Thank you for visiting my website “Reflex4usa.com”, the website of

Advanced Reflexology Therapist Mark Cook, ART (Regd)

(That's me a year ago. Clean shaven now.)

Celebrating 14 YEARS of service to Hailey, Ketchum, Sun Valley and Southern Idaho. Now in Boise too.

I specialize in pain relief.

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(Better get a cup of coffee or something, it's a little long :) For those who just want to make an appointment and you know which service you desire, please try my online appointment scheduler.

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OK, the rest of you, welcome.

Many don't understand or have never heard the term "reflexology". It really makes sense when you think about it. Here's how it works. All your blood and nerves go to the ends of your extremities and they don't go out into space, they have a turn around point, and when these turn around points get clogged, you experience pain when I touch those points on your hands, feet, ears and face. When you no longer feel pain when I touch those points, the blockage have been cleared and most often the reason you came to see me has also cleared up. That's how reflexology works. However, as I'll mention often, the real beauty of reflexology is that you come in for one symptom and in the course of helping that symptom, whatever else is out of balance presents itself as pain, and all symptoms of pain are addressed at the same time and for the same cost.

Will Reflexology help me? This is the most common question I hear. And it should be, it's a fair question.The medical centers think so (see my health benefits page), but I’m confident that YOU would know that answer within the first session. I specialize in pain relief and the proof is in the puddin'. I made the effort to be trained by the world's foremost experts in reflexology so your time spent with me will be as productive and effective as possible. 2017 is my 14th year in helping people with reflexology. Thank you God for a job where I get to watch miracles happen all the time. As of 2017 I've been a student of natural healing methods for 27 years, a student of Qi Gong for 30 years, an aroma therapist for 27 years, a color therapist for 13 years, an ART Certified Reflexologist for 9 of my 14 years of reflexology, 14 years using Bach Flower Remedies, nine years using Korean Hand Therapy, eight years as a Healing Touch Therapist, seven years using Vibroacoustic Therapy, three years using Touch for Health, two years as a Theta Healer and are all used to help you recover from whatever concern you have some to see me about in the quickest way possible.

If you suffer from migraines, sciatic pain, back/hip/neck/knee pain, foot pain, carpel Tunnel, or that time of the month girl problems, I suggest you come in soon. These are high confidence conditions for me.

I strive to provide an authoritative and therapeutically effective blend of reflexology as instructed by my teachers. I feel very privileged to have been trained by the creators of four of the most clinically effective forms of modern therapeutic reflexology starting with the “Godfather” of modern reflexology, Mr. Dwight Byers of the International Institute of Reflexology (IIR) who provided my foundation then added Bill Flocco’s ear reflexology styles and Father Joseph’s Foot Style from Taiwan. Anthony Porter’s post grad “Advanced Reflexology Techniques” (ART) assure my skills are fine tuned to the highest international standards. I've added Facial Reflexology also (more to update!) Dr. Dan Lobash teaches me Korean Hand Therapy and Master John Cole instructs me in Qi Gong Therapy. Healing Touch was added eight years ago, then Touch For Health and the newest modality to be added to the blend is Theta Healing. My Symbiotic Systems Advanced Therapeutic Reflexology™ is a blend of these influences and more.

Creating Symbiotic Systems -- My Education in the Healing Arts

I totally fell into this profession in 2003, but there were some foundational roots layed in the early 1990's when I tried to get Willard Water into burn centers. Unfortunately, they didn't want anything to do with such a cheap and effective remedy for 3rd degree burns as depicted on the TV program "60 Minutes" ten years earlier. I was listed on "Quack Watch" an abominable website that speaks badly against any and every thing not drug related as a result of my efforts to help humanity. I like it. I explored herbs, but quickly realized that there were to many contraindications meaning they don't play nice with other substances. During this study the author speaks about a man in Canada who people from all over would travel for weeks to get to for his special healing method using the feet. It was interesting, but I was studying herbs so I tucked it in the back of my mind. I eventually settled on aromatherapy as my therapy of choice until I came upon reflexology. In 1997, I invented a non-toxic head lice lotion and bug repellent that I sold for 15 years until the Government chose to back corporate interests rather than citizens and I had to shut down the operation so corporations could poison humanity for profit instead. It's been fun remembering the past classes. I hope you enjoy the commentary.

In the beginning...

