Alternative Healing Techniques:  Reflexology

Reflexology is the practice of stimulating certain points on the feet, hands and/or ears of a person in order to have a beneficial effect on another part of the body. The most popular form of reflexology is foot reflexology. Practitioners of foot reflexology practice under the belief that a person's foot is divided into different reflex zones and that the application of pressure to one of these "zones" will help the corresponding body part begin to start healing itself.

Eugene Ingham developed the specific technique known as "reflexology" in the 1930s.  His work was based on a previously developed theory known as "Zone Therapy," put for by Dr. William Fitzgerald.  The Zone Therapy theory stated that certain parts of the body could have a healing effect on other parts of the body. The body was divided up into zones.  Pressure applied to any one part of these zones could have a beneficial affect on any other part of that zone.

The practice of reflexology is popular in countries like Asia where acupuncture and the related energy lines in the body are widely accepted beliefs. Western countries are not as receptive.  While advocates feel that the practice of reflexology  can improve a person's general state of health, the majority of Western health care professionals dismiss reflexology as nothing but nonsense, stating that its results are no different from an ordinary massage.

Case studies performed on the potential benefits of reflexology therapies had the following results: Reflexology was found to produce a feeling of calm and overall relaxation in people. Cold-like symptoms such as congestion were relieved in some subjects who received a reflexology treatment. Negative results from reflexology included painful headaches, skin rashes and frequent thirst.

The most reported benefit of reflexology is that it can reduce stress and increase a person's energy. Patients who received a reflexology treatment reported that they felt relaxed and energized as a result of their treatment.  Since almost 75% of all illnesses are said to be related to stress induced factors, reflexology could help people avoid getting sick.

"Alternative Healing Techniques:  Reflexology" contributed by Trisha Lew