Treatment & Therapy
What is Reflexology?
20.09.2022
Every year, the last full week of September is celebrated as World Reflexology Week. This year, it corresponds to the week of September 19-25.
So, what is it about reflexology that a full week is specially assigned for it? Let’s discover what exactly makes the week and reflexology therapy as valuable and significant…
World Reflexology Week was initiated at the 1999 Hawaii conference of the International Council of Reflexologists (ICR), and is celebrated globally every year during the last full week of September with the mission of spreading awareness on reflexology ever since. The ICR, founded in Toronto in 1990 and today has thousands of members from more than 58 countries, aims to enable reflexologists to gain experience and specialize in line with the dynamic development of reflexology and thus contribute better to our health and wellness.
We can define reflexology as a non-invasive natural therapy that involves micro-pressure applications to reflex points located in certain areas based on the reflex map of our body. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just a foot therapy. It's also applicable to different zones like hands, ears and even the face. This technique, also known as zone therapy in modern medicine, leans on the theory that these reflex points are nerve connections to different organs and glands of the body. It's not used to diagnose or treat medical diseases, but is complementary to modern and traditional treatments and is often “prescribed” by doctors today as an accompaniment to treatments.
What mainly distinguishes reflexology from other massages is that massages are aimed at manipulating the muscle groups and fascia of the body “from the outside in”, whereas reflexology invites the stimulation of the nervous system “from the inside out”. Moreover, reflexology utilizes a unique technique made of micro-rubbing and pressure movements on reflex points with the thumb or fingers.
The earliest written record of reflexology is a hieroglyphic mural dating back to 2330 BC, found in the burial pyramid of Ankhamor in Egypt. In ancient China, the chapter “Method of Foot Examination” in the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, written around 1,000 BC, also reveals the connection between the life force and the points and areas on the feet. In the late 14th century, reflexology began to be practiced in Europe as a regional therapy under the leadership of Dr. Adamus and Dr. A'tatis. In the 1900s, it finally was accepted by modern medicine due to the “zone theory” developed by Dr. William Fitzgerald, known as the father of modern reflexology, after being inspired by Aboriginal Americans’ practices.
There are different theories about how reflexology works:
The oldest theory is based on the Qi philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The philosophy suggests that stress, arisen from whether physical, mental or emotional reasons, may block the life energy that flows freely through our bodies (Qi). This leads our body systems to lose their self-healing ability and thus suffer ailments. Expert reflexologists, on the other hand, are capable to re-encourage the free flow of our Qi by the reflex points throughout our body. This way, they can help with our self-healing process and further to maintain our wellbeing. From this point, reflexology may be likened to acupressure and acupuncture; though, it does not use any external stimuli like needles. Besides, while acupressure can target more than 800 reflex points located on the meridians that run through our body, reflexology focuses on stimulating reflexes in the feet, hands and ears in areas resembling the shape of “human body”.
Another theory derives from research conducted in the 1890s by Sir Henry Head and Sir Charles Sherrington, and is based on the neural link between the skin and internal organs. As per this theory, when the reflexologist applies pressure to the feet, hands or ears, a calming signal is sent from the peripheral nerves to the central nervous system. This, in turn, stabilizes blood flow and oxygen circulation and stimulates metabolism to detoxify. As a result, our body and mind relax, our respiratory and circulatory pathways regain balance and our immunity strengthens.
According to the zone theory, also known as the reflexology theory, our body is divided into 10 vertical zones containing different parts, and each zone corresponds to the nerves in specific fingers and toes (and ears). When we stand with our hands at our sides, the big toes are zone 1 and the little toes are zone 5. The left hand and foot correspond to the left side of the body and the right hand and foot correspond to the right side of the body. With reflexology, pain and aches can be alleviated by reaching the organs and systems, bone and muscle tissue in the part of the body connected to that zone.
Another theory related to reflexology's ability to relieve pain is the “neuromatrix theory of pain”. It argues that pain is a subjective experience that our brain creates in response not only to physical pain, but also to factors such as our mood and stress. By reducing our stress and improving our mood through calming touches, reflexology can support our brain to balance pain signals and decrease our perception of pain.
Reflexology is a therapeutic treatment that you can nowadays find at almost every Spa. The session usually lasts 30 to 60 minutes and is often accompanied by soothing music, dim lighting and aromatic scents, while you receive your therapy on a massage bed, fully clothed. It consists of light to moderate repetitive rubbing and pressure techniques with the fingers on one reflex area at a time. During the therapy, you feel so relaxed that you may even fall asleep. And at the end of the session, you feel more energized and peaceful as your life energy starts to freely flow again.
