About Reflexology And How It Works:
Also known as zone therapy, reflexology is an alternative treatment by applying hands, fingers, and thumbs to different areas of the foot. In theory, different areas of the foot are associated with different areas of the body. If your foot has been experiencing pain, a therapist, or reflexologist, can apply pressure to areas of your foot and detect whether something is going on somewhere within your body. That said, a reflexologist cannot diagnose or cure physical health issues but provides a therapy that helps to bring about balance and alleviate discomfort.
What I’ve Learned From Reflexology:
A few years ago, I was getting a message and when my therapist moved to my feet and started working on my arches, I suddenly experienced unbelievable pain! My therapist was also a trained reflexologist who strongly believed something definitely was going on in the middle of my foot.
This wasn’t the first time I had experienced pain in my arches but figured it was caused by jogging or other physical activities involving my feet. As I am an avid golfer, I brushed off the pain to a great deal of walking and standing for hours on end. In general, the pain in my foot was mostly around the middle of my foot and the arch.
A few years later, I decided to look into reflexology and met with a trained reflexologist. Before beginning the session, I was told that she will be able to feel issues going on by messaging my foot but not exactly what is causing it. She made it very clear that she is not a doctor so she cannot diagnose what certain problems might be.
After applying her fingers and hands to the arch areas of my feet, she told me that there were definite signs of digestive issues. I was also told that she detected some knotting taking place in my left shoulder but could not say what was causing the problem. This was actually quite startling as I did not mention that I have experienced a feeling of crunchiness in my left shoulder but just blew it off as a little stiffness.
Further medical research showed I had an accumulation of lactic acids. These deposits are believed to be caused by nervous tissues which can be related to impaired organs that are not working properly.
My therapist/reflexologist has many clients who suffer from various issues including sleepiness, stress, depression, digestive issues, insomnia, anxiety, and many other symptoms. She told me that my feet are like road maps of the body. How each individual reacts to reflexology all depends on their own body so the response can vary a great deal.
Reflexology can alleviate symptoms but is not a cure-all. It cannot diagnose or cure health issues and actually is not an alternative to medical treatments but it is a helpful therapy for relief from discomforts.
As of late, further research is underway to learn more about reflexology but there are very few results at this time. Various research has led to different theories to explain how things move around in our body while standing, walking, running, etc. There is proof that the reflex zones in your hands and feet can stimulate your body’s organs and all three are connected through your nervous system.
More About My Therapist:
Originally, she wanted to work with her husband who is a psychiatrist to understand mental health disorders. Through research, she came across reflexology and decided to study this therapy in depth. She has since discovered the benefits clients have received from foot messages, especially when concentrating on the soles of their feet. Like any other message, reflexologists will focus on areas where they feel a blockage.
One thing I walked away with is how really nice reflexology feels! You feel much more relaxed, are calmer and feel lighter. I was told to drink as much water as I could within the next 12 hours after my treatment. Water will flush out built-up toxins that my therapists had worked out of my feet. Also, in many cases, after a message, you might feel dehydrated which is another reason to amp up your water intake.
More about reflexology and detox foot patches here.
