Reflexology - Science Or Science-Fiction?

Most commonly, reflexology is carried out on the feethere below is the reference to the study.
and the hands, so let us begin by defining what foot"Changes of renal blood flow during organ-associated
and hand reflexology is in the simplest of terms.foot reflexology measured by color Doppler
Imagine someone would draw your entire body onsonography" by Sudmeier I., Bodner G., Egger I., Mur E.,
your feet and on your hands where everything drawnUlmer H., Herold M., Forsch Komplementarmed. 1999
on the right foot and the right hand correspondedJun; 6(3): 129-34
exactly to the right side of your body and everythingOne of the most valid and truly interesting studies on
drawn on the left foot and left hand correspondedthe effects of reflexology was carried out by the
exactly to the left side of your body. When you'd lookOregon Research Institute and published in 2005 in the
at the soles of the feet or the palms of the hands, youJournal of the American Geriatrics Society. The study
would be able to see the area of the heart, that of thedemonstrated that cobblestone-mat walking
lungs, the spine, the kidneys, the bladder and so on.significantly improved the health of older
These mirror areas of the body are called reflexphysically-inactive adults (between 60 and 92 years of
areas - or reflexes - and reflexology is the science ofage) over 16 weeks. This was measured by various
the reflexes. Reflexology rebalances body chemistryphysical performance tests, balance tests, and blood
by accessing the actual organs and various parts ofpressure changes. Here below is the reference to the
the body through the mirror areas in the feet andstudy.
hands. How? Using the 7000 nerve endings in each"Improving physical function and blood pressure in older
foot, using the blood flow, using the lymph flow, andadults through cobblestone mat walking: a randomized
possibly the acupunctural meridians as well. In thetrial" by FUZHONG LI; FISHER K. John ; HARMER
hands of a well-trained reflexologist - and this is anPeter, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society ISSN
important point - reflexology will stimulate and optimize0002-8614, 2005, vol. 53, no8, pp. 1305-1312 [8 page(s)
nerve flow, blood flow, and lymph flow to the area of(article)] (27 ref.)
the body being treated in the feet or the hands, thusThis study is extremely significant because it shows
minimizing pain as well as muscle tension and facilitatingthat the health of the elderly people who walked on
the body's natural healing and detoxifying processes inthe cobblestones three times per week unquestionably
that particular area. This is done by deep pressureimproved much more than that of the elderly people
thumb and finger techniques which reproduce thewho did the normal walking on a flat surface (the
effect of walking barefoot in nature on differentcontrol group). In other words, the pressure caused by
uneven surfaces such as stones, sand, grass,the cobblestones made all the difference. One should
branches and so on. Too good to be true? Soundslook at reflexology as the re-enactment of natural
more like science-fiction than science?barefoot walking on different uneven surfaces. If you
Then allow me to present the science to you. In thethink about it, this the way nature intended for us to live
1930's, Eunice Ingham, an American physical therapist,- walking, not sitting all day like we do. What the study
developed Western Reflexology as we know it today.implies is that there is a natural rebalancing system of
She is the one who mapped out all the reflex areas ofour body functions (our health) integrated in our feet
the hands and feet. She did it by trial and error onwhich is being stimulated by deep pressure. And in the
thousands of patients working closely with a physician,original plan, this pressure would have come from
Dr. Riley, and without any modern equipment. Shewalking barefoot in nature. With modernization and
knew what the complaints of her patients were anddaily sitting, this system is not being used anymore.
she looked for the corresponding areas in the footThat's where reflexology comes in. As a matter of
which appeared to be "congested" and sore. This isfact, every city in Asia has a cobblestone health park.
how, over the years, she mapped out the reflex areasResearchers in some universities are now looking at
of the feet. Also, she realized that when she treatedwhat happens inside the brain when you stimulate
those areas with deep pressure, the complaints of hercertain reflexes. The first results are very encouraging
patients improved or disappeared. Today,and in the coming 20 years I am certain that many of
methodologically valid studies prove that she was right.the benefits of reflexology will be fully explained by
In 1999, thanks to Doppler sonography for instance,scientific measurements and observations.
Austrian researchers proved that reflexology on theBe aware that there are two types of reflexology.
kidney reflex increased blood flow inside the kidney.The first is the type of reflexology that is often given in
When reflexology was applied to reflexes other thanspas: this is more like an improved foot massage than
that of the kidney, the measured blood flow inside theanything else and cannot be considered clinically
kidney was not altered. Only when the specific arearelevant. The second is the type of reflexology the
on the foot corresponding to one of the kidneys wasabove studies talk about: it activates the body's natural
stimulated by deep reflexology techniques did thehealing and detoxifying processes and reduces pain as
amount of blood flow inside the corresponding kidneywell as stress levels. With this type of reflexology,
become greater. This means that more oxygen andwhich some reflexologists like myself prefer to call
more nutrients were immediately brought to the kidneymedical (or clinical) reflexology, many medical conditions
to improve its function by the simple means of doingand their associated symptoms - especially pain - will
reflexology on the kidney reflex. For those interested,improve in a matter of a few sessions.