Reflexology is a healing method that uses touch to trigger a patient's own improvement in health. While the basis of reflexology largely does not reflect the understandings of western scientific medicine, it is often used in the west as a complementary therapy for treating a range of conditions and illnesses. If you have a breathing complaint and are interested in exploring reflexology, consult with your doctor about potential benefits and ask for a referral to a qualified practitioner in your area.
Reflexology: An Introduction
A reflexology practitioner uses the hands and fingers to put pressure on specific points or zones of the patient's body, typically on the feet and the hands. According to the tenets of reflexology, these parts of the body correspond to particular organs and other body systems. Generally, organs on the left of the body correspond to the left hand and left foot, and vice-versa on the other side. Though reflexology has parallels with traditional Chinese medicine and even Egyptian healing systems dating back to 2330 B.C., modern reflexology is largely based on the work of William H. Fitzgerald, an American medical doctor who discovered reflex zones in the early 20th century.
Reflex Zones and Breathing
The particular reflex zones your practitioner stimulates depend on the precise nature of your ailment. In general, breathing complaints that relate to dysfunction in the lungs will require attention to the lung reflex zones. On the hands, the reflex zones corresponding to lungs are located along the upper part of the backs of the hands. A broad arc delineates the bottom border of the zone, with the upper edge roughly tracing the knuckles. On the feet, the lung zone is in a similar place, along the upper edge of the instep, just below the toes, and along the ball of the foot. Both on the hands and feet, the same zone that corresponds to the lungs is also the reflex zone for the breast and chest. On the hands, it also corresponds to the upper back.
Scientific Evidence of Effectiveness
While scientific research on reflexology treatment is limited, some connections have been demonstrated between reflexology and breathing. According to the University of Minnesota, reflexology's benefits on breathing were demonstrated in a controlled study in 2000 in which significant improvement was attributed to the placebo effect, but even higher levels of success were reported among subjects who received reflexology treatments. According to the University of Minnesota, further studies in 2000 and 2002 found that reflexology treatment offered pain relief and an improved quality of life among cancer patients, including those with lung cancer.
Reason for Contention
While some scientific studies indicate the effectiveness of reflexology in alleviating symptoms, relieving pain or even healing disease, in other trials, reflexology techniques have shown insubstantial results. In a 2001 study of reflexology's effects on asthma, published in the journal "Respiratory Medicine," some patients received simulated reflexology, a randomized touching technique used to measure the placebo effect. Another control group received no treatment, and a third group received actual reflexology treatments. The lung function of the asthma patients did not change in any of the groups; however, some placebo effect was evident in the subjective reports of the test subjects.
