Reflexology principles, theories, history, research and safety

hi this is Elle I'm every flex ologist and I run here in touch reflexology [Music] in my first video I went over a really basic overview of reflexology so in this video I'll be delving into the wonderful and fascinating world of reflexology in a lot more detail in this video I'll be covering the main primary fairies behind how reflexology works as well as the foundations of the history behind how reflexology works I'll be covering the potential benefits of reflexology and the research into this module and if you're wondering if reflexology is safe for you I'll be also going over this and I'll explain how this gentle non-invasive complimentary therapy can help support your overall well-being vitality and body's natural ability to heal itself I'll cover the main theories on how reflexology works and the principles the history benefits and research behind reflexology as well as the safety of reflexology [Music] the oldest documentation on free flexor she was shown in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics I was with two men working on feet in hands of two other men and one of the main theories behind reflexology is that it works along the same principles as Chinese medicine reflexology is used to stimulate and rebalance the body's energy pathways another theory is that reflexology helps to positively stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system reflexologist believed that specific areas on the hands ears and feet are connected to particular areas of the body and by working over all of the areas on the feet the reflexology is gently stimulating the system's organs and glands of the body which can help to promote and support the body's natural healing ability to restore and to calm itself reflexology helps bring about a state of calm and relaxation aiding the body's natural healing process by using reflexology techniques where gentle pressure is applied to specific points on the feet or hands and by pressing and massaging these points it can help stimulate energy pathways in the body if there are blockages in any of the energy pathways reflexology on sun block them so allowing the energy to flow freely again which helps restore balance to the body the mind and the spirit reflex or just use maps of these points in the feet hands knees to determine where they should apply pressure a reflex urges will have health indications on the feet like since the area's crunchy or little popping sensations on the feet there's a lot that a reflexologist may be able to read from these indications and it can give an indication that an area of your body is out of balance so reflex urges do not claim to diagnose or cure and it is a personal tailor treatment that takes them to many many different factors that may be affecting your own personal well-being not all of these are necessarily physical it is not a replacement to conventional modern medicine but instead works alongside it complement medical treatment to promote healing and to improve overall well-being and vitality most clients feel deeply relaxed during and after reflexology treatment and there are many positive benefits in this unique and safe complimentary therapy for over 3,000 years Chinese practitioners have used reflexology to rebalance to reflexology rests on the ancient Chinese belief and she and according to this belief she flows through each person so when a person feels unwell if they feel fatigued sluggish or stressed their body blocks out the flow of Chi and this can cause an imbalance in the body that leads to disease or to illness from traditional Chinese medicine it is believed the application of precious specific points sense energy flowing through a Baltic person's body and so it reaches the area that is in need of healing reflexology aims to stimulate these specific pressure points to keep Chi flowing through the body keeping it balanced and free of disease in traditional Chinese medicine it is also believed our bodies are composed of the posing forces of yin and yang that need to walk imbalance harmony for us to achieve optimal health well-being and vitality reflexology in Chinese medicine also works on a similar principle to acupuncture and acupressure while the body is divided into any two designs also known as meridians and whilst acupuncture focuses on points along the meridians situated all over the body and stimulates them with needles reflexology focuses on the meridians in the feet works on them with this gentle pressure and touch a prominent name in the world of reflexology is dr. William Fitzgerald and dr. Fitzgerald is frequently referred to as the father of reflexology he wrote in 1917 about ten vertical zones they extended the length of the body dr. shall be Riley further developed upon dr. Fitzgerald's work he wrote 12 books on xone therapy developing a map of horizontal zones going across the body and a detailed map of reflex points on the feet hands and face and a Picasso mode show is used by the Rileys for stimulation of specific zone points on the body uniess Ingham a physiotherapist who works for dr. Riley developed the foot maps and reflexology traps still in use today and introduced reflexology practices to the non-medical community in the 1930s and she is still a prominent figure in the development of reflexology not long after in 1957 dr. pol in which he recorded a reflex map of points on the outer ear his work has been expanded by olson and Flaco and was now being taught as part of an integrated approach for hand air and but reflexology another interesting individual mention is British neurologist Sir Henry had he was a key player than 1890s in carrying out pioneering research into sensory nerves his research consisted of severan and reconnecting sensory nerves and mapping how sensations returned over time headful it probable that sensation related to some kind of activity going on in the skin but then there was no accurate knowledge of cutaneous distribution on afferent fibers which since the spinal cord by each dorsal root and terminate in one spinal segment which he went on to successfully research the heads research went on to reveal the potamia s-- distribution in the human body of each afferent ray an important discovery helping with locating diseases of the spinal cord and rates he also revealed the mechanism of referred pain referred pain is when you feel pain in another part of your body and the source of the pain so in other words referred pain is when paying perceived at a location other than the site of the painful stimulus origin as a result of a network of interconnecting sensory nerves that supplies many different tissues which is why this discovery is very relevant and interesting from a reflexology perspective while their principles are based on the belief that traction and applying pressure to certain areas that have access to stimulate different parts of the body through the nervous system this is easily understandable because the nervous system offers mechanism for both afferent and efferent transmission of signals a stimulus delivered by pressure anywhere to the body can irritate local nerve fibers and alissa afferent signals that runs from central relay station I got in the spinal cord or brain and their signals can cause six excitation of an afferent nerve nerves that can travel to that any part of the body work reduce all kinds of different effects had devoted himself to the study of physiological basis for the inflation at first himself along with his Co work at a time start out by examining patients in him nerves had been bonded but then they concluded that didn't make sense to continue researching on patient subjects for one they weren't familiar with medicine or Anatomy the patients weren't able to provide accurate accounts of their sensations and so they weren't reliable subjects for psychophysical testing and so Hector Henry had offered himself up as it's a subject so he could continue his research in the early 1900s as k worker operated on him to divide two cutaneous nerves in heads left forearm the radial and the external they then went on to monitor and document the regeneration of nerves over the next four years and his research helped with a lot of what we know nowadays about the nervous system it is believed that reflexologist touch may helps account central nervous system promoting relaxation and other benefits just like any other form of massage some believe that reflexology can reduce pain for a gentle nurturing and calming touch which may help to improve someone's mood and reduce stress reflexology has been used for centuries and is thought to be one of the most popular types of complementary therapy in the UK among people with cancer it is used to aid relaxation and reduce anxiety pain nausea constipation and insomnia and involves applying pressure and massage to certain areas of the feet or hands although the other most common areas practice them there are variations used by different therapists and I have produced them I designed my own reflexology so much that I sew online it can help to both poor circulation by having reflexology it's also useful for helping with stress respira tree issues headaches poor sleep digestive and bladder problems period pains IBS symptoms and much more reflexology has linked the many potential benefits but only a few of them have been evaluated in scientific studies reflexology is known to help possibly help with reduce stress and anxiety reduce pain lift mood and improve general well-being people have also reported that reflexology help them boost their immune system helping with treating of problems clearing up sinus issues and getting over colds and bacterial infections as well as recovering from back issues and help ease arthritic aches and pains helping to restore hormonal imbalances and boost fertility it can help with improving digestion and circulation and reduce nerve tingling and numbness from cancer drugs reflexology can help you have pain muscle stiffness breathlessness and variety and fatigue or if you just need something to lift your mood or help you cope with a medical treatment research into reflexology is limited and it is uncertain how it actually works but it's relaxation pain-killing and they're blocking effects are well documented there aren't many studies about reflexology and many experts consider those that do exist could be of low quality still however it may have some value as a complimentary therapy to help reduce symptoms and improve someone's quality of life much like massage since the massage area as well is the fee for many people that will provide even more relief of stress or discomfort a large review in 2014 did not conclude the reflexology could yet be recommended for specific medical conditions but that we need further case studies and research to evaluate this inexpensive non-invasive non drug therapy that subjectively seems the benefit though so many touch by another human being is relaxing caring anxiety reducing action from most people generally reflexology is very safe even for people living with serious health conditions it's a non-invasive therapy that is relaxing to receive so it may be worth trying if it's something you'd like to try but you should talk to your doctor first if you have any of the following health conditions or issues diabetes or any circulatory problem in the feet blood clots deep vein thrombosis or go a low platelet platic count or have a blood problems which can make you bruise and bleed more easily for ulcers or fungal infections like athlete's foot open wounds on your hands or feet thyroid problems or epilepsy you may still be able to try reflexology if you have any of these issues but you might need to take a few precautions to avoid any adverse effects reflexology is not widely available on the NHS except sometimes that can't see units and hospitals and often a contributory fee is required in such cases you can tell your GP that you are having reflexology and whether it helps as it may be useful for them to know especially have an underlying condition like MS NHS access to this very P is limited and most people paper like I get asked often and if reflexology is safe in pregnancy reflexology and pregnancy can be beneficial it's very important to find a therapist who's qualified to work for pregnant women you should show your medical history and pregnancy complications prior to any treatment with your reflexologist reflexology is stimulating as well as relaxing and can have effects on the mind and body due to stimulating effects of reflexology you can sometimes experience some symptoms after a research surgery treatment and that could include tiredness or fatigue increased first light headedness tend to feet heightened emotions or emotional sensitivity increased visits to the toilet or some headaches all about nausea these are short-term that side effects that tend to go away shortly after treatment and your reflexologist will provide you with aftercare advice if you're interested in reflexology look for a properly trained reflex soldiers who has registered with reputable certifying organization like the federalization or holistic therapist reflexology may not be yet be scientifically proven as a medical treatment for disease due to the need for more research but study suggests as a helpful complementary treatment especially for stress and anxiety it's non-invasive and it's comfortable to receive so may be worth trying if it is something that you're interested in [Music]