What is Reflexology
Author: Laurie Palafox/Aesthetician and Reflexologist/One Wellness
Through the feet, we can be in touch with our physical and our metaphysical being. Our feet are our passage on earth, our grounding and balancing point our instigators of movement. An imbalance here throws the whole of the rest of our being off balance. When times are tough the areas of vulnerability become harder and thicker to protect or conceal true emotions.
Reflexology stimulates more than 7,000 nerves in the feet, during the treatment reflex points are worked on which can encourage the opening and clearing of neural pathways, helping the body to return to its natural rhythms.
Frequently asked questions:
What are the benefits of reflexology?
- Relieves stress
- Encourages body to heal
- Strengthens immunity
- Improves circulation and Detoxifying
- Post-operative recovery as it decreasing pain and increasing healing.
- Balances body and mind
- How do we know were needs help?
Crystalline deposits are formed in areas of imbalance or blockages. These are made up of uric acid and calcium and build up in the nerve endings on the feet. They feel like small lumps under the surface similar to a tight “knotted” muscle in a massage.
Sometimes the color and texture of the skin can show signs of imbalance.
What to expect in a treatment?
This treatment is focusing on the feet with massage, a sweep through all systems in the body to determine areas of concern/blockages. Then these blockages are concentrated to help clear these areas.
Recommend 1 treatment per week for 4 weeks then 1 every 4-6 weeks to maintain balance and well-being.
Where does reflexology come from?
Practices resembling reflexology have been developed in America, Africa, and the Far East. The oldest documentation depicting the practice of reflexology was discovered in a tomb of an Egyptian physician called Ankmanhor dated 2500 BC.
Reflexology was introduced to the United States in 1913 by William H Fitzgerald, M.D an ear, nose and throat specialist, and Dr. Edwin Bowers. Fitzgerald, they claimed that applying pressure had an anesthetic effect on other areas of the body.
Reflexology was modified in the 1930s and 1940s by Eunice D. Ingham a nurse and physiotherapist.
Ingham believed the feet and hands were exceptionally sensitive. She developed a map of the entire body on the feet. She developed a method of using thumbs and fingers ‘thumb –walking’ this is the method I use.