What is reflexology?
The foot reflexology is a pseudoscientific alternative medicine that assumes that all organs and body parts communicate with places on the feet. Reflexology shares the sole in - some even there join hands and ears to it - in areas that correspond to parts of the body such as the heart and liver, stating that the massage of these zones restores unobstructed flow of energy throughout the body and / or maintain and that can be felt on the foot with which corresponding organ there is something wrong. Reflexology believes that energy flow is the basis of our health and illness would result from energy blockages. However, this is contrary to modern medicine (pathology and physiology), which combines disease demonstrable disease causes such as viral and bacterial infections, or to factors of a genetic character.
History of reflexology
William Fitzgerald, an American ear, nose and throat, broke in his book called "Zone Therapy" in 1917 the body into 10 vertical zones. He argued that pressure exerted at a certain spot in the body had a numbing effect on other places in the same area.
Fitzgerald's theories were elaborated by Joe Shelby Riley. He divided the body into four horizontal zones and began capturing specific points on the hands and feet that might be related to specific parts of the body.
Eunice Ingham, a nurse and physiotherapist, eventually was the one who brought all the points chart. She wrote two books on the subject. She is the one who gave her name therapy. It's called a "reflex" as a treatment of a point in response to another place in the body: a reflex. Doreen Bayley and Hanne Marquardt studied by Eunice Ingham. They brought the therapy to England and Germany respectively in 1966 and 1970.
In the year 1961 expressed the association of physiotherapists objections to the use of the term therapy "zone therapy" and from that time the word was used reflexology.
In the Netherlands it was partly taught in training as a beautician by Adry Hermans. She developed ear reflexology massage therapy.
Assumptions
According to reflexology, the energy flowing in the human body in lanes. This energy jobs, we could affect about 800 points in our body. Also, the acupuncture uses these points, but works in contrast to reflexology with needles which are inserted on the reflex points in the skin. The easiest place to influence his hands and feet.
Reflexology is believed that the body is divided into ten zones, which zones are mapped on the feet. Each foot has five such zones. In addition, the body is also projected vertically on the base - the head is at the toes and feet at the heel. Each zone has its own characteristics. By subsequently on certain places to exert pressure, there would be at a different location in the body a certain organ or to a particular node to be stimulated. On the hands and feet, according to the reflexology points all together connected to the organs and glands.
Science on foot reflexology
The assertion that all organs and body parts communicate with sites on the feet, finds no support in modern anatomy and physiology. The "Handbook Other Medicine" (2001) Consommateurs (Belgium) concludes: "There is no proof that certain zones of the foot correspond to organs There is no evidence that there would be an accumulation of metabolic waste as.. diagnostic method, this method is not recommended. If relaxing massage it is worth recommending. "
Voetreflexologen have received this targeted training and usually no doctor. They may therefore not be diagnosed and are considered customers with medical complaints refer you to a doctor.
On 27 January 2009, the Natural Standard in collaboration with the Harvard Medical School published a study into the effectiveness of reflexology. The conclusion was that reflexology while not harmful, but there are also very little evidence for any effectiveness.