would pay ‘outside.’”

“I don’t do it for the money,” she says. “My heart is in it.”