About Reflexology

Reflexology is a holistic healing method for activating the body’s natural healing abilities.  It aims to treat the person as a whole, the focus being on a person’s overall wellbeing, promoting a state of balance and harmony in body, mind and spirit.  it works by establishing which areas of the body are out of balance, aiming to correct the imbalances with treatment, helping the body to restore to a state of balance and health.

Zone Therapy and Reflexology today

Zone therapy was developed by Dr William Fitzgerald in the early 1900’s.  Ten longitudinal zones run from front to back and from head to toe througout the body.  By manipulating a specific area of the foot, any organs in that zone of the body will feel a positive effect.  This therapy was further developed by Eunice Ingham. She recognised that all the nerves in the body ended on the feet.  She mapped the body’s anatomy onto the feet and developed Reflexology as we know it today.

Reflex areas

Each foot represents half of the body, the left and right foot corresponding to the left and right side of the body. The body’s anatomy is mapped out onto the feet, the areas on these maps are known as reflex areas.  A reflex is the connection between a point on the foot and another area of the body.  When a reflex area is manipulated, the corresponding part of the body is affected.  A stimulus travels from the reflex area to the part of the body, it is not known for certain how this stimulus travels to the part of the body, but think of it as an energy pathway. Blockages in the energy can be caused by lack of sleep, poor diet, stress, lack of exercise, if the energy cannot flow free and is blocked, illness can occur.  By usng reflexology techniques areas of  blocked energy are released encouraging the body back to a state of balance.

(More on the benefits and self help techniques coming soon)