By stimulating these reflex areas, most commonly using specific massage techniques, you can reduce stress and pain in the related parts of the body and promote general well-being by improving the circulation of blood and energy.
Reflexology can be used to treat a variety of symptoms including headaches, sinus problems and stomach issues. Here we will look at what reflexology is, how it started, how it works, what a reflexology foot chart looks like, the benefits of reflexology, the scientific research behind it, the benefits and risks and why reflexology should be used alongside conventional medicine rather than as an alternative. Simply put, reflexology is all about applying pressure to specific areas of the feet, hands and ears guided by a reflexology foot chart or hand map.
With reflexology, constant pressure is applied, typically alternating between finger and thumb pressure to the hands and feet. Some reflexologists may also use various items such as rubber bands, balls and sticks to assist them in their work.
The origins of reflexology can be traced back around years to Egypt and China. Hieroglyphics found in a pyramid in Egypt dating back to BC show reflexology as part of Egyptian culture at that time. In zone therapy the body is divided into ten longitudinal zones five on each side of the body. Each zone runs down the body, diverges into one of the arms, and continues straight down through the body and into the particular leg, all the way to the respective foot to line up with a particular toe.
Three transverse lines were later introduced, dividing the body horizontally as well as vertically. Modern reflexology developed in the early 20th century largely due to the works of Dr William Fitzgerald and physiotherapist Eunice Ingham, who are considered the father and mother of reflexology. Their works greatly increased understanding of how reflexology works.
Reflexology claims to work on the theory of Qi pronounced Chee — an invisible energy field or life force that flows through the different channels or zones in the body. The theory is that if your Qi is disrupted or blocked through stress, injury, illness, toxicity or congestion then the body becomes unbalanced, unable to heal itself and pain can develop. Reflexology aims to remove any blockages and allow Qi to flow freely through the whole body until a state of balance, known as homeostasis, is achieved.
By stimulating different areas from a reflexology foot chart, reflexologists improve the flow of energy to the linked body part and restore the balance and flow of Qi. This allows a deep state of relaxation which enables the body to heal itself.
He observed that practically any stimulus could act as a conditioning stimulus to produce a conditioned response. Whilst being used in Europe since the Middle Ages, the Americans started to develop the practice scientifically in the twentieth century. Dr Fitzgerald had been intrigued by the work of a Dr Bressler, who had investigated treating organs with pressure points and found that if pressure were applied by fingers, it created a local anaesthetic effect on the body.
Dr Fitzgerald divided the body into ten equal, longitudinal zones running the length of the body from the head to the toes.
His theory was that parts of the body found within a certain zone are linked with another by energy flow within that zone and can affect one another. The first detailed diagrams of the reflex points located in the feet were made by Dr Joseph Riley and his wife, Elizabeth, who refined the techniques of the zone therapy work of Dr Fitzgerald and Dr Bowers. They added eight horizontal divisions to the longitudinal zones. In her work as a physiotherapist, Ingham believed that feet should be specifically targeted because of their particularly sensitive nature.
She charted the feet in relation to the zones and their effects on the rest of the anatomy until she had evolved a map of the entire body on both feet. Her work, research and results are still used by reflexologists. The Egyptians were not the only ones who valued reflexology. This ancient art of healing was also evidenced in China and the North American Indians. Imagine reflexology as a mirror image. Our hands and feet are mirror images to other parts of the body.
Zone therapy was developed around AD The first book on the topic was written in the 16 th century. In the early s, Dr. The article became viral and put reflexology into the global consciousness.
Foot reflexology continued to be popular into the s with successes recorded by osteopaths and dentists. Ingham lectured on the topic throughout her career until her death in Reflexology is a complementary treatment that focuses on the foot to create general wellness in the whole being. Modern reflexology functions on the premise that the foot has reflex points that when pressed, rubbed or stroke, can send the right signals to the brain to deal with any underlying condition in every other part of the body.
The best way to help you understand how reflexology works in the different parts of the body is to explain the foot reflexology chart. Using Zone Therapy as a guide the foot can be divided into ten vertical and four horizontal zones.
The horizontal zones are divided into the head, chest, abdominal cavity and pelvic area. The five vertical zones correspond to a different organ in these four main body regions.
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