How Does Reflexology Work?

I have lost count of how many times I have been asked this question!  Hardly surprising really – I suppose it is hard to get your head around the fact that your fourth toe reveals clues both to the health of your digestive system and your hearing or that your love of sweet foods is no secret because of the shape of your big toes!  That the area of athletes foot in the arch of your foot tells me that your small intestine is struggling to perform at its best – and that this may link in a very physical sense to unrecognised food intolerances or more esoterically a difficulty with sorting out ideas and making choices.

So much for what your feet can reveal – but how can a massage of the feet help relieve your dyspepsia, help you relax or ease your back pain?  There is no one simple answer but instead a synthesis of processes that all combine to help you feel better after a treatment.

A study of the meridian system (as developed and used in Traditional Chinese Medicine) shows us that the liver, spleen pancreas, stomach, gall bladder, kidney and bladder meridians all run through the feet.  The meridian system is a complex system of energy channels – along which chi (energy – try thinking of it as vitality – literally the energy of life) flows through the body.  These channels have no hard matter, you wont find them in a corpse, but they function in a similar way to the network of blood vessels that allow blood to course through our bodies.  Flow of chi can be enhanced by touch or needles – as in the case of acupuncture – or specific exercises such as those of T’ai Chi.   The meridian system is as yet largely unexplored by western medicine,  which is a great shame because if you overlay a transparency of the meridian flows over a diagram of the body and its systems (as mapped by modern medicine) and then take a look at some patient case histories the results are intriguing.

For example, indigestion, sore knees, sinus pain can all relate to a weakness of the stomach meridian.  An acknowledgment of the meridian system may help us to make links between health problems that medically speaking are not considered to be obviously related.  It is so sad to take a patient history and realise that appropriate energy medicine  given earlier could have saved the patient a troublesome health history as years of seemingly unconnected health problems relate to the same meridian disturbances, and left untreated often leads to disturbances at a physical level. Improvement of energy flow can help restore healthy physical and emotional function

The very specific, targeted techniques that I use as a reflexologist will impact on energising and balancing your meridians, specific points on the feet can be balanced, sedated or energised according to your needs.
An acceptance of the meridian system is vital in understanding the concept that one area of your foot can impact on another area of your body.

There is another aspect of reflexology which I feel is absolutely crucial in understanding why and how it works and for those of you that struggle with the concept of ‘energy flows’ this is pure mechanics!

As we stand, walk, run, any tensions or restriction in our feet will impact on the musculo-skeletal system.  Next time you stand just try a little experiment.  Stand feet square (no shoes) and shake out any tensions you have in your body, now just scrunch the toes of your left foot – observe how areas of muscle in your body tense as they work to keep you upright and balanced – you may feel it most in your buttock muscles or across your back in the area of deltoids.  There will almost certainly be an increased tension across your shoulders.

Poor shoes, muscular tension and bad postural habits all combine to undermine that natural balance between foot and body – sadly it is a self perpetuating cycle.  Tight feet engender tension in the body – a tense body restricts proper walking….the cycle continues.  I call it ‘Reflect and Effect’. Often we are unaware of holding tension in our bodies – having lived with it daily for a lifetime.   It is only when the tension is relieved that you notice it by its absence!

Not sure if this applies to you?  Take a look at the soles of your shoes – do you wear the soles out more on one area, do you wear out both shoes evenly – all are clues as to how you move and weight bear and which areas may be under long term musculo-skeletal stress.   A good reflexologist will work to increase the flexibility of your feet with deep massage and sometimes some gentle mobilisation techniques.  Thus reducing tension in your musculo skeletal system and fostering a more flexible, relaxed body.

Better still this encourages an increase in blood supply.  Better blood supply means better nourishment for the cells in any given area, encouraging better health and well being.  You have probably at some time or another experienced an example of loss of function due to reduced blood supply – the classic tension headache.  Tight neck, shoulder and scalp muscles all restrict blood supply to the head, brain and face, performance levels fall – a headache ensues.

There are tangible benefits for the immune system too as properly functioning flexible feet allow us to roll through the feet when we walk , this fully engages the calf muscles which serve as a pumping mechanism for the lymph flow in the legs.  Good lymph flow is essential to maintaining an efficient immune system.

It’s not spooky or hokum just the mechanics of locomotion.

Lastly, but definitely not least, there are the benefits of spending an hour with another empathetic human being with whom you can discuss in complete confidence anything which is bothering you. The power that even the simplest of touch can have when given with respect and love.  The sense of self worth that you can gain from choosing to value yourself and make the time for treatment.  Tricky to assess in a scientific way, but nonetheless tangible to those who have received Reflexology.

This is just a brief overview of some of the more obvious explanations as to how Reflexology works and why it might work for you.  I have been fascinated by it for twenty five years – its a fascination that just grows and grows.  I hope that this brief overview inspires you to seek out a reflexologist and give it a go!

Louise Kirkpatrick M.A.R.