by C. Terese Horton
Whether it be meeting a deadline at the office, getting the kids ready for school, or planning a family gathering, stress makes a daily appearance. Most doctors agree that over 75% of our health problems today can be linked to stress and tension. When we fail to manage stress our body's defense mechanism begins to break down, making us more susceptible to illness and disease. Dwight Byers, president of the International Institute of Reflexology, describes its affect on our bodies, " Stress and tension are like a tourniquet around the body's systems." More people than ever before are turning to reflexology as a means of relieving high levels of stress and tension.
Imagine lying back in a comfortable reclining chair; there is soft relaxing background music. The room is warm and tranquil. Your shoes and socks have been set aside. You are relaxed. A pillow is tucked under your knees. The bare soles of your feet are just at the edge of the chair. Two hands firmly grasp your right foot and begin kneading it, loosening each toe and relaxing the foot's many muscles, tendons, bones and ligaments, and stimulating over 7,000 nerve endings. Relaxing even more, you close your eyes. The reflexologistÕs thumb systematically probes the inner sole of the foot, crossing the ball of the foot, up to the toes, covering every inch, including the ankle. Your left foot is then relaxed in precisely the same manner.
From ancient illustrations and artifacts we know the early Chinese, Japanese, and Egyptians worked on the feet and hands to promote better health. Reflexology, as it's known today, is a science and healing art based upon the theory that there are reflex areas, or specific points, in the feet and hands that correspond to all the glands and organs in the body. The term "reflex" refers to the fact that these points are responsive to stimulus. Corresponding reflexes are located in the hands.
Due to stress, illness, or inactivity, muscles in our bodies weaken; the muscle tissue in our feet gives way, and excessive pressure is exerted on nerve endings. As a result of these stresses, our bloodstream becomes congested, lacking in its oxygen-rich nutrients. Without the full cleansing power of the blood supply, waste matter collects in the feet, forming crystal-like deposits. The feet are "worked" to break down these deposits which build up around the reflexes and nerve endings in the feet. The only tools used are the thumb and fingers on the reflex points. Reflexology improves circulation, increases energy levels, and helps the body achieve homeostasis or balance.
In the early 1900s, Dr. William Fitzgerald developed the "zone therapy" theory, which later became the contemporary basis of reflexology. It states there are ten zones throughout the body. Five zones on the right side of the body and five on the left; one for each toe or finger. According to Byers, "The zones are like the wiring in a house; the reflexes travel through the zones similar to electricity through wires." We can imagine a zone as a series of longitudinal lines, running from the head to the toes of our body--a system subtler than the physically observable system of nerves. Zones are used in determining various locations of reflexes within the feet and hands.
In the early 1930s, physiotherapist Eunice Ingham studied the response of different areas of the body to zone therapy. The feet, which proved to have the greatest level of sensitivity, were most responsive. Ingham performed intensive study on the physiology and responses. Probing the feet using precise thumb pressure upon certain areas, tender spots were discovered. Ingham then began equating these spots with the anatomy of the human body, thus devising a map of the feet that "mirrors the body." Her method was then named the "Ingham Method of Massage Compression," which later became known as the "Original Ingham Method of Reflexology." It is important to note that zones and reflexes have been proven and charted through these and other studies, and that even today, reflexologists still do not know their precise nature.
The philosophy of reflexology is often misinterpreted to be the same as massage. Reflexology is not massage, nor is it a replacement for modern medicine. Reflexology is based on theories that nerve pathways exist throughout the body. When any of those pathways become blocked, the body experiences levels of discomfort. Reflexology may assist in reviving one's energy flow and bringing the body back into homeostasis, a state of balance.
People are sometimes amazed by the simplicity of reflexology and baffled by the results of applying precise pressure to the reflexes in the feet and hands.
When it comes to pain relief and good health you can let your "fingers do the walking" by practicing reflexology on yourself. Imagine you're at the office and you've acquired the most excruciating tension headache. Grab your hand, and using your thumb, apply pressure to the neck reflex (the side and base of the thumb), spine (inside of thumb at base across bottom of palm) and diaphragm (across the middle of the palm diagonally) reflex points. You will use an "Inchworm" movement bending the thumb at the first joint. This is known as "thumb walking." Be sure to work those reflex areas on both hands. You will be working the tender areas and breaking up any crystal-like deposits. Feel the difference!
Is your back sore and aching? Take off those shoes and socks, grab a foot and "thumb-walk" up the inner foot, beginning at the sacrum coccyx reflex at the inside of the heel. Be sure to work up to the base of the big toe and back down, repeating several times. Work both feet, feeling for any tender spots and crystal deposits. Feel the tingling sensation!
You just arrived home from a long day at work, and you are ready to lie down and catch a few winks, when you remember everything you said you would do tonight. Let your friend or spouse give you a boost from the evening fatigue syndrome with reflexology. Sit back in your favorite recliner and remove your shoes and socks. Have your partner wring out the tension in your feet by using motion like lightly wringing out a towel around the entire foot. Your partner can begin thumb-walking up the inside of the foot and back down the same path. This procedure can be repeated a few times on both feet. The thumbs can be "walked" back and forth across both the center and balls of each foot several times. Next, beginning with the big toe, your partner can thumb-walk up, down and across all ten toes. Finally, we want to make sure we work the adrenal reflex by pressing the thumb approximately two inches below the base of each big toe several times. Let your session end with a repetition of the light towel-wringing motion around the entire foot.
Listed below are several reflex areas, and the areas of the body to which they correspond:
Metatarsal (balls of the feet)--Chest, lung and shoulder area
Toes--Head and Neck
Upper Arch--Diaphragm, upper abdominal organs
Lower Arch--Pelvic and lower abdominal organs
Heel--Pelvic and sciatic nerve
Outer Foot--Arm, shoulder, hip, leg, knee and lower back
Inner Foot--Spine
Ankle Area--Reproductive organs and pelvic region
It is important to note that certain reflexes are sometimes difficult to reach when working on your own because specific pressure must be applied.
For years, people have experienced relief from allergies, headaches, sinus problems, asthma, backaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, constipation, menstrual problems, prostate problems and arthritis. We do the work and the body does the healing on its own.
It is important to note that reflexology is not meant to take the place of modern medicine, but rather to complement it. A professional reflexologist never diagnoses, prescribes, or claims a cure for anything.
While books and charts are helpful in gaining knowledge and locating reflex areas, contacting a reflexologist to receive an actual session is most beneficial. So put your "Feet First," and start on the road to better health.
Many Baltimore Resources massage practitioners have training in reflexology. Please call any of the above listed reflexologists or any of the massage practitioners listed in this issue to see if they also incorporate reflexology in their practices.
C. Terese Horton has been a practicing reflexologist and member of the International Institute of Reflexology for 12 years.