What Is Reflexology?
All photos on this site © Roxanne Ross
Reflexology is a natural healing therapy which dates back to ancient times. Both the Egyptians and the Chinese practiced reflexology over 3000 years ago. Reflexology was brought to the West in the early 1800's, and is now being practiced throughout all of western culture. It is based on the belief that specific points of the foot correspond to every part, gland, and organ of the body. By applying pressure to these areas, reflexology has a physiological effect on the body.
What Can Reflexology Do For Me?
Reflexology reduces stress, induces relaxation and improves circulation, thereby creating optimal conditions for the body to do its natural work, that of repairing and building cells.
Does Reflexology Really Work?
There are countless studies on the effects of reflexology. One example of a reflexology study done on a group of cancer patients yielded these results: "Reflexology modifies the distressing symptoms of pain and nausea in patients hospitalized with cancer... 87 patients participated in the study and each received a 10-minute reflexology foot massage (5 minutes per foot). The results revealed that the treatments produced a significant and immediate effect on the patients' perceptions of pain, nausea and relaxation when measured with a visual scale."
("Foot Massage: A nursing intervention to modify the distressing symptoms of pain and nausea in patients hospitalized with cancer." Grealish, L., Lomasney,A., Whiteman,B., Cancer Nurse 2000, June:23(3):237-43)