Foot reflexology has long been provided as a therapy at local hospitals in Shanghai but it's only now that it's become a stylish pursuit. "As young Shanghainese discover the health benefits of foot reflexology, this ancient traditional Chinese treatment is coming back into vogue in a big way, writes Xu Wei. ..."Image conscious Shanghainese have traditionally focused on hairstyles, while feet have been forgotten. Today, however the benefits of foot therapy are attracting even the most stylish. ..."
"At the spacious room of Shu Ya Ilang Zi Foot Therapy, a professional healthcare chain, customers enjoy a 90-minute, 88 yuan (US$10.60) service which includes soaking the feet in a special bath steeped with 28 kinds of Chinese herbal medicines and a hand and foot massage. It's a therapy that leaves customers in a state of utter relaxation, both physically and mentally...." `Foot therapy is an ideal treatment, advocated by the World Health Organization," says Li Xueren, director of the chain. "`With people's rising awareness of the quality of our lives, we have witnessed a considerable increase in our customers, who are eager to gain the health benefits from the bottom of their feet.... "The majority of its 22,000 permanent customers, according to Li, are white-collar workers who are observed with the pressure of work and eager to find out a an outlet for release."
Senior masseuse Feng Jilai notes that "this method has gained in popularity primarily because it is a "green" and natural treatment, as compared with a cure that would require medication." ("Best Foot Forward," ShanghaiDaily, English.eastday.com)
When completed, the new 4,000-square-meter "reflexology zone" at the National Monument (Monas) Park in Central Jakarta, Indonesia will be the largest in the world or so claims a staffer of the park management. The Jakarta Post reports that the current 2,000-square-meter "wellness belt" meets the interest of "people who are fond of reflexology. Stones are arranged in a certain way and people are encouraged to walk barefoot on them thus stimulating certain nerves to enable smooth functions in bodily organs." Also included are "...information boards with tips on the 36 different kinds of therapy for problems in human body's nerve system."
"`It's good to walk here. Try yourself, you will feel fresher,'" said Ernawati Husin, 47, a resident of Jl. Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta. She came to Monas Park with her neighbors to try the new zone ..."They walked on the reflexology field, dotted with stones which when stepped upon could make the body healthy. ... "The `reflexology" zone is located on the eastern part of the Monas Park, near the Gambir railway station and across from the deer zone. While parents exercise there, children can enjoy watching the deer from the fence'. ("Monas Park to have 'reflexology zone'," The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Indonesia, April 12, 2004) http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20040412.G03)
Years worth of efforts spear-headed by reflexologist Pat Barrance have culminated in an exemption from massage licensing for reflexologists in Iowa - when signed by the governor. Congratulations to Pat and Iowa reflexologists who have worked so diligently.
New Hampshire reflexologists will seek a legislative solution to the recently enforced change in Rules and Regulations by the state's massage board. The change requires massage licensing of reflexologists. A reflexologist was informed that she would receive a cease and desist letter if she continued her reflexology work without massage licensing. Reflexologists will seek an exemption in law from the legislature. Members of the New Hampshire Reflexology Association have chosen the exemption enacted into law in Washington through the efforts of reflexologists in that state. ("Persons who limit their practice to reflexology. For purposes of this chapter, the practice of reflexology is limited to the hands, feet and outer ears. The services provided by those who limit their practice to reflexology are not designated or implied to be massage or massage therapy." (Effective date: 6/13/02))
Literally thousands of reflexologists in the US have been put out of business by government regulation. Initially instituted to combat prostitution, the laws require massage licensing and education but no education in reflexology. Reflexologists have fought back in state legislatures, city council chambers, public hearings by regulatory boards, and meetings with governmental officials. Reflexologists have secured the right to practice in Maine, New Mexico, Texas, Maryland, Tennessee, North Carolina, North Dakota, Illinois, Arizona, Washington state, Washington DC, and Connecticut. It's a state by state battle as massage licensing requirements continue for reflexologists in New York, Florida, Oregon, Hawaii, Arkansas, Alabama, New Hampshire, Louisiana, and Delaware as well as the cities of Los Angeles, Denver and Colorado Springs. (For details, see www.foot-reflexologist.com)
Non-American reflexologists hear such stories in disbelief. "America - home of the free - and you can't practice?" is their standard response. It's all about government regulation that gives an economic windfall to one profession over another with no benefit to the American consumer. State licensed individuals with no training have the legal right to provide services for which others are qualified in 9 states and several major cities.
As Americans debate jobs being shipped overseas, jobs are being hijacked right here in the US. It could be argued that the economic development of reflexology or any business stagnates when over-regulated. Questions are also raised about the potential for growth when an industry's government-mandated practitioners are part-timers in several vaguely-related professions with scant education and interest in developing reflexology.
Reflexology jobs and products abound throughout Asia. See the above article. Certainly the tradition of hands-on work to impact health plays a part in the booming reflexology industry in the Far East. The modern incarnation of reflexology, however, is an American event. Today's interest in the ancient tradition was kindled through the work of Americans William Fitzgerald in the early 1900's and Eunice Ingham beginning in 1938. It is ironic that the growth of reflexology would be hampered in the country that launched the industry.
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