Reflexology
Complementary therapies are not new - most of them have their origins in ancient traditions and sometimes even ancient civilisations. For many years, western medicine has been biased towards allopathic cures - the type of medicine that you would get on prescription from a GP or over the counter from a pharmacist.
In recent decades though, there has been a noticeable shift towards treating ailments naturally, without troubling the doctor or taking drugs to deal with minor illnesses. Complementary medicine has become more mainstream, and not just for 'new age' types. Some of the most accessible therapies are reflexology, aromatherapy and acupuncture.
Reflexology
There's no need to worry if you have ticklish feet, reflexology is not in the least bit ticklish, and in fact some people find it a very powerful remedy for many complaints, especially anything related to your hormones.
The underlying theory behind reflexology is that there are points on the feet and hands that correspond to different organs, glands, and other parts of the body. For example, anything relating to your heart and chest has a corresponding point on the ball of your foot, and a specific spot in the arch of the foot corresponds to your bladder.
Therapists help to remove blockages in the body's energy pathways by putting pressure on the points on your feet that relate to the areas where you may be experiencing symptoms. You'll usually be asked a series of questions about your background, health history, habits and lifestyle, then the therapist will clean your feet and start to apply a gentle pressure to specific points in your foot.
Sometimes you might feel a little discomfort as the therapist works on certain areas - that signifies that there is a blockage in that area, and usually corresponds to any particular problems that you might be having at the time.
In Denmark, it has been reported that regular reflexology treatments reduced absenteeism and sick leave in employees1 - especially when they visited the reflexologist asking for stress relief.
Reflexology is non invasive, and although it doesn't claim to cure diseases, it can have a high success rate in managing symptoms.
References
- Company Reflexology "A Closeup View on Company Reflexology." 1995. Danish Reflexologists Association Research Committee Report, February. Eriksen, L., and Levin, S.
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