Reflexology

Reflexology is a gentle complementary therapy in which the practitioner applies controlled pressure with thumbs or fingers to specific areas of the feet (or sometimes the hands).

It is based on the theory that every organ, structure and part of the body is mirrored in the feet and that any problem or tension in the body is reflected in the related part of the foot. There are reflex areas corresponding to all the parts of the body and these areas are arranged in such a way as to form a map of the body in the feet with the right foot corresponding to the right side of the body and the left foot to the left side of the body. Thus, it becomes possible to treat the whole body and the treat the body as a whole. This is an important factor of a natural therapy and allows not only symptoms to be treated but also their causes.

Reflexology is said to have originated in China some 5000 years ago, when pressure therapy where used to correct energy fields in the body. It was not until around 1913 that the therapy was introduced to the west by an American ear, nose and throat consultant, Dr William Fitzgerald.

It is thought that illness occurs when 'energy channels' in the body are blocked, causing damage to one area of another. Massage is aimed at destroying these blocks, allowing energy to flow freely again and so to heal the damage.

Reflexologists do not claim to cure specific illnesses, but to encourage the body's own healing mechanisms to restore and maintain the body's natural equilibrium. Practitioners do not treat conditions - they treat people, and it has proved very beneficial for a wide range of chronic and acute
conditions - especially for all stress-related problems. Many practitioners have reported that clients with problems such as sinusitis, asthma, migraine, depression, ME, muscular and skeletal disorders, menstrual problems, hypertension, bowel disorders etc have benefited from treatment.