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Reflexology

[ree-flek-sol-uh-jee]

Reflexology, or zone therapy, is the practice of massaging, squeezing, or pushing on parts of the feet, or sometimes the hands and ears, with the goal of encouraging a beneficial effect on other parts of the body, or to improve general health.

There is no consensus on how reflexology is supposed to work; a unifying theme is the idea that areas on the foot correspond to areas of the body, and that by manipulating these one can improve health through one's qi.

Concerns have been raised by medical professionals that treating potentially serious illnesses with reflexology, which has no proven efficacy, could delay the seeking of help from proven conventional medicine. There is no clinical or scientific evidence that reflexology has any beneficial effect.

Claimed mechanisms of operation

Reflexologists posit that the body contains an energy field, invisible life force, or Qi, the blockage of which can prevent healing.

Other reflexologists claim to be able to relieve stress and pain in other parts of the body through the manipulation of the feet.

These hypotheses are rejected by the general medical community, citing a lack of scientific evidence and the well-tested germ theory of disease.

History

The precursor of modern reflexology was introduced to the United States in 1913 by William H. Fitzgerald, M.D. (1872-1942), an ear, nose, and throat specialist, and Dr. Edwin Bowers. Fitzgerald claimed that applying pressure had an anesthetic effect on other areas of the body.

Reflexology was further developed in the 1930s and 1940s by Eunice D. Ingham (1899-1974), a nurse and physiotherapist. Ingham claimed that the feet and hands were especially sensitive, and mapped the entire body into "reflexes" on the feet. It was at this time that "zone therapy" was renamed reflexology.

Modern reflexologists in the United States and the United Kingdom often learn Ingham's method first, although there are other more recently developed methods.

Criticism

Common criticisms of reflexology are the lack of central regulation, accreditation and licensing, the lack of medical training provided to reflexologists, and the short duration of training programmes. Diplomas in reflexology can be attained with as little as six months of home study; and the lack of licensing and regulation allows anyone to practice as a reflexologist, with no qualifications. However, in certain European countries, such as Switzerland, require reflexologists to be medical practitioners, due to the required understanding of anatomy and physiology.

Reflexology's claim to manipulate energy (Qi) has been called pseudoscientific, as there is no scientific evidence for the existence of life energy (Qi), 'crystalline structures,' or 'pathways' in the body.According to nearly all reputable scientific studies on the subject, reflxology has no benefit other than a placebo effect.

Reflexology charts

A reflexology chart shows the "reflex zones" worked by reflexologists on the soles of the feet. Similar maps exist for the position of the reflexes on the hands and ears.

In this chart, the color codes represent the following organs or parts of the body:

		Brain		Stomach
		Sinuses		Spleen
		Voice		Liver
		Pituitary gland		Gall Bladder
		Neck and Throat		Adrenal Gland
		Eyes		Pancreas
		Ears		Kidney
		Armpit		Ureter
		Shoulder and Arm		Bladder
		Lung and Breast		Colon
		Heart		Small Intestine
		Thyroid and Bronchial		Coccyx
		Solar Plexus		Sciatic Nerve
		Diaphragm		Peyer's patches
		Appendix

other charts:
http://www.passthetest.com/images/reflexology.gif
http://www.quest4arts.org/productions/tours/hongkong/media/reflexlology.gif
http://www.healthgoods.com/images/Medirub_Hand_Reflexlology.gif
Interactive Reflexology Charts

Reflexology in the Media

An episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (1-02 Alternative Medicine) focused on reflexology. The original airing was February 7, 2003.
The Real Hustle mentioned reflexology as part of a weight loss scam (Season 4 Episode 2).