Reflexology is the ancient art and science of massaging the feet and / or hands using a technique designed to address a system of pressure points. The idea is that specific areas of the foot or hand correspond to each part of the body, which are “mapped out” onto the hand or foot as in the charts. The theory is that by massaging the part of the hand or foot in the right way, you can provide healing benefits to the part of the body that it “represents”. Reflexology has been practiced in the Orient for centuries and is now popular in the West – although orthodox medicine considers it to be pseudoscience and gives it no credit. Despite this, reflexology remains a very popular and enjoyable treatment for many… and one is tempted to suggest: “Why would people continue to spend their hard earned cash on it if it were giving them no benefits whatsoever?” It is certainly relaxing and I do also think it has merit: Years ago, a friend taught me a pressure point in the hand for headaches, in between the forefinger and thumb. If I had a headache, she would pinch this area in a certain way and the headache would definitely seem to be alleviated. Researching the topic, I found that reflexology was introduced to the USA by William H. Fitzgerald, M.D. (1872–1942), who claimed that applying pressure had an anesthetic effect on other areas of the body. Although modern medicine steadfastly refuses to accept reflexology, I can also say one thing for certain: There appears to be no documentation suggesting any negative effects for reflexology – in other words, what’s the harm in trying it? Massage of all kinds is widely agreed to be highly beneficial and many will attest to its positive health effects.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 20:14:38 +0000