The Origins Of Reflexology and How it Works
It was Dr William Fitzgerald that observed in the early 1900’s that direct pressure on particular areas of the body produced an analgesic effect in a corresponding part. He coined the term ‘Zone Theory’ to describe exactly this - the basis of what has become known as Reflexology today. The understanding of Zone Theory is essential to gaining insight into how reflexology actually works.
In essence, he discovered that there are 10 equal longitudinal zones running through the entire length of the body, from the top of the head down to the tips of the toes. Moreover, with each toe representing the start of a “zone” for example, it was found that when congestion is experienced here, it would bring an affect to the bodily systems all along that entire zone.
It was Eunice Ingham who further refined this Zone Theory. She observed in her work that when she put the focus on the foot to access the rest of the zones in the body, she had great success in bringing about a predicted response in other parts of the body, mainly because the feet are a highly sensitive part of the zonal system. Through charting of certain responses based on where she pressed on the feet, she “mapped” out the entire body on each foot. Hence the whole body can be treated by working the reflex areas related to each zone on the feet, breaking up and clearing congestion, bringing about a state of homeostasis. Suffice to say, Eunice Ingham became wildly successful and is known today as the “Mother of Reflexology”.
It is still currently not understood fully why there are 10 zones arranged in the body as they are. It is potentially neurological or circulatory related, or perhaps to do with ‘energy pathways’ that are not commonly considered as normal scientific pathology (Kunz & Kunz, 2010). Further research is needed, however what we can focus on is the wonderful results, the observed affects