What is Reflexology?

Reflexology provides balance, energy, stress relief and more

Reflexology provides a holistic approach to treating your whole body by assessing the “map” of your feet and applying pressure. This acts as a reflex action to your organs, muscles or glands.

Your feet consist of 7,000 nerve endings. When pressure points are applied, the neural pathways are stimulated and travel up and down the whole body. In this way, Reflexology provides balance, energy, increased circulation, stress relief and more.

Reflexologists are trained to notice stagnation in the feet by observing indications of problem areas within the body:

• Colour
• Temperature
• Foot structure
• Dryness
• Stiffness
• Numbness
• Sensitivities
• Accumulation of “crystals” that indicate problem areas

Who can receive Reflexology treatment?

Virtually anyone can receive a Reflexology treatment, from babies to seniors to expectant mothers. Pre-and post-surgery clients find it beneficial. Competitive athletes, business executives and anyone stressed can benefit from a treatment that calms and rejuvenates the mind, body and soul.

Also, some people may feel more comfortable with Reflexology because they are fully clothed, and only your feet, hands and ears are treated. Other full body treatments, such as massage therapy, may require that all clothes be removed.

What type of Reflexology techniques are used during treatment?

Reflexology techniques include light pressure applications such as thumb and finger walking; pin-pointing and rotation; push and pull movements to stimulate either the foot or hand reflexes and dissolve any toxins in the nerve endings to open up energy pathways within the body; and a relaxing foot massage at the end of the session. Each treatment is 60 minutes long.

Every area of the foot and or hand, is treated vertically, horizontally and diagonally from the medial edge to the lateral edge, and vice versa, to achieve balance within the body. Also, tender foot and or hand areas are assessed relating to current health issues, old injuries, indigestion, or upcoming problems building up in the body that are not even currently considered a symptom.

Brief history of Hand and Foot Reflexology

As far back as 2,500 B.C, a papyrus paper was found, illustrating medical practitioners treating their patients’ hands and feet.

In 1917, Dr. William Fitzgerald, an American physician, discovered “Zone Therapy”, consisting of ten different zones in the body, from the head to the hands and feet. When he used his hands to apply pressure to his patient’s fingers, he discovered that he could relieve pain in other areas of the body in the same zone.

From 1930 to 1974, an American therapist, Eunice Ingham, discovered that applying pressure to the foot demonstrated a more effective response than to the hands. As a result, in 1973, the International Institute of Reflexology was founded, educating the public that energy can move through neural pathways, or “zones”, in the body.  It was confirmed that if energy flows naturally throughout the body, we can bring homeostasis or balance to our organ systems. However, when energy pathways are blocked by stress or congestion, disease occurs.