What is so wonderfully engaging about Reflexology is that although there is no conclusive scientific data that supports its efficacy, its legacy has been sustained over thousands of years.
Three-thousand-year-old Egyptian tombs feature renderings of Nubian hand servants treating the feet in which the receiver is asking for them to be gentle and the servants responding, “It is only our intention to serve.”
In the 13th-century, the Italian explorer Marco Polo returned from China with many tales and descriptions of life inside the ancient culture of China. One of his descriptions made reference to a 6,000-year-old traditional Foot Pressure massage.
In 1917, the term “Reflexology” was coined by the Russian neurologist and psychiatrist, Vladimir Bekhterev.
India, too, has ancient texts which explore the microcosm of the body being found in the hands and feet.
This ancient technique was revived, in part, by the research of Sir Henry Head (Head’s Zones) who discovered in his research that in the case of underlying organ distress, the skin would exhibit pain in corresponding areas.
In 1917, the term “Reflexology” was coined by the Russian neurologist and psychiatrist, Vladimir Bekhterev.
During this same period a US physician, William Fitzgerald, who had worked in London and was influenced by the work of Head, discovered Zone therapy. He is credited with mapping out the 10 reflex zones of the body. Fitzgerald published Zone Therapy in 1917.
According to Fitzgerald, each point on the foot, hand, or ear was always associated with the body parts within the zone of its alignment. The ten zones followed parallel lines vertically through the body. Hence a reflex in the zone of a specific finger or toe would affect any organ or tissue group within that zone—from head to toe.
On his return to the US, and as a guest at a dinner party, it is reported Fitzgerald was able to restore, in a matter of minutes, the voice of another guest—an opera singer who was lamenting that she could no longer reach certain notes.
The efficacy and practical application of this remarkable technique was charted and employed by Dr. Joe Shelby Riley and his attending assistant, physiotherapist Eunice Ingham, author of StoriesThe Feet Can Tell and Stories The Feet Have Told.
Self-Reflexology, while not quite as satisfying as someone else performing the service, is effective nonetheless. I recall being in the final throes of my study of this technique and waiting to take exams while exchanging nervous small talk with another student who told me that it was her fifth attempt at certification. While it was not exactly the information I wanted to hear, I was impressed by her persistence and fascinated when she told me how Reflexology had made a profound difference in her life.
She told me that she had found it impossible to conceive a child but after learning Reflexology, she had sat daily with her feet in her lap working the foot reflexes—with additional applications over the reproductive zones. Consequently (after several months), she conceived a child. She now wanted to bring this service to others, as it had helped her so much.
I listened politely but I was not sure I attributed the conception to her Reflexology, until I, too, began experiencing remarkable results in my practice, particularly in reversing arthritis and low resistance.
Effects
A rebalancing treatment; benefits include:
• Increased circulation
• Increased nerve stimulation
• Relaxation, and more for you to explore
Home Modification
The same reflexes in the feet are in the hands, and while the hands are not quite as sensitive or responsive as the feet, the reflexes will be felt.
Materials
See below for illustration of reflex chart.
Instructions
We are providing an instructional video for you to view and use at home.
Who Should Not do This
Reflexology is one of the few therapies that carries no contra-indications, it is good for one and all—from infants to elders.
Anne Bramham
A respected spa industry mentor, Anne Bramham is the founder of ASTECC (Advanced Spa Therapy Education Certification Council) and an instructor for the Dr. Vodder School of North America. She has introduced ASTECC training to top spa and wellness destinations throughout the U.S., including Montage Resort & Spa, Grand Del Mar, Spa Shiki Four Seasons, and Ritz-Carlton. She resides with her family in South Florida.