May 1987, Alameda, Ca. Touch For Health Level One. I was talked into taking this class and I loved it. I remember two things from this class. I was amazed you could make any muscle strong or weak and I felt good for months. Sept. 2000 "Cultivating Real Qi" with Master John Cole. ** Note I sponsored and attended this seminar three or four times between 1990 and 2014. John Cole and I have been friends since 1980. We started training in "empty force" Qi Gong in 1987 from a tiny Chinese lady who was the Grand Master at the time. I moved to Sun Valley, Idaho and John changed his whole life to train with her and has become the next Grand Master. April 2003, Bellevue, WA - International Institute of Reflexology (IIR) Phase I with Deborah Dowker. It was a lark I took the class. I simply had nothing to do so I signed up. A number of things happened as a result. 1) I touched someone and it felt right. The whole concept and class was very interesting to me. 2) I touched the instructors and they said I "have the gift". 3) Two reflexologists practicing for ten years told me they took the class because they were not getting the same results as students from IIR and when I asked them what conditions reflexology helped their answer was an assertive "EVERYTHING". I couldn't pin them down on any specific. condition. In their ten years of experience as full time reflexologists in Friday Harbor, WA they felt every condition was helped. "Some conditions take longer, but when the pain goes away in your reflexes, then the fix is in." they told me. 4) They offered me a job at the end of day one. The next morning the instructors told me they called the world's foremost expert, Mr. Dwight Byers, the Godfather of modern reflexology and told him about me. Dwight gave me permission to attend his six day advanced intensive reflexology training class in a few weeks without paying the dues others had to pay to get into the class if I wanted to pursue reflexology as a career. They needed the answer by the end of the day. May 2003, St. Petersburg, Fl. IIR Headquarters. The Six Day Intensive. Early on day one I asked Dwight where the esophigas was in a room full of qualified, payed the dues to be here reflexologists. Not a good start. It was all book work for the first few days and it was obvious who the class fool was by then. I had to stop asking dumb questions, but it was so interesting. Day 3 and it was all over. We started hand's on. I was no longer the class clown, but the one to emulate. Dwight recognized the gift too, and honed it. November 2004, St. Petersburg, FL. IIR Headquarters. My second Six Day Intensive. I realized I didn't know the questions to ask in the first intensive because unlike the others in the class, I had no experience. Further, I had gotten sloppy in a healing art where technique is everything. This second class really honed my gift. When I came back from the first intensive I opened my business and had a paying customer the first day. However, I still didn't have any first hand experience so I asked my friend Merle who was 75 at the time and in the worst physical condition of anyone I knew if I could work on her for free until the pain is no longer in her feet as that was what they told me was the indicator of success. Merle, said yes. Yes, I get a little wordy, but a long story short. Merle needed oxygen 24/7 (and I have her permission to discuss her situation). Six sessions later her doctor takes her off of oxygen because her levels are ok. A few months and 23 sessions later Merle is in aqua arobics for the first time in years. So many chronic conditions have left her her life is totally changed. Her cheeks are rosy from the increased oxygen (I think that's why) and I'm 110 percent confident that reflexology works by then as my other paying clients are experiencing the same results. I still work on Merle today 11 years later., but because of all the previous work I've done, a quick tune up every so often over the years is all she needs. More often as needed. When she leaves for a month or two she comes back on oxygen 24/7. Then we get her off again. She's 86 now and still doesn't need oxygen constently 24/7 as she did 11 years ago. Her quality of life improved so much as a result of reflexology. She is my long time lab rat :) I love her. May 2005, Los Angeles - Advanced Reflexology Training (ART) with Anthony Porter. Another class I wasn't qualified to get into as you need to be certified but again the door for me was opened. October 2005, Los Angeles - Father Josef Method of Reflexology with Father Josef and Irina Breslav. A whole different method of reflexology that I find very useful. November 2005, Shannon, Ireland, World Reflexology Conference. Now that was fun. Interesting to note that only three of us were trained in the Father Josef Method. Many were ART Certified as it offers clients assurance they are dealing with a fully qualified reflexologist and encouraged me to become ART Certified. Also met future instructor Lone Sorensen and her facial reflexology for strokes and brain injuries. Met a guy, Moshe who makes his living helping people make babies with reflexology. I also took a class from Lynne Booth in Vertical Reflexology. Toured Ireland. Great trip. March 2007, Seattle, Washington - Pain control and stress reduction with Bill Flocco. ** Special note. My Mom had pain from lung cancer. Bill took the time to make sure I knew every trick to help her before class was over. Bill's care in training me did help my Mom, but cancer won in the end. I'm very grateful to Bill. March 2007, Seattle, Washington - The Flocco Method Integrating Foot, Hand and Ear Reflexology with Bill Flocco. My first introduction to ear reflexology. I love it.

