WHAT IS IT?

Reflexology is a technique in which pressure is applied to specific points on the feet (and sometimes the hands) to promote relaxation and improve overall health. Reflexologists believe that the foot surface contains a kind of map of the entire body and that particular points on the feet correspond to particular organs, glands, and body systems. Stimulating these points by pressing with the fingers and thumbs encourages healthy functions in the corresponding areas of the body.

The precise origins of reflexology are obscure, but ancient illustrations and other records reveal that Chinese, Indian, and Egyptian peoples worked on the hands and feet to promote good health.

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, refined the therapy when she discovered that working on the feet 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. She found, for example, that the 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 today.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Exactly how reflexology, from a scientific view, works remains unclear, although several possible explanations have been put forward. One is that the body contains an invisible life force, or subtle energy, similar to the concept of "qi" in traditional Chinese medicine. When this energy is blocked, illness can result. The nervous system provides a "keyboard" to access, control, and release the subtle energy patterns. It is thought that stimulating some of the more than 7,000 nerve endings on the foot can unblock and increase the flow of this vital energy to various parts of the body and thus promote healing. The reflexology theory is consistent with the theory behind acupuncture, in which mapped points on body parts such as the ear or hand are treated to affect corresponding remote organs or body zones.

A more conventional medical theory suggests that the pressure exerted during reflexology releases nerve transmitter chemicals such as endorphins and monoamines, compounds that control pain.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

We will normally begin a consultation with a conversation about your general health and lifestyle, about chronic health problems or any issues that are currently concerning you. You will then be asked to remove your shoes and socks and to sit in a comfortable chair or lie down on a padded table.

At first, we will rub your feet lightly for a few minutes to warm them up and feel for tense areas. When an area of the foot feels taut and sensitive, that's a sign that the corresponding body part has an energy blockage. We will then focus on these tense areas for the duration of the session, which may last from 30 to 60 minutes.

As a particular area of the foot is pressed, you may feel a tingling sensation in the part of your body being treated. The practitioner may use significant pressure, but the therapy is rarely painful. Any discomfort you feel should ease as the tension dissipates as the treatment continues.

HEALTH BENEFITS

Reflexology is recommended as a supplement to a primary therapy, and is rarely the main treatment for a condition. It is particularly useful for stress-related conditions, including headaches and digestive disorders. 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 scientific evidence is limited, a few studies have shown reflexology to be beneficial. In one study, 35 California women who suffered from PMS were divided into two groups. One group received true reflexology and the control group got a sham treatment. The women who received the real treatment reported a significantly greater decrease in PMS symptoms. In another study of 220 Danish headache patients, 81% reported that reflexology sessions reduced or cured their headache pain.

Above all this is a calming and de-stressing treatment, and as up to 80% of health problems are stress related a great many problems and health "niggles" can be relieved by reflexology.