Feet and hands tell everything about us and our health – how our kidneys and liver work, what our hormonal status and temperament are.
Reflexology is an ancient skill based on the massage of reflex points on the feet and hands, which are connected to certain organs, all with the aim of improving their functions.
Chinese doctors made precise maps of the reflex zones on the feet and hands 5,000 years ago, when this skill was applied. Reflexology is most present in Eastern cultures, it is popular in Europe and America, and since 2007 it has been recognized in our country as a traditional method of treatment.
In Japan, there is a lunch break and a reflexology break because the Japanese believe that foot massage provides the body with additional strength for a hard working day – reveals Aleksandra Maksimović, a senior physiotherapist and reflexologist.
She says that in the Netherlands, reflexology treats serious diseases such as multiple sclerosis. This requires a lot of persistence, patience and perseverance, because sometimes you have to wait a year for the first results, and the treatment is done once a week.
A map of our entire organism is presented in detail on the feet and hands, with the left foot corresponding to the left side, and the right to the right side of the body.
More precise than a stethoscope
By massaging the reflex points on the feet, the therapist can detect an imbalance in some parts of the body and stimulate them with certain massage techniques, using the thumb and toes, before this imbalance manifests as a symptom of the disease. When all imbalances are unblocked, the resumption of life energy is allowed, and the organism returns to balance.
The first reflexology treatment is also diagnostic because the pain at a certain point of the foot shows us which organ is suffering, whether it is an acute or chronic phase of the disease… If the pain is sharp and penetrating, it is an acute problem, while dull pain usually indicates chronic a problem that has weakened a particular organ energetically.
With the help of reflexology, we can easily establish that, for example, impaired kidney function caused hearing damage, and that liver dysfunction led to vision disorders or some other health problem.
By massaging the zones on the feet, milder or stronger, we will provoke pain that will show us the energy state of the organ we are treating. The hands and feet are extremely sensitive to touch, so their massage can activate blocked meridians in the body and stimulate detoxification processes. This is how the mechanisms of energy revitalization of the organism are started – our interlocutor points out.
The advantage of reflexology, she explains, is reflected in the possibility of combining it with other therapeutic techniques.
Reflexology with essential oils can be used to relax, improve circulation and concentration, raise the general tone and revitalize the body, and to reduce nervous tension and aggression, eliminate chronic fatigue. Practice confirms to me every day how accurate reflexology is in diagnosis and safe in therapy. In all developed countries, it is recognized as an official method of treatment – says Aleksandra Maksimović.
Treat bunions without a scalpel
The combination of reflexology and certain tonics can affect the relief of pain in deformed feet, with pronounced bunions.
When they enter light, summer shoes from closed shoes and boots in the spring, people face severe feet because of bunions. That is why there is reflexology, which helps in the treatment of pain, swollen and deformed feet. Continuous pressure on shortened tendons and muscles removes blockages, and the foot returns to its original shape – says our interlocutor and adds that reflexology is good for everyone, young and old, women and men, children and even babies.
During childhood, this method can be used to treat sinusitis and spinal problems. If a child falls and injures a toe, you can use the points on the foot to prevent swelling without touching the injured area. Even if the treatment is not done immediately, the use of reflexology can speed up the recovery.
In many European countries, such as Germany and the Netherlands, this treatment can be prescribed by a general practitioner. Today, in many clinics and private practices around the world, foot reflexology is as common as physical therapy.
What does foot massage cure?
Reflexology is used to treat almost all organs and most parts of the body, and is most effective in:
- Sports injuries;
- Pain in the back, shoulder, neck;
- Stomach pain, bloating, diarrhea;
- Menstrual pain;
- Headaches;
- In chronic fatigue;
- Stress, depression, anxiety;
- Asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis;
- High blood pressure;
- Circulatory disorders.
Try the benefits of reflexology for yourself
A headache
Massage the thumb and fingertips of all fingers until the headache stops. Sometimes it will take you five, sometimes 15 minutes.
Ear pain
Massage alternately pinky and ring finger on both hands and the pain will stop.
Toothache
Gently squeeze and massage the middle finger of either hand in a circular motion.
Stomach pain
Gently massage the base of the thumb and the middle of the palm. If pain occurs, stop immediately because it could mean that you need the help of a doctor.
Identity card of reflexology
- Reflexology is an ancient holistic therapy based on the stimulation of reflex points on the feet.
- Each reflex point of the foot stimulates the work of a certain organ.
- During treatment, the therapist stimulates about 7,000 nerve endings.
- The beginnings of reflexology are related to China from the period 5,000 years ago, and it was also practiced in Egypt. There, in the tomb from 2230 BC, a drawing of a therapist massaging the feet was found.
Violeta Nedeljković
Source: Žena.rs
