Reflexology is the art of massage and an ancient alternative medicine therapy, came out of China and Egypt. Foot reflexology or foot massage is among the most popular alternative therapies and is practiced in many parts of the world. Reflexology is based on the concept that stimulating specific points on the feet, hands or ears can improve the functioning of corresponding organs, glands and other areas of the body. In this poster, you can see the corresponding areas of the body of each section of the feet:
Reflexology has many health benefits from improving headaches to reducing anxiety. A new large scale study in the Michigan State University shows that foot reflexology is beneficial in reducing symptoms in cancer patients. In this study, the researchers examined the effects of reflexology in women with breast cancer who undergo chemotherapy and indicated that those in the reflexology group experienced significantly less shortness of breath, a common symptom in breast cancer patients.
If you’re interested to learn more on how to practice foot reflexology, watch this video for the instructions.
Anne Brashier, the therapist in the video is a licensed massage therapist with the American Massage Therapy Association.
References:
Mei You, David Victorson, Mohammad Hossein Rahbar, Alla Sikorskii, Gwen Wyatt. Health-Related Quality-of-Life Outcomes: A Reflexology Trial With Patients With Advanced-Stage Breast Cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum, 2012; 39 (6): 568 DOI: 10.1188/12.ONF.568-577
Stephenson NL, Weinrich SP, Tavakoli AS. The effects of foot reflexology on anxiety and pain in patients with breast and lung cancer. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2000 Jan-Feb;27(1):67-72. PubMed PMID: 10660924.
