Overview

Proponents of reflexology believe that the foot surface contains a coded map of the entire body and that particular points on the feet correspond to particular organs, glands, and body systems. The body is divided into ten vertical zones or channels. Energy is accessed through various zones. All body parts within any one zone are linked by the nerve pathways and are mirrored in the corresponding reflex zone on the hands and feet. Pressing these points with the fingers and thumbs is thought to encourage healthy functions in the corresponding areas of the body.

To give a reflexology treatment a therapist mainly uses his thumb, or sometimes his finger, to apply pressure to different points to release any blockages. The therapy involves, no conscious effort on the part of the patient but it encourages the body's healing system to balance itself. The reflexologist gently works at the point until the blockage is released.

Foot Reflexes

The sole of a human foot has over seventy thousand nerve endings. When they are stimulated by applying pressure to a particular point, known as a reflex point or area, it sends messages along the pathways of the autonomic nervous system to all areas of the brain and body. This stimulates or rebalances the energy in the related zone.

The body systems, the circulation and lymphatic systems can be influenced when pressure is applied to nerve endings and it improves its functioning because the toxins are eliminated more easily and nutrients and oxygen are transported more efficiently through out the body.

History of Reflexology:

The precise origins of reflexology are obscure, but ancient illustrations and other records reveal that Chinese, Indian, Egyptian Japan and Russia. People are worked on the hands and feet to foster good health. Unfortunately, however, relatively little is known about the attitudes, theories, or even the names given to such practices during those times.

There are various accounts of the practice of massage/manipulation of the feet being performed across Europe during the middle Ages. Harry Bond Bressler argued that a form of Reflexology was practiced across the European social classes during the 14th Century. It is also claimed that the Florentine Sculptor Cellini (1500 - 1571) used pressure on hands and feet to relieve pain.

Modern reflexology grew out of a technique known as "zone therapy," which was developed in the early 1900s by American physician and ear, nose, and throat specialist William H. Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald claimed that applying gentle pressure to specific areas on the hands and feet could trigger health benefits in corresponding "zones" of the body.

In the 1930s, Eunice Ingham, a physical therapist and a colleague of Fitzgerald, took the therapy, further postulating that working on just the feet (not the hands) was the best way to affect the health of the rest of the body. Ingham contributed a crucial tool to the discipline: She drew up detailed "maps" of the feet that showed exactly how particular parts of the foot relate to other body parts. Example - toes correspond to the head and neck; that the balls of the feet reflect the lungs, heart and chest; that points on the right foot relate to the right side of the body and that points on the left foot relate to the left; and so on. Charts based on her maps are still used by reflexologists today.

How Does It Work?

Our body contains an invisible life force, or subtle energy, similar to the concept of Qi in traditional Chinese medicine, which is endowed with a wonderful self-healing potential. This potential often remains unfulfilled because the vital energy pathways are blocked by illness, stress, congestion, injury, and toxicity.

Nerve endings are imbedded in the feet and hands that then travel to the spinal cord and to various parts of the body. By applying a constant and alternating finger and thumb pressure of the nerve endings on the foot, it can unblock and increase the flow of this vital energy to various parts of the body and thus promote healing, relaxation, improve circulation, stimulate vital organs in the body and encourage the body's natural healing processes. A more conventional medical theory suggests that the pressure exerted by reflexologist releases nerve transmitter chemicals such as endorphins and monoamines, compounds that control pain. This is sediment due to poor eating or lack of exercise and can be crushed and reabsorbed into the body thereby allowing the lymph system to eliminate the waste product.

Treatment

A Reflexology Treatment usually begins with a consultation with the client by the practitioner to know about her medical history or condition. If satisfied the reflexologist will invite the client to make them comfortable in a chair or a table and checks the feet for any injuries or infections before proceeding.

The actual treatment often consists of a short relaxation of each foot, followed by a more thorough reflexology treatment of each foot. The treatment involves light, but firm, compression massage to the soles and uppers of your feet possibly using talc but never oil. During the treatment the harmful toxins are released from the body and some areas of the foot may feel a little tender and these will correlate with the problem areas in the body. As the reflex points are very small the reflexologist has to be very precise. Many people fall asleep, or at least enjoy a period of deep relaxation during their reflexology treatment.

Timing varies but a standard treatment may have duration of about an hour, though shorter treatments for children and the elderly. Following the treatment itself, the reflexologist may invite the client to get up slowly when ready and checks whether the client is well awake or not. Feedback is always invited about the treatment. Once you know the trigger points for your condition, you can try to perform at home.

Health Benefits

Reflexology is recommended as an adjunct therapy, and is never the main treatment for a condition. Scientific evidence is limited and a few studies have shown reflexology to be beneficial. Proponents say that it is particularly useful for stress-related conditions, tensions including headaches and digestive disorders migraines, strokes, multiple sclerosis, etc. It may also be helpful for asthma and irritable bowel syndrome, for easing symptoms of PMS (premenstrual syndrome), for skin conditions such as acne and eczema, and for chronic pain from conditions such as sciatica and arthritis.

Although all reflex areas will be massaged, the therapist will pay specific attention to the actual problem area. , for example, neck, back and hip problems, sciatica and arthritis will be treated in the muscular skeletal area and angina, high blood pressure and any circulatory problems will be treated in the heart reflex area and so on.

Practitioner

The practitioner will be certified in the course of reflexology. The best way to find a good reflexologist is to get a referral from your primary-care physician or from a physical therapist or other body worker you know and trust. Massage therapists, chiropractors, and podiatrists may practice reflexology as part of their treatments.

Cautions

•  Do not take this treatment if you are pregnant or think you may be, it is advised to speak to your obstetrician before trying to     have a reflexology treatment.
•  If you have a foot injury, blood clots, thrombosis, phlebitis, or other vascular problems in your legs, talk to your doctor before     you have reflexology.
•  If you have a pacemaker, kidney stones, or gallstones, let the reflexologist know before your treatment.
•  Reflexology will not fix problems such as broken bones or hernias
•  Reflexologists are not qualified to diagnose or treat specific diseases.
•  Reflexology if used regularly will enhance any other treatments you are receiving by keeping the circulation stimulated and the     lymph system active.