Reflexology is based on a scientific practice with the principle that there are maps and pathways that run the entire length of the body and begin at the feet, hands and ears. There are over 7,000 nerve endings on the foot where pressure is applied to specific points which help to stimulate or reactivate the nerves, improving circulation, reducing stress causing chemicals, and creating balance within the whole body and mind.  See the list below of the areas Reflexology restores wholeness.

Reflexology is an ancient healing art and a holistic healing technique that aims to treat the body, mind, and spirit. Reflexology is an integrative health science that does not isolate a disease and treat its symptoms. It tries to get to the root of the disease.  This gentle therapy encourages the body to heal itself at its own pace, often counteracting a lifetime of misuse.

• How Does Reflexology Work?

Breaks up coagulated pain molecules at the ends of the nerves;

Prevents blood stagnation and stipulates the normal flow of blood in the veins;

Realigns the bones of the foot and corrects imbalances through stimulation of the reflexes, enabling natural movement to reoccur.

The art of reflexology is not the same as a foot massage or massage therapy. Rather than simply rubbing randomly, reflexology treats the feet as a microcosm of the entire body.  It is based on the theory that there are zones and reflex areas in the feet and hands, which correspond to all glands, organs, and systems of the body.  By applying pressure using thumb, finger, and hand techniques to these reflex areas, you can relax and rejuvenate every part of the body, reduce stress, and promote physiological changes to improve your overall well-being.  Reflexology can naturally conquer many health problems, and also serves as a form of preventative maintenance.  It is a safe, easy, and beneficial method of treatment that can help you take responsibility for and become more intimately involved with your own health.  What’s more, it heightens your own body awareness.

• The Goal of Reflexology

The goal of Reflexology is to re-educate, re-pattern and recondition nerves so that the body can heal itself by using that self-correcting system.  It is safe, non-invasive, complementary health practice that facilitates on-going physical, emotional, and spiritual improvement.

• The Oragin of Reflexology

The earliest representation considered by many to be an example of reflexology was found within a hieroglyph dating back 5000 years, on the tomb of an Egyptian physician who was second to the king.  There is a great deal of additional evidence of the ancient cultures of India, China and Japan doing foot therapies which may have been similar to modern reflexology.

         Modern reflexology was first developed in the early 1900s by Dr. William Fitzgerald who used clamps to numb patients before they went into surgery.  Dr. Fitzgerald developed the “Vertical Zone Theory” and published is findings in 1917.  Subsequently, Dr. Joe Shelby Riley originated the “Horizontal Zone Theory” in 1924.  And in the 1930s Eunice Ingham took these two theories and combined them to form a map on the feet, representing an exact reflection of each person’s body.