August 2007, Stamford, Ct. - 2nd "Father Josef Method of Reflexology" with Father Josef and Irina Breslav. Time for a refresher. Good thing I went, Father Josef has not returned to the USA since and to this day I utilize his techniques in my work. Just before I went to Banff, we had a fire in our forest outside of town. It was the biggest in the Nation. I organized a group of healers like me to work in the fire camp on the firefighters. I did that for five hours a night for ten days. Every 15 minutes a new firefighter and new problem. I consider this period made me really good at my craft. In fact, I used this work to create my "15 Minute Pain Relief" sessions I have used at the Sun Valley Wellness Festival since then. September, 2007, Banff Gate Mountain Resort, Alberta, Canada. "Qi Gong Therapeutic Techniques II" with Master John Cole. Major special note here. I started to feel energy. Since 1987 I've always had to use just intention because I felt nothing. But this is how you develop and use your Qi, with intention. It works. John Cole had hurt himself. He and others had tried to help him and failed. So I took a shot and failed too, but in the course of failing, John directed my intention and blended it with reflexology. That helped. John knew I was helping him, but I still felt nothing until the very last hour of the very last day. I asked John's leading student who I knew felt the energy if I could try to direct energy to her shoulder and as I approached her feet I felt a tingling. "What's that? I exclaimed as it was quite powerful. Both answered "That's what you're seeking". Now push your energy against her John said and I proceeded to blast her which set us all off into a laughing fit since I hit her so hard (with uncontrolled energy) which she was easily fended off. I got to play with this energy under their guidance (pull, push, try this, try that) for a short time before we had to head to the airport. "What about....?" I said. "Sorry have to get to the airport came the reply". I don't ask "what about" anymore. I lay my hands on and just watch what happens. The gift has it's own way. It's fun to watch the miracles. February 2008, Oakland, CA - Korean Hand Therapy for Instant Pain Relief. My first of many. I'm the kind of guy you have to prove it to and this was another. I'm the only person in the class not a doctor of something so the conversation was pretty high level and a little scattered as a result of so much input. The subject is so interesting I was glued to the chair.

March 2008, Oakland, CA - Korean Hand Therapy for Energetic Balancing of the whole person. So far over my head I didn't start to grasp it until 2013 and got it in 2014. September 2008, St. Petersburg, FL - ART Certification as an Advanced Reflexology Therapist. Anthony Porter has utilized reflexology for female issues for decades. The majority of my clients are female. ART was designed to build upon the IIR method as a post graduate international certification assuring clients the practitioner is trained to the highest levels of clinical reflexology. Anthony Porter and Mr. Dwight Byers taught the class and presented the certification. December 2008, Austin, TX - Korean Hand Therapy for Instant Pain Relief and Functional Problems. It's such a good thing I take classes over again. I knew I missed important things in the first two classes so I took them again. The bad news is I had been doing it wrong all these months, the good news was I was still getting great results which showed them a different way of working within their system. The correct way however is superior and my clients are glad I took the class over. May 2009 (I think) Sun Valley Wellness Festival, ID - They didn't put a date on the certificate so I may be off a year but I took a seminar with a Christian healer named Konstantin Kaysharov who prays for people and they are healed. His seminar was entitled "Method of Healing Through Prayer". We saw eye to eye on this subject. Sometime in 2009 my KHT teacher, Dr. Dan Lobash, asked me to join him at the Acupunture Convention in Sacramento, CA to do short demo sessions. Two long days and twenty hours later I was an accomplished KHT therapist from working next to Dan under his guidance and assisting in his class. June 2009, Ketchum, ID - Healing Touch Level One. I've been using Qi Gong energy healing for many years now and thought I would take this class to complement my Qi Gong work. I found HT more structured than my Qi Gong training and a fine healing art. January 2010, Hailey, ID - Healing Touch Level Two. More to learn. More tools to help you. Sometime in 2010, my KHT teacher, Dr. Dan Lobash flew me down to San Diego, CA to help him by doing short demo sessions at another convention. Again, after two days of working next to Dan under his guidance my KHT skills were honed even more. This was a physic convention of some sort (don't recall) and a funny thing happened during the show. I had a long line and this girl shows up at the front of the line and sits down and pushes something toward me. I ask, "What's this?" She says "I was directed to give you this tuning fork" she says. I take it out and look at it; a quality piece of equipment. "What do I do with it, how do I use it? I ask. She smiles and says "You'll know" and stands up and walks away. I never saw her again and have no idea who or what "directed" her. I use the tuning fork whenever I feel inspired to use it. Dan invited me to another convention in San Francisco later that year. Again, two full days one after another. When I had a problem, Dan was there to tell me how to resolve it. October 2012, Seattle Washington - Facial Reflexology (created to help brain injuries and strokes) levels 1 & 2 with Lone Sorensen. I really like Facial Reflexology and my clients really, really like Facial Reflexology. It's very relaxing and wrinkles get less and less the more you use it. August 2013, El Segundo, CA - KHT for Instant Pain Relief and for Energetic Balancing of the Whole Person. I remember lamenting to my teachers that I can't seem to get the finer details and was told... The majority of people in this class are doctors of some kind and many have years of acupunture schooling under their belt and still a number of them are here for the fifth time trying to understand. You'll get it in time. June 2014, Nampa, ID - Touch For Health Levels 1 & 2. You'll note this was the first class I ever took and I have to tell you, I've been feeling good since I took this class. My body remembers the feeling from way back. Further, adding another systemic (meaning it affects the whole body during the same) session has rounded out my healing modalities.

