Reflexology

Reflexology is a form of complementary medicine and involves a method of treatment using massage to reflex areas found in the feet and the hands. Most commonly, the feet are used as the areas to be treated.

It is said to have originated in China some 5000 years ago, when pressure therapy where used to correct energy fields in the body. It was not until around 1913 that the therapy was introduced to the west by an American ear, nose and throat consultant, Dr William Fitzgerald.

In the feet, there are reflex areas corresponding to all the parts of the body and these areas are arranged in such a way as to form a map of the body in the feet with the right foot corresponding to the right side of the body and the left foot to the left side of the body. Thus, it becomes possible to treat the whole body and the treat the body as a whole. This latter point is an important factor of a natural therapy and allows not only symptoms to be treated but also their causes.

It is thought that illness occurs when 'energy channels' in the body are blocked, causing damage to one area of another. Massage is aimed at destroying these blocks, allowing energy to flow freely again and so to heal the damage.

Reflexology does not claim to be a "cure all", but numerous different disorders seem to be responding well to this natural therapy. These disorders include such things as migraine, sinus problems, hormonal imbalances, breathing difficulties, digestive problems, circulatory problems, back problems, tension and stress.