There is a myth about reflexology. That myth is that there is no research in reflexology. It is quite the opposite. There is lots of research on reflexology. But it is not very accessible at the moment.
This page is about researching reflexology and how to do it. There are more resources than you think. If you find one you like or have your own great tip, write us.
The history of reflexology is an odd one. The term "reflexology " is Russian in origin and was originally defined as "behavior according to the reflexes". It would equate as a term with neurology in Western terms.That's why you will find Russian neurophysiology articles in the reflexology lists when doing a search.
To research it with a search engine try Google.com. For your search term put disorder +reflexology. There are no spaces between the plus sign and the term "reflexology". But do put a space between the disorder and the plus sign.
With 6000-8000 hits a day on our website we can't personally research individual disorders. But many answers are on our site. Did you try http://www.reflexology-research.com/medlinesearch.htm ? We also have a search engine at http://www.reflexology-research.com/search.html.
Try the Danish at http://www.fdz.dk/english/Default.htm?
For information on Chinese research try English CRA http://www.chinareflex.com/English%20.htm.
We speculated in 1987 that reflexology acted through the sensory system to effect the internal organs and sensors. This study is an intriguing probe into the effect of reflexology on the baroreceptors of the heart. The baroreceptors are sensors in the walls of the heart that help regulate the pressure.
A to Z list currently udated
A to Z list the sources for these publications are at the top of the list. We are trying to buy more rights. (We won't violate copyright so bear with us. )
A review of this large study. For all the facts and figures we have a reprint at $4.00 (US).
Older list but has Medline and other resources.
Nurses have lead the way in research on reflexology. There are some very interesting studies listed here. Barbara Zeller Dobbs did one with pain and cancer patients. It had a by product of giving the family a way to interact with their terminally ill loved one.There are real insights into the functioning and benefits of reflexology
An abstract of a very interesting study on emotions and the effect of reflexology. We need more of these to see what the interaction reflexology has with our emotional selves.
What if you look at reflexology for it's potential help for society ? Very interesting stuff from the Danish on how business are saving money with reflexology. Also their recent headache study showed a coordinated effort between the government, private funding sources, reflexologists and their clients.
More goodies and how to order their publications.
Imagine a stroll path for your feet designed to work each and every part foot. The Japanese Cosmetic giant Shiseido has done it for the health of their workers.
We tried to compile a list of know titles. Some of these titles are hard to find because they are out of print or self published We did this list by year and country
Anthony Larkin is a good Irishman that keeps an updated list of reflexology books. Very thorough. Has ISBN numbers and other things. Videos.
Most charts are based on reiteration or a mirror image of the body. Zones are used to divide the body into ten segments. A grid like system corresponds each and every body part onto the feet and hands.
Reiterative Charts- Charts that mirror the body's image. These charts are built based on zones to reflect the body in miniature on a body part.
Empirical Charts- charts gathered from personal experience. if someone has worked with specific problems they may have created a chart based on those patterns.
Chinese tradition- Charts based on acupuncture meridians. These charts reflect correspondence with other parts of the body but not in a reiterative pattern.
Artistic Charts- Charts done for artistic effect. May not be accurate. Done for eye appeal. The recent Reebok ad has an artistic chart.
Ancient charts- These are abundant throughout Asia. There are a number of pictographs and symbols whose meaning has been lost. Buddha's footprints are an example of this.
How we do our charts?
There are many theories on how reflexology works. Here are the six most commonly held theories. Our bias is with the proprioceptive theory.
Alternative Health Approaches, Barbara Zeller Dobbs, Nursing Mirror, vol.160 no. 9, Advanced Nursing Conference
Techniques vary from the hard knuckle pressure of the Rwo Shr method to the mediative touch of the Metamorphic technique. Traditional reflexology in the US employed "thumbwalking", "fingerwalking" and "hook and backup" all pressure techniques aimed at breaking up stress patterns. There are a series of movement exercises called desserts which relax the feet in some interesting ways.
For a full description of these techniques for a practitioner see, The Complete Guide to Reflexology (Revised) by Kevin and Barbara Kunz.
To Order CLICK HERE
For a full description describing self help techniques see, "Hand and Foot Reflexology, a Self- help Guide."(To Order CLICK HERE) and Parent's Guide to Reflexology. (To Order CLICK HERE)
Reflexology assesses the feet and hands according to zones and reiterative areas. Stress cues help alert the reflexologists to stress patterns that can occur locally (at the spot), regional and generally throughout the body. Corresponding parts of the body are assessed for their stress response. A picture can be drawn in reflexological terms to describe the stress relationships.
Reflexology is not medical diagnosis. Once a disease is detected reflexology will not replace medical tests. but it can be a useful adjunct and in fact may have value detecting precursors to disease. This, however, needs to be carefully researched.
For a full description of these techniques for a practitioner see, The Complete Guide to Reflexology (Revised) by Kevin and Barbara Kunz.
The profession of reflexology has had a rough time in the US. It has been nearly driven to the brink of distinction by a lack of acceptance by the medical community, massage laws and by persecution of it's followers legally.
Despite that there are still adherents who have pulled together an emerging profession. There are many issues to resolve. But reflexology has served many communities very well.
The ancient history of reflexology extends back into ancient cultures. We postulated in the early eighties that reflexology was an archetype rediscovered over and over again. We went on further to speculate whether reflexology is an archestructure. An archestructure is a physiological component of our nervous system which drives us to certain behavior, like rubbing feet.
Is Reflexology an archetype?
Egypt-Does a pictograph speak volumes on ancient practices?
Asia-Are these pictographs on the feet and hands ancient charts?
Reflexology is not an accepted term in Germany to describe footwork. The proper term is "reflex zone therapy". A German school of thought developed because of Hanna Marraquardt, an author- practitioner. Her book, "Reflex Zone Therapy" is quite good. Oma is a practitioner reflecting the German tradition. She has some very important insights into professionalism. Try her web site.
reflexology.org-non profit with the mission of uniting reflexology through information. Good group. Best list of associations we have seen.Nick Taylor is the Webmaster.
Association of Reflexologists run an extensive educational system which is quite well developed in England. There journal is called Reflexions ( they very politely asked permission from us to use the name). It is quite good. There are case studies and research studies published regularly.
First college of reflexology in
North America. Also maintains extensive list of reflexology
oreganizations with aNorth American slant.
©2003 Kunz and Kunz