Reflexology Foot Massage: Healing with a Feeling
A pressure technique that is usually applied to the feet, hands, or ears. The points correspond to working on or improving the functions of glands, organs and systems of your body.
Written by
Reviewed by
Dr. Arvind Lokare, Dr. Krishnan Narayana Pisharody, Dr. Rudresh
Integrative Physician · Spine & Pain
Reflexology Foot Massage: Healing with a Feeling
- Specialties & Therapies
- 3 mins
- February 28, 2023
- NCCIH
- Naturopathy, Treatment on the Body
Reviewed By: Dr. Ravneet Grewal, CAPT
Reflexology is a therapeutic practice that involves applying varying degrees of pressure to specific points on the feet, hands, and ears. Originating over 4,000 years ago in China, it’s a gentle and non-invasive complementary therapy( reflexology foot massage ) believed to be connected to certain organs and body systems.
Practitioners, known as reflexologists, aim to promote relaxation, rejuvenation, and overall well-being by stimulating these reflex areas.
Time and again, stress or pain is experienced mostly by one and all, right from the moment of waking up to the time of hitting the bed. This could be due to various reasons such as depression, anxiety, wayward lifestyle, ailment, or an injury. This ever-increasing pain or stress adversely affects our performance at work, which in turn also impacts our home life making us increasingly tired physically and mentally. The age-old quote that ‘Health is Wealth’ is an important aspect to be worked upon with the fast-paced lifestyle led by us all. One way to relax, de-stress, detox, and strengthen our immune system under such stressed circumstances is through the healing art of Reflexology.
Reflexology is a type of massage that involves applying different amounts of pressure to the feet, hands, and ears. It is based on the theory that these body parts are connected to certain organs and body systems. People who practice this technique are called reflexologists. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), reflexology is a type of massage therapy that concentrates on pressure points on the hands and feet, intending to help ease a variety of health conditions, including pain, sleep disorders, and anxiety.
It is an ‘ancient refined science’ developed in China more than 4000 years ago and practiced across the world as a gentle, non-invasive complementary therapy that works on the reflex areas of the feet, hands, and spine to help people to Relax, Rejuvenate, Refresh and Re-energize.
Principles of Reflexology
Several clinical studies have revealed the incredible benefits of a power nap of 15 to 20 minutes or more in restoring alertness, performance, and learning ability of a person under stress. Similar to a power nap, a reflexology therapy session lasts anywhere between 15 minutes to 1 hour where you receive the therapeutic touch of a trained reflexologist, who practically uses the healing power of his hands to put the receiver to sleep, in an enlightened state of surrender.
Due to the many advantages of reflexology foot massage, such as it being a clothes-on therapy where you may need to remove only your socks and shoes, and can spring back to work all charged up after the therapy session, it can be the best solution for reducing stress at the workplace.
Reflexology foot massage can help reduce the build-up of lactic acid in the muscles by up to 4x faster, thereby improving blood circulation and building a stronger immune system. This could make reflexology the new go-to treatment for the corporation to help provide the muscle pain relief felt from the stress of being physically still and mentally super-alert.
While most people think that reflexology is just another word for reflexology foot massage, it is much more than that. What exactly is reflexology and what does it do?
Beyond the feel-good effects of the treatment, the practice and purpose go deeper than the skin and muscles by taking specific reflex points on the foot to induce a healing response in corresponding organs and areas of the body, as seen in the chart. Kneading the soft fleshy ball of the foot, pulling on the toes, tracing around the heel, and pushing deep into the arch are just a few of the many small, intense movements one will experience during a reflexology treatment.
