Reflexology

Reflexology deals with the principle that there are reflexes in the feet and hands which correspond to all organs, glands and systems of the body. It is founded on the theory that the body is split into 10 equal zones which dissect the body vertically. These zones are reflected on the feet. All the body parts which lie in a particular zone have a reflex which lies in the corresponding zone on the foot.

Reflexology is a positive, highly successful method of reducing the physical and emotional stresses, strains and anxieties of today’s society. It stimulates the circulation, nervous and glandular systems, helping to restore the natural balance throughout the body and eliminate toxins. It brings balance and harmony to all body systems and calms or stimulates as appropriate, without harmful side effects. Reflexology promotes overall relaxation.

Reflexology is a very ancient art. Early evidence of reflexology is on a frieze in the tomb of Ankhm’ahor, in Egypt, that is thought to illustrate a reflexology treatment. Ankhm’ahor had many titles including ‘Hereditary Prince’ and ‘Court Physician’. This 4500-year-old tomb is also known as the ‘physicians tomb’ and depicts many medical scenes.

The Chinese and Native American Indians are also thought have used reflexology techniques not long after the Egyptians. They used the techniques for both recreational and medical purposes.

In 1582 two European doctors, Adamus and A’titis, wrote a book which detailed the uses of zone therapy. The therapy they developed is very different to the reflexology we use today. The next written text on this theory was written by a Dr Ball from Leipzig in the 19th Century.

Sir Henry Head started to study reflexes in his neurological studies during the 1890s. He discovered that diseased body parts could be identified by other areas of the skin on the body showing sensitivity when pressed. In 1898 he published a paper in which he called his findings “Head’s zones” or “zones of hyperalgesia”. During this time in Germany, a similar theory was being investigated by Dr Alfon Cornelius. He discovered that if the areas that were painful were massaged, the healing process was intensified. He published a paper called “Druckpunkte (pressure points) the origin and significances'”.

An American doctor, William Fitzgerald, visited both Vienna and London at this time. While he was in Vienna, Dr Fitzgerald read the papers on pressure therapy which led him to research these theories further. It was this research that led him to refine the zone theory. Dr Fitzgerald’s theory dissects the body into 10 equal zones. He believed that all the body parts within a given zone were linked by an energy flow which gave them the ability to affect each other. Dr Fitzgerald tested this theory when he performed minor operations. He found that he could anaesthetise the area of the body he wished to operate on by applying pressure to certain other points. He developed his theory into precise notes on the pain relief and curative effects of his zone therapy treatments. With colleague Dr Edwin Bowers, Dr Fitzgerald wrote a book entitled “Zone therapy relieving pain at home”.

This book impressed other medical practitioners in America and they incorporated his theories into their treatments. Dr and Mrs Riley were so impressed with Fitzgerald’s zone therapy that they took it one stage further, by producing detailed diagrams of the reflex points on the feet. In 1919 Dr Riley wrote a book called “Zone therapy simplified”.

Dr Riley had an assistant called Eunice Inhram, who learnt his simplified zone therapy. Eunice altered the therapy in line with her own findings. What developed was the Inham method, which is what modern reflexology is based on. The major insight that Eunice brought to the theory was that she concentrated on the feet, which lead her to develop more accurate diagrams of the reflex points of the feet. These are known as foot maps.

In the 1960s an English woman called Doreen Bayly visited the USA and was taught the “Inham Method” by Eunice Inham. Doreen then brought the technique back to England, where she taught and practised.