Experts agree that in order to experience the benefits of the therapy not just regionally but holistically, a single session may not be enough. Hence, you may need to receive repeating sessions at a frequency advised by your reflexologist and doctor.
Given the information by the Reflexology Association of Canada, there are other types of reflexology than just foot reflexology, hand reflexology and ear reflexology. Let us list some of these therapies practiced today with special expertise;
Facial Reflexology: Derived from a blend of ancient Chinese Medicine and modern regional theory, this therapy is applied to reflex points on the face linked to certain meridians.
Prenatal Reflexology: Requiring an elaborate training and specialized certification, this method is used to alleviate the symptoms that accompany pregnancy without harming the baby.
Craniosacral Reflexology: Combining the principles of reflexology with those of cranial osteopathy and cranio-sacral therapy, the practice focuses on the regions and reflex areas of the feet.
Dermo-neural Reflexology: It’s a therapy that stimulates our nervous system through the clavicles, triggering neurochemical receptors in our skin at molecular and sub-molecular levels.
Praxis Vertebralis Reflexology: Utilizing the new neurological maps, this technique aims to achieve neurological balancing by stimulating the spinal cord reflex points in the feet, sending nerve pressure in an arc to the brain and organs.
Calms us: Did you know that stress increases our risk of physical and mental illness by 80%? Like Barbara and Kevin Kunz, who are internationally acknowledged as authorities in the field of reflexology, stated in their book published in 2008, the rubs and pressures applied to reflexology zones interrupt stress hormone release, allowing us to unwind and sleep peacefully. According to reflexology, the body, emotion, mind and spirit aspects of our being makes up an interconnected whole. Thus, a relaxed body leads to calm emotions, a serene mind and a wholesome state of mind.
Relieves our pain: Pain and aches are grand stressors for our holistic being, be it caused by physical or emotional factors. Due to a 2021 study published in the European Journal of Integrative Medicine, reflexology therapy triggers endorphins. Endorphins are not only the “happy hormones”, but also or natural painkillers that teach our body how to adapt to traumas such as injury and stress. In short, reflexology is helpful both in alleviating our pain and in avoiding the chain effects of pain.
Induces our positive emotions: Thanks to the therapy’s balancing stimulation of the nervous system and triggering of endorphin release, reflexology improves our blood circulation and oxygen uptake, relieving mental and emotional pressures reflecting in our body like shortness of breath, anxiety and depression. That way, it improves our mood and increases our ability to naturally combat negative feelings.
Supports our healing: Reflexology backs and speeds up the healing process of our injuries, particularly on our reflex points, and encourages our ability to cope with pain, aches and wounds given its neuro-therapeutic efficacies. It also helps our body to sustain its mobility.
As stated in the 2015 study titled “Revisiting Reflexology”, and based on the available clinical records, reflexology can further be helpful for the following conditions:
Current systematic reviews have so far been insufficient to support the direct clinical benefits of reflexology. One reason for it is that reflexology only appeared in the medical literature very recently (1990). And most of the studies to date have worked with very small groups and have not been combinative in terms of the number and methods of reflexology therapies applied. This also results from variants including the different characters and needs of each individual, the practicality of sham reflexology, and the psychological compatibility between the reflexologist and the client.
But the recent scientific studies incent conducting randomized and standardized clinical research on the benefits of reflexology in larger groups, as it’s now become a much more popular therapeutic practice also often recommended in modern medicine.
Reflexology is one of the safest therapies because it does not rely on drugs and chemicals, does not apply pressure on myofascial tissue and muscles, and is non-invasive. Nowadays, it’s prescribed by doctors as a complementary therapy for even those suffering from serious health problems, including cancer patients. It’s therefore available in most hospitals, where it can also be offered by chiropractors and physiotherapists. However, if you’re experiencing any of the following issues:
it’ll be valuable and essential that you first consult with your doctor, as reflexology might worsen your condition.
Reflexology is not recommended during the first trimester of pregnancy since it may increase your risk of miscarriage. But with your doctor’s pre-approval, you can receive therapy from reflexologists specially certified in prenatal reflexology. If you’re curious as to which treatments you can assuredly receive during pregnancy, you can also take a look at our article: “Safe Spa Treatments During Pregnancy”.
To sum up, reflexology is a relatively safe therapeutic practice that can alleviate our feelings of stress and anxiety, help relieve our pain and invite our self-healing ability. As it might be worth trying if you want to deal with your daily stresses naturally and with a more powerful Self... Keep this option in mind!
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