Reflexology - Road Map to The Rest of The Body

from hands and feet

Unlike other types of massage— Swedish, Shiatsu—that are widely accepted as having therapeutic value, reflexology is a relatively unknown and misunderstood technique. Put simply, reflexology is a foot massage that can relax and rejuvenate the entire body. But even Elizabeth Willoughby, founder and director of Manhattan's Universal Reflexology Systems, agrees that "the idea lends itself to skepticism because there's no proven scientific evidence to explain how it works."

The results, based on client-practitioner experience, are strictly anecdotal. However, those anecdotal reports are pretty convincing, and I'll lend my voice to the throng singing reflexology's praises.

Like acupressure, reflexology is based on the idea that specific points in the body can be stimulated to relieve stress. But while acupressure points are located throughout the entire body (for instance, if you squeeze your inner eyebrows between thumb and forefinger, it can help relieve a tension headache), the reflexology pressure points are restricted primarily to the soles of your feet. The curves in the foot are viewed as a mirror of the curves in the spine.

Particular points on your feet correspond to different parts of the body—vital organs, muscular and skeletal structures, the glandular system—and they're connected by "a kind of nervous system which is accessed through the circulatory system," according to Willoughby. Tenderness in any particular spot on the foot, she says, may indicate "an energy imbalance in the corresponding part of the body."

According to practitioners, by massaging these points in the feet, you not only relieve tension throughout the body by stimulating an energy flow that the Chinese call chi but you also rid the body of toxins. The massage technique is similar to that used in acupressure, but the pressure is lighter.

The feet are the most abused part of the body. But a little therapeutic touch can go a long way. "If you use a favorite lotion or oil and give yourself a 30-second massage on each foot every night before going to bed," says Willoughby, "it will not only soften the skin, it can relax the entire body for sleep."

If you feel more ambitious, try massaging specific trigger points, using the diagram above.