June 2015, Nampa, ID - Touch For Health Levels 1 & 2. TFH is an excellent modality and taking these two classes over has really helped move this part of Symbiotic Systems forward. October 2016, Theta Healing, Idaho Falls, Idaho - DNA 1 & DNA 2. Theta Healing is my newest healing modality. It is an energy based modality that works with you belief system because "Thoughts are Things" and these things can be changed instantly and when doing so often changes the illness just as fast. This is a remarkable healing modality. I'm very pleased to offer my clients four different modalities which cover blood and nerve circulation/stimulation that is systemic to the whole body through reflexology and the Chinese 5 element method of healing which is also systemic to both KHT and TFH. I add Bach Flower Remedies to help with emotional concerns, color therapy, aromatherapy and anything else not harmful I can to give you the fastest results in the least amount of time because then your success is my success because you'll tell your friends you were helped by Symbiotic Systems Advanced Clinical Reflexology. I seem to have the most success with pain and female health issues so I've chosen to focus on these concerns. I've been trained by the people who actually participated in the PMS clinical trials often cited as examples of the benefits of reflexology. You'll note the medical centers speak very highly and often regarding both pain and female concerns including infertility.

People often ask me how I got into reflexology so here is the story: I started "Good For You" in 1990 selling health related products. Studied herbs, homeopathy this, that, and the other thing, and then clicked with aromatherapy because of effectiveness and few contradictions and side effects around 1995. I invented "Lice Rx", a non-toxic head lice treatment in 1997, then "Scabies salvation" a few years later. I was looking for a complementary therapy to aromatherapy and remembered in Dr. Christopher’s Book, "School of Natural Healing" he mentioned a guy in Canada in the early 1900's who people would travel for weeks to see, stay a week or so and be healed of all kinds of maladies all through the feet without drugs or diagnosis. Years later, on a whim, I took a beginning reflexology class. The instructors said I was a natural. I was hooked from first contact with a foot and three weeks later I was in Florida in a advanced reflexology class with the worlds foremost expert. I have since made it a point to study with the world's foremost experts to bring these skills to aid in your healing.

People often ask me about my past so here is that story: I dropped out of high school to go to college. I've been self employed almost all my life. Operated "Extraordinary Expeditions", a natural history/adventure tour company to Costa Rica from 1982 to 1992. Was in the top three percent and Idaho State Champion in the National Investment Challenge (early 90's), awarded "Best General Newspaper Column" by Idaho Press Club for my newspaper column on economics (early 90's), managed the Hailey Farmers Market for 12 years, created and financed with the help of the Wood River High School Honor Society the "Food For Thought School Breakfast Program" in 2002 which has been providing breakfasts for families who could use some financial help feeding their children ever since. I was on the Hailey (my city) Economic Development Committee for years.

I'm not a doctor, nor do I try and be/replace one. Nor do I make any claims. As far as I'm concerned, I lay my hands on you and God does the rest. Major medical centers and clinical trials say what reflexology is beneficial for I feel competent and confident my training and experience can help you if your condition is listed.

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If you want to know what makes an "ART" reflexologist, please visit http://www.artreflex.com/about