The Placebo Theory Of Reflexology

Reflexology is an alternative treatment that rests on the applying pressure of specific areas on the feet, hands and ears. All these pressure points are believed to correlate with internal body functions and organs. Applying pressure on these pressure points encourages proper energy flow throughout the body and facilitates self-healing.

Both may be useful in controlling depression in adults. Reflexology is the application of pressure to the feet to simulate pressure sensors triggering relaxation response throughout the body (Pitman & Mackenzie, 2002). CST aids in the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid with the assistance of massage therapy (Upledger, 2001). Both types of therapy restores homeostasis in the body.

These complementary therapies would benefit the individual with the disorder they have. Although, these complementary therapies may not be able to cure the individuals cancer but it would be able to support the individual with the treatments they may have. The role of the complementary therapy reflexology would be to massage the individuals feet which would make them feel at ease and although they might be unaware of the different areas of their body being affected, through the reflexology they will be able to identify any areas that might have been affected due to the disorder. For example, if an individual describes that they might feel a sharp feeling this would suggest that the individual’s body might be out of balance.

There have been many studies conducted into what kind of effect reflexology can have on various conditions.

From the earliest of times, massage, which is the manipulation of body tissues for a therapeutic purpose, has been used by stroking or rubbing parts of our body that are experiencing pain.

Ancient China has a history of foot therapy; in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the feet have held symbolical importance for both spiritual and physical well-being for many centuries in the Orient.

The monosynaptic patellar stretch reflex is used widely in research and clinical practice to characterize and appraise the functioning of the neuromuscular system4. This particular reflex is most commonly elicited with a patellar tendon tap with a hammer4. The patellar tendon sits distal to the to the patella and articulates with the tibia on the lower leg4. The presence of this reflex is generally assessed in a clinically rather then its absolute magnitude4. Observing and assessing reflexes in most individuals can identify nervous system lesions, abnormalities and pathologies5.

According to the book, some of the terms and concepts that was portrayed in the massage therapy technique were shiatsu and Swedish massage. Shiatsu is a type of massage that uses pressure to release blocked energy and help with relaxation on certain points on your body. This can help with areas in our body that are sore or distressed. Furthermore, Swedish massage was another concept that was mentioned in the book. Swedish massage is a very common and well-known massage for Western cultures. It uses a lot of hand motions like kneading, stroking, and karate type chops. Swedish massage helps our body by relieving tensions for muscle tissues. Some of the Swedish massage steps that was mentioned were effleurage, petrissage, friction, kneading, tapotement, and vibration. These are different hand movements that you could do to help relieve the tensions in your muscle tissues. For instance, tapotement is a similar form of karate chops that is going to help alleviate hard muscle tensions. Self-massage was also mentioned during the technique and in the book too. Some of the self-massages that we could do on our own body are head, face, neck, shoulders, hands, legs, and feet massage. For

Reflexes are automatic and subconscious response to a stimulus. A reflex arc, the neural pathway that a nerve impulse follows, orchestrates the operation of reflexes. The following are parts of the reflex arc:

the basis for the way that Reiki works, which is examined in the following sections.

Reflexes protect us from danger, a reflex is a reaction from a muscle that happens instantly in response to stimulation.Without studying reflexes we won't know if a human begin nervous system development and function is working properly.Reflexes allow us to understand the body and how it's work, also it allows us to figure out clues that our spinal cord, nerve root could be damaged or our sense of feeling is off.One clinical application is the testing of these reflexes one is called Babinski which id the stroking of infants foot on the lateral side.Another one is cremasteric reflex which is the stroking of skin if the upper thigh.Ankle jerk reflex is also one which the tap to calcaneal tendon to see the reaction from tibia nerve.One simple

There are a lot of folk tales tales on how foot binding was started but the one I am going to tell you about is from the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Li Ku, saw his consort( a companion, in a particular spouse of a reign monarch.) dancing on a golden pedestal. He called her the “Golden Lotus” because of her feet. Her feet were wrapped with strips of cloth, the way ballerinas wear their shoes. The other women in the club saw the way the Emperor looked at the Consort and grew very jealous. Those women began wrapping there feet like the Golden lotus and the trend later grew to the upper class women. Then throughout the years lower class women stared binding their feet, making it a new fashion statement.

was instrumental in writing the first book on Reflexology, and opened a teaching school dedicated to

There are many theories as to the effectiveness of reflexology. According to their theory, toxins create congestion in the bloodstream. The congestion prohibits the cleansing of the blood and causes deposits of waste to form. These deposits build up and settle at the lowest point of blood flow, the feet. Over time, the waste products build and harden, taking away all energy from the liquid flow of the circulatory system. One other system in the body, the nervous system, gives energy. As the build-up increases in the feet, it puts pressure on the thousands of nerve endings that collect in the feet. This causes poorer communication throughout the body (http://lagunabeachca.com/reflexol.htm) Breaking up calcified deposits that have settled in the feet and hands, increases blood flow. Increased circulation allows the blood to

There are two groups of reflexes in the human body, with two ways to categorize each of them. Reflexes can either be inborn and connected through the nervous system, or they can be learned through practice. Another way to explain a reflexive category would be autonomic reflexes or somatic reflexes. Autonomic reflexes are those which are unaware to us and act on visceral organs of the body, whereas somatic reflexes involve skeletal muscle stimulation. Both types of reflexes are put into effect via the nervous system. (1)