What is Reflexology?

Reflexology s an ancient and relaxing therapy that is believed to improve circulation and help normalize bodily functions. It is a holistic therapy which addresses the whole body rather than isolated symptoms.

• Reflexology is a system of healing by structured foot massage which is suitable for most disorders and diseases.
• The health of the human body is affected by many influences ranging from the obvious, such as the quality of the food we eat, and the air that we breathe, to the less obvious, such as the subtle energy systems that exist in each person.
• These energies flow along pathways which may mirror better known pathways such as nerves and blood vessels but also have additional subsystems.
• In all cases these energies connect and give vitality to all the working parts of the body, and each energy pathway has a start/end point in the feet.
• Reflexology aims to restore a balanced flow of energy to all parts of the body by gentle massage of the reflex or energy points on the feet, thus restoring health and vitality.
• Some acute conditions may be relieved very quickly and simply, but others may need several treatments before healing will be noticed.
• Some people seek treatment for a particular condition and others with no specific ailment just enjoy the toning and relaxing experience of a treatment.
• Reflexology aims to complement other treatments, and in no way claims to replace orthodox medical care which, in some cases will be more appropriate.

What it can do

Reflexology DOES:
Relax, revitalise, de-toxify, tone, balance vitality and triggers a healthy response which allows the patient to change and get better.

Reflexology DOES NOT:
Diagnose an illness, or claim to cure an illness.

A brief history of Reflexology

Although Reflexology has only recently been rediscovered in the West, it has been used in other cultures for many thousands of years. There is evidence for foot massage as therapy in China and India amongst other places, while the first pictorial evidence of Reflexology dates from approximately 2500BC. It was found in the Tomb of the Physician, and the inscription translates as “Please don’t hurt me”, and the practitioner replies “I shall act so you praise me.”

Reflexology was rediscovered in the West by Dr William Fitzgerald in the United States who developed the concept of Zone Therapy. He taught this technique to Dr Joseph Shelby-Riley and his wife Elizabeth who used this method in their practise for many years.

Riley’s assistant, Eunice Ingham (1879 – 1974) advanced Reflexology dramatically when she separated the reflexes on the feet from Zone therapy in general. She felt that the feet should be special targets for therapy because of their highly sensitive nature, and she eventually evolved on the feet themselves a “map” of the entire body. Her contribution is acknowledged to be so great that she is known as the mother of Reflexology, and is credited with being the founder of foot Reflexology.