Can Reflexology Improve Your Health?

Reflexology is an ancient healing therapy. There are dozens of specific points on your hands, feet, and ears that correspond with different parts of your body. Practitioners of reflexology believe that when you apply pressure to these points with your fingers or thumbs you will positively affect your internal organs.

Many practitioners as well as patients of reflexology believe that the key to good health is in your feet. They believe that reflexology could remedy many conditions, illnesses and symptoms - and that getting better is just a touch away.

Reflexology isn't meant to diagnose or cure a specific illness. Instead, its practitioners tend to use it to promote healing and as well as a supportive therapy.

Reflexologists believe that different parts of your feet and hands correspond to different internal organs. For example, your heel and arch correspond to your lower back while the balls of your feet correspond to your heart. The functions on the left part of your body correlate to your left foot whereas your right foot affects the right side of your body.

If you apply pressure to specific reflexology points you can relieve stress. Stress relief helps to prevent disease and aid healing.

The University of Minnesota's Life Science Foundation and the Center for Spirituality and Healing says that there are several theories that could explain how healing is promoted in the central nervous system via reflexology.

One theory suggests that by applying pressure to specific points in your body you will send a calming message to your central nervous system via your peripheral nerves. In turn this will signal your body to adjust your tension and stress levels.

This will make you feel more relaxed and help you to optimize the functioning of your internal organs. It will also increase oxygenation, circulation, and cell nutrition because it has positive effects on your endocrine, respiratory, circulatory, neuropeptide, and immune systems.

Another theory is based on a pain theory known as the "gate control theory of pain." Advocates of this theory believe that your brain creates pain in response to emotional, cognitive, and sensory factors. They say that subjective pain could be reduced by reflexology because it will improve your mood and reduce your stress.

Reflexologists believe that rather than curing patients they are helping their patients to cure themselves.

It has been shown that reflexology has been helpful for a lot of patients who have suffered acute and chronic pain from migraines, surgical operations, arthritis, fibromyalgia, headaches, cancer, and more.

In their quest to relieve their pain many people favor taking over the counter medications. And some of them have inadvertently taken an overdose of medications such as acetaminophen. Unfortunately, taking too much of such drugs can result in serious liver damage and possible death.