Reflexology is much more than a foot massage. Although some foot massage movements are used at the beginning of a session to relax the person, the actual reflexology treatment focuses on applying pressure to specific reflex points on the feet.
Reflexology does not treat an illness as such, but aims to regulate a dysfunction in a system and helps the body to maintain homeostasis. It's a holistic treatment.
Although you will certainly feel better after the first session, several sessions are necessary to obtain a satisfactory result. Sessions can be spaced out by 3-4 days or more. Depending on the progress and the nature of the health problem, the reflexologist might spread out the sessions and recommend regular monthly treatments. Some people will ask for maintenance treatment or come back just because they enjoy the relaxation and well being brought by reflexology.
What happens during a reflexology session?
Many people prefer reflexology to other well being techniques as they remain fully clothed during treatment, only the feet are bare.
After taking notes of your medical history, the reflexologist will often start a reflexology session with a relaxing foot massage. This enables the reflexologist to study your feet and get you into a state of relaxation.
After this relaxing foot massage, the reflexologist will use the pressure technique to work the reflex zones of the feet and thus stimulate each organ of the body. You might see a foot reflexology chart on his wall which can help you understand where the reflex points are located. Once the reflexologist has identified the tender reflex points on the feet, he can specifically work on certain systems to ease tensions and improve the body's vitality.
You should feel that pressure on your feet, as some points are pressed deeply, you might feel discomfort. If the area was too sore, the reflexologist will massage the area until the pain is dispersed. Sensitivity differs from one person to another, in any case the reflexologist should work within your pain threshold. An experienced reflexologist will tailor the session to your needs and adapt his technique.
As the reflexologist works the various reflex zones of the feet, he will come across gritty or dumpy areas which indicate a blockage or toxins. By applying pressure or rotating massage movement to the reflex points, he will eliminate the toxins and improve blood circulation in the corresponding organ or gland.
Once the reflexology treatment is finished, the reflexologist might again give you a foot massage to increase your sense of well being.
After the reflexology treatment
Usually, reflexology brings relaxation and relief from discomfort from the first session. You should feel fully relaxed after your session with an increased sense of well being. However, don't expect all your health problems to disappear, the technique of reflexology is not based on magic and several sessions are required to achieve good results.
As the treatment is flushing toxins out and improving fluid circulation, you might feel more thirsty and an increased need to urinate after the session. It is therefore recommended to drink plenty of water to help the body's cleansing process.
You might also feel nauseas or tired within 24 hours of treatment, again this is a normal reaction of the body which should go away after 48 hours. Other people feel energised and more alert immediately. Everybody reacts differently. In any case, contact your reflexologist if you are in doubt, he will be happy to know about your side effects and explain them. If fact, he will often start subsequent sessions by asking you about your reactions to the treatment.
Some examples of reflexology treatment:
Reflexology for young and old people
There is no age limit for reflexology treatment. It is possible to practice on babies as well as old people. However, the type of treatment and the pressure applied won't be the same, some care has to be taken to be gentle and maybe to shorten the session.
We've heard stories from many reflexologists about the amazing changes that can take place in old people after a few reflexology sessions. For example, there was an 83 year old lady that used to struggle to walk, always relying on her walking sticks to make painful progress. Despite years of physiotherapy, she was not getting any better. She was actually feeling very low, dreading that she would soon be confined to her small flat, unable to get out in the street, like so many old ladies.
It just so happened that a young reflexologist opened a reflexology cabinet in her street, so the lady decided to give it a go. After 3 months of weekly visits, many people in her area can't believe the change: she's smiling, full of energy, standing straight. Although she still uses her walking sticks - reflexology is not about miracles - she can walk further than before and does not suffer as much. She has gained in confidence and enjoys life once again.
Reflexology for back pain and swollen legs
"I work in a shop and I spend long hours standing up and walking around the shop. Over the last few months, I've been feeling really tired, stressed with a very unhealthy lifestyle.
I received a reflexology treatment pack for Christmas. It's great, I'm now on my 5th reflexology session and it has made a big impact on my well being. I'm in top form, I feel full of life and my stress have been transformed into energy!
My backpain is now a faint memory. As for my painful heavy legs, all the swelling has disappeared!
I'm still a bit overweight so we are working on this now with advice on healthy living. I'm thrilled by the whole experience."
Reflexology and stress
Stress is a reaction of our body when confronted by a difficult situation to manage, whether it is internal or external. The symptoms of stress can be both physical and psychological, however it always means the nervous system is working overtime.
The nervous system is characterized by a "sympathetic" branch called flight-or-fight response activator and a "parasympathetic" branch called inhibitor, which helps the body recover. The nervous system is closely linked to the hormonal system, so in this difficult situation, a cascade of chemical reactions is triggered, causing obvious problems.
Faced with such imbalance, the aim of reflexologist is foremost to "restore order" by specific actions on the nervous, hormonal and cardiac system.
In foot reflexology, the areas to be treated are:
The internal and external arches to regulate sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Toes to regulate central hormonal and nervous systems.
Adrenal glands to control the secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine (adrenaline).
The heart reflex zone to decrease heart rate and improve the state of mind.
Stress management can be limited to dealing with the physical symptoms. However, understanding the origins and possible corrective action are absolutely necessary to avoid a relapse or chronic problems.
Reflexology treatment is very effective to fight stress as it brings a relaxed state of mind. The reaction after the first session can be frightening for some highly stressed patients, as they might feel very tired, cry for hours, feel empty …
It is important to work on several session to bring stress down to a satisfactory.
Reflexology and conjonctivitis
This is the case of a woman who's been suffering from years of chronic conjunctivitis.
"Since childhood, I've been prone to conjunctivitis. It often gets worse during spring time. For the last 3 years, I've been getting bouts of conjunctivitis and regularly suffer from it.
I saw an eye specialist two years ago and he prescribed an antibiotic for chronic conjunctivitis. I only felt relieved for the length of the treatment!
Then it started again and I couldn't cope with it. I decided to try reflexology to get longer term relief.
After the first couple of reflexology sessions, my eyes were really watering. However, since then, I feel much better and my eyes are not so much of an issue.
I feel I can better manage" my illness. I continue to go for regular reflexology treatment, especially at the beginning of the spring."
Reflexology and sciatica
Sciatica is a debilitating health condition that can get best results from a reflexology treatment. Between 1 and 3 sessions are required to show significant improvements.
Unfortunately many of us have had the painful experience of a sciatica crisis. What we call a crisis are all the painful symptoms resulting from an irritation of the sciatic nerve, often due to compression (herniated disc) of the nerve root located between the fourth lumbar vertebra (L4) and fifth lumbar vertebra (L5). Sometimes it's the nerve root between the fifth lumbar vertebra and first sacral vertebra (S1) that is pinched and causing the inflammation.
This pinching of the sciatic nerve results in pain - of varying intensity - travelling down the leg. The pain generally spreads from the buttock to the foot through back of the leg and knee. These symptoms rarely occur in both legs at once. Note that sciatica is a symptom of underlying wear and tear in the lower back. It's fairtly common in the 30 to 50 age group.
Generally, when people have been suffering for many weeks or get repeated bouts of sciatica, they look for an alternative treatment that does not involve taking pain killers. They want to be relieved from the pain, and also want to reduce or even stop the use of anti inflammatory drugs ...
The reflexology treatment depends on the patient but the procedure could be like this:
Make sure the person is at ease, laying confortably in a relaxed manner. It's a good idea to start the session with deep relaxation movements on the feet. In particular, working on the reflex points of the plexus and diaphragm until the person lets go, relaxes.
Then the actual reflexology work can start on the reflex points associated with sciatica: spine - insisting on the lumbar and sacral, hip, knee, leg, and of course the specific sciatica areas under the heel. Between each system, the pituitary / hypothalamus / adrenals reflex points can be stimulated to boost the natural production of cortisone, necessary for its powerful anti-inflammatory and analgesic action. It's also a good to work the kidney reflex point to help the body eliminate. Depending on circumstances, some acupuncture points, such as R3, V57, V60 or 30VB ,can be worked on using digito pressure technique.
The reflexology session can end with further relaxing mouvements and then a few minutes of quiet and peace for the person to get back to normal, at their own pace.
Generally the results are outstanding. Sometimes, the pain disappear after the first session but more often, it takes a few reflexology sessions to get rid of sciatica.
Reflexology and teeth grinding (bruxism)
This condition is often related to stress. Bruxism relates to a habit of teeth grinding or clenching. It can occur at any time during life and disappear as promptly. For most people, it remains a mild and casual problem that does not require further attention. However, if it persists, it can become a health issue with irreversible damage, in particular to the teeth and jaws. It is also one of the most common sleep disorders.
This testimonial is about a series of reflexology treatments to deal with bruxism:
"Maria had 8 reflexology sessions of an hour each. Maria works as a nurse in a busy hospital. She works in a stressful service, where there is constant pressure to manage the flow of patients during a 12 hour shift. This position generates a high level of stress causing tension in the jaw leading to severe and recurrent pain.
Maria measures her pain as 4 out of 5 during stressful periods. This means considerable tension in the jaws.
Given the stress accumulated by Maria, I focused my reflexology work on relaxation and stress. Stress plays a major factor in her condition. To start with, Maria was very stressed, so she got lots of relaxation massage with the reflexology treatment. But after the third reflexology session, she said she felt more relaxed, with less jaw pain, she manages to feel more at ease at work. Over the last few sessions, she became calmer, her stress decreases. She realised she's had no pain in her jaw for 1 month.
At the end of the reflexology treatment, Maria appreciated the positive result, she was more relaxed. She now feels the benefits on her family life and she manages her stress better."
