Reflexology is an ancient art based on healing the body through working with the
hands and feet that can be traced back to many cultures. The earliest evidence of
hand and foot reflexology was discovered in a tomb in Egypt, dating back to
2330BC, belonging to Ankmahor at Saqqara. On the walls of the tomb are
illustrations depicting people receiving hand and foot massages, asking that the
massages “give strength” and also “do not cause pain”. The tomb is also known as
the “Physician’s Tomb” due to all the medical reliefs found in it.
Similarly, the ancient Chinese worked their hands and feet to help maintain good
health and prevent disease. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) incorporates
acupuncture, acupressure, herbalism and exercise. Fundamental to TCM is the
theory that our body contains “vital energy” or “life force” running through 14 major
meridians or channels in our bodies. Twelve of these meridian lines begin or end in
the tips of our fingers and toes, and massage to these areas is believed to stimulate
the flow of energy and clears congestion in the meridian lines.
Traditional Ayurvedic medicine, developed in India, is considered to be the oldest
recorded system of healing dating back approximately 5,000 years. Ayurveda is a
Sanskrit word meaning the “science of life” and it encompasses not only physical
health but also spiritual and emotional wellbeing. Foot massage (padabhyanga)
plays a significant role in Ayurvedic medicine to improve health.
In addition to the ancient cultures of Egypt, China and India, the importance of
massaging the hands and feet to ensure good health was also passed down through
the oral traditions of the Native American and African Tribes.
Reflexology is based on the theory that the body can be divided into zones and that
imbalances in one part of the zone can be addressed by working in another part of
the zone. In the 1890’s Sir Henry Head an English neurologist discovered that
certain areas or zones of the skin reflected the state of specific internal organs and
that if there was an illness in an organ there would be sensitivity or pain in its
corresponding zone on the skin. These zones became known as “Head Zones” and
Sir Henry Head also discovered that massage, heat applications or injections to the
skin zone could also help the internal organ.
Following Sir Henry Head’s research, an American surgeon Dr. William Fitzgerald,
(1872-1942) founded Zone Therapy. Fitzgerald discovered that the body could be
divided into ten zones, and he could alleviate pain in one area of a zone by applying
deep pressure to another area of the zone, usually on the hand. Dr. Fitzgerald went
as far as being able to perform minor operations without the use of anaesthetics by
applying pressure to specific points on his patients. Whilst doing this he also
discovered that pressure to specific points not only anaesthetised the corresponding
area, it also removed the cause of the pain and therefore “healed” the patient.
Dr. Fitzgerald worked closely with a colleague, Dr Edwin Bowers, and together they
became the forefathers of modern reflexology and in 1917 their book Zone Therapy
was published. The theory of Zone Therapy was further developed by an American
physician Dr Joseph Shelby-Riley, and his wife Elizabeth who also published a number of books on the subject. Working closely with Riley was a therapist by the
name of Eunice Ingham and it was she who finally developed what we understand
today as modern reflexology.
Eunice Ingham (1889-1874), often referred to as the “mother of modern reflexology,”
discovered that once you place the ten zones of the body onto the feet you can then
place all the organs and structures of a specific body zone into the corresponding
zone on the foot. By doing this, she developed the “foot maps” of the body that form
the basis of reflexology practice today. Ingham also discovered the theory of crystal
deposits and established that an alternating pressure on the feet has a stimulating
effect on the body, while a continual, uninterrupted pressure has a more numbing or
anaesthetising effect.
Until the 1960’s reflexology was practiced primarily in the United States. However, in
1966 Doreen Bailey, an English woman who trained with Eunice Ingham brought
reflexology to the United Kingdom. Modern reflexology is still evolving, and different
methods are taught in different schools, for example the Ingham Method, Bailey
Method etc. Modern reflexology is also becoming increasingly linked to traditional
Chinese medicine and meridian therapy is now being taught in many reflexology
schools.
A 2019 survey conducted by the Federation of Holistic Therapists concluded that
reflexology and body massage are the two most popular complementary therapies
demanded by clients, with 51% of therapists listing reflexology in first place. Due to
its non-invasive, non-pharmacological complementary nature, reflexology is widely
accepted and anecdotal evidence of positive effect reflexology in a variety of health
conditions are available.