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What benefits does reflexology provide?
It is a method of bringing balance and healing through the
stimulation of specific points on the feet, or hands. Reflexology demonstrates
four main benefits:
1. Relaxation with removal of stress.
2. Enhanced circulation.
3. Assists the body to normalize its metabolism naturally.
4. Complements all other healing modalities.
The ultimate purpose of the therapy is to promote wellness; fundamentally it is
a form of preventive therapy. People with serious and long-term medical
problems are urged to seek the advice(2)
of a physician.
How does reflexology work?
When the
reflexes are stimulated, the body’s natural electrical energy works
along the nervous system to clear any blockages in the corresponding zones. A
reflexology session seems to break up deposits (felt as a sandy or gritty area
under the skin) which may interfere with the flow of the body’s electrical
energy in the nervous system.
Manipulating specific reflexes removes stress, activating a parasympathetic
response in the body to enable the blockages to be released by a physiological
change in the body. With stress removed and circulation enhanced, the body is
allowed to return to a state of homeostasis(3).
Traditionally it is believed that energy flows through channel in the body.
When these become blocked or depleted, parts of the body are starved of energy
and become diseased. Reflexology clears these channels and restores the free
flow of energy. A more modern theory is that reflexology works through the
nervous system. There are 70000 nerve endings in the feet which connect through
the spinal cord to all parts of the body (you sneeze or get a runny nose when
you walk barefoot in cold water). By working on the nerve endings, reflexology
stimulates the nervous system back into normal functioning.
Other theories include interaction with electromagnetic
(bio-energetic) fields, working with the body’s own natural vibrations and
healing potential, or breaking down waste products which accumulate in the feet
due to stress, disease, or lack of exercise.
How we do use Reflexology in our practice?
Basically we aim at applying in our practice the reflexology
principles of
Barbara and Kevin Kunz, as well as Traditional Chinese Medicine theory.
Our practice is mainly oriented to alleviate stress because
reflexology is particularly effective in stress related conditions. It provides
a deep sense of relaxation so that tensions are released, circulation is
improved and toxins can be more easily eliminated from the body. As the body’s
natural energies flow more freely there is an increased sense of well-being and
health.
With respect to stress management the amount of technique
application of reflexology, and number of sessions is strictly related to the
goals and expectation of the individual who receives the therapy.
Reflexology will not cure entrenched disease, though it can usefully support
the work of conventional medicine - for example, Charing Cross Hospital
(London, UK) routinely offers reflexology to cancer patients undergoing
chemotherapy. A single treatment will not reverse problems which are the result
of years of misuse, poor diet or stress, but a series of treatments can help
conditions as diverse as tension headaches, IBS, frozen shoulder, low
fertility.
Ways of effecting reflex areas and points:
1) Thoughts;
4) Implements;
5) Sound;
6) Color;
7) Other forms of vibration and pressure;
8) Electrical stimulation (mA).
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2) Diabetes patients in particular are
urged to approach this therapy cautiously. Likewise pregnant women are
cautioned emphatically to avoid reflexology during the early phases of
pregnancy altogether, as accidentally induced labor and subsequent premature
delivery can result from reflexology treatment.
3) Homeostasis is the “automatic” process that the body
incorporates to bring it back to the “normal” state. In other words it is the
main component of the “natural” healing process.
