What is Reflexology.
Initially we must recognize that Reflexology falls within
the boxed catagory of SCAMs which ironically stands for 'supplements
& complimentary & alternative medicine.
Dr. William Fitzgerald “discovered” that the human body is
divided into 10 longitudinal energy zones that end in the hands and the feet.
By massaging these zones, you could contribute to improving the condition of
a disease and alter bodily functions. These are reminiscent of the
meridians of acupuncture. Fitzgerald named it Zone Therapy, and it went by that name
until the 1960’s, when **Eunice Ingham (1889-1974 known as the Mother of
Reflexology) decided that, since all the energy zones ended in the feet, that
it was the terminus of the energy zones that was the important
aspect of Zone Therapy.
The map that Fitzgerald and Ingham laid out of the body
showed that the body projected onto the feet and hands, and that the areas are
much crowded with reflex points. So by the end of the day the human feet have
carried lots of weight and mileage that it is no wonder they are
tired and need attending to. This is where Reflexology comes in
because
Reflexologists are of the opinion that by manipulating the feet
& hands that correspond to body parts, they can induce
changes in those body parts.
For example touch the liver zone on the foot, alter the liver
in the abdomen.
Others are of the opinion that the manipulation of the
feet and hands alters the 'qi' balance in the patient. However, as the Reflexology Association of
American notes, “no one
definition will work in all situations and yet, because of the multi
dimensional affect of Reflexology, all are true at defining the work
Reflexologist do.”
The purpose of the nerves is to carry messages and instruct the
body. When the nerves improve that instruct the body, the instruction has to
improve, the body has to improve.
Every nerve in the body begins and ends in
the hands and feet. By applying this specialized exercise pressure on the foot
(Reflexology), the outcome is improved instruction to each and every part of
the body, resulting in a re-educating, a re-patterning, and a re-conditioning
of the nerves & instruction through the reflex/neutral electrical system of
the body…also every lymphatic vessel begins and ends in the hands and feet.
 |
| Ancient drawings depict Egyptians worked on their hands and feet instinctively. |
Briefly about Eunice Ingham:
Eunice Ingham was a remarkable woman
and way ahead of her time. Born in South Dakota in 1989, Eunice trained and then
worked as a physiotherapist for Dr Joe Shelby Riley, founder of the Riley
School of Chiropractic.
Dr Riley invited Dr William Fitzgerald, the founder of
Zone Therapy, to lecture at his school in the early 1900’s and it was at this
time that Eunice first became interested in Zone Therapy.
On further
research she went on to develop her own form of foot theory and then reflexology in
the 1930’s.
In her working environment at the
Riley School of Chiropractic, Eunice met and took full advantage of the hundreds
of cases that passed through the doors of the schools clinic.
She had the ideal
opportunity to practice her theories and research and to develop her foot
mapping theory into today’s reflexology.
Eunice was the first person to map the
foot and her reflex points are 100% accurate. This was an amazing feat given that in the
1930’s they did not have the resources that we have now.
Eunice found that the
reflexes on the feet, that she had so meticulously identified, provided an
exact match to the body.
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