Achieve Proper Balance And Overall Good Health With Reflexology

Reflexology is an interesting practice which focuses on massaging and stretching the feet in order to improve the body's overall health. Reflexology began when Dr. William H. Fitzgerald introduced the concept of "zone therapy" in 1915. The American physiotherapist Eunice Ingram improved upon this theory in the 1930's into what is now known as reflexology.

The underlying idea is that there are "reflex" areas on the feet that correspond to specific organs, glands, and other parts of the body. The theory states that the toes correspond to the head, the balls of the feet are connected to the heart, while the arch of the foot indicates the health of the liver and kidneys.

Reflexology practitioners contend that by applying pressure to these reflex areas, they can improve the health in the corresponding organs. The reason this works appears to be that the pressure sends signals which help balance the nervous system as well as releases various chemicals (e.g., endorphins) to reduce the stress and concomitant pain.

If you decide to go to a reflexology therapist, you will likely find the experience enjoyable and relaxing. After a consultation, the reflexologist will stimulate various points of your feet to assess where you are experiencing tension or pain. After that, he or she will apply pressure to your feet to the level of your comfort.

Reflexology is experiencing a resurgence of popularity these days. Most obviously it improves your ability to relax, promotes circulation and alleviates foot pain. But that is only the beginning. Reflexology practitioners have been able to alleviate numerous ailments for their patients such as stress and stress-related conditions, headaches, digestive disorders, arthritis, insomnia, sports injuries, back pain and others.

Reflexology has even been used as a post-operative and rehabilitative treatment. The American Cancer Society indicates that up to one-third of cancer patients use reflexology as a complementary therapy.

Reflexology has also been demonstrated to improve sense of balance in the elderly. All brain systems decay with age, such as eyesight and hearing. If you look at an elderly person, you will often notice his or her poor posture and a hesitating gait. It does not have to be this way. Reflexology and similar foot treatment practices have demonstrably improved balance.

Remember those signals that the feet send to the rest of the body? Well the foot's touch receptors send signals up to your brain every time you stand and put pressure on the ground. Unfortunately, the signals are not sent with regularity as the receptors lose their potency with age.

Studies have indicated that elderly people who often walk on cobblestones have much better balance than those who do not. People in the East have known about this for a long time. If you walk into any park or nature retreat in China you will notice that every walkway has an adjacent one made entirely of cobblestones. Many Chinese will tell you that walking on such cobblestones invigorates them and leads to overall better health.

If you experience any of the ailments discussed above or just want to achieve a higher level of health, and you do not want to resort to invasive treatments, you may want to learn more about reflexology. Some resources are available on the internet which can teach you more about this subject and suggest simple steps you can take right away to obtain the benefits of reflexology. The three sources I found most helpful are: http://rawfoodists.blogspot.com/, http://www.kaboodle.com/rawfood, and http://rawfoodme.wordpress.com/