According to the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals, reflexology is the application of pressure to reflex points on the hands, feet and ears to stimulate the body's own healing processes. Because stimulating these reflex points affects the organs and other areas of the body, reflexology can benefit the entire body. Beryl Crane, founder of the Crane School of Reflexology and author of "Reflexology: A Definitive Practitioner's Manual," explains that reflex point stimulation helps normalize or balance the body. Thus, it helps the body to heal itself by engaging the body's own healing potential.
Stress Relief
According to Beryl Crane, stress can affect the body in many ways including increased blood pressure, decreased sleep, nausea, headaches, eczema, heart attacks, physical pain, irritability, diarrhea and constipation. Crane explains that reflexology can help ease the symptoms of stress by inducing relaxation, increasing energy and stimulating the body's ability to balance itself. A study conducted by Peta Trousdell and Andrea Uphoff-Chmielnik in 1997, found reflexology, when used in conjunction with counseling, can improve overall mood and increase relaxation.
Pain Reduction
Stimulation of reflexes that relate to pain sites can help relieve pain in the body. Additionally, if pain is caused by stress, the relaxation effect of reflexology can assist with pain reduction. Reflexology can reduce a variety of types of pain including post-operative pain, back pain, muscular pain and arthritis pain. In a study conducted at the All India Institute of Medicine between 2002 and 2004, reflexology was found to reduce pain after an operation and to decrease the need for pain medication.
Decrease Symptoms of Illness and Disease
Reflexology can reduce symptoms and increase the rate of recovery from many illnesses and diseases. One study conducted in 2003 by Sirawal Haera, found reflexology to reduce arthritis pain and the need for pain medications. Beryl Crane states that reflexology can ease the symptoms of several diseases including giving children relief from asthma, women relief from gynecological disorders, men from prostate pain and the elderly relief of arthritis discomfort, inflammation and swelling.
References
- Massage Therapy: Reflexology
- "Reflexology: The Definitive Practitioner's Manual"; Beryl Crane; 1997
- Internet Health Library: User Perception of the Effects of Reflexology and Counselling
- "Effect of Reflexology on Joint Pain in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients"; Sirawal Haera; Mahidol University; 2003
- "Reflexology Reduces the Requirement and Quantity of Pain Killers after General Surgery"; Shweta Choudhary PhD, Dr. Guresh Kumar, and Dr. Kulwant Singh; All India Institute of Medical Science; New Delhi, India; 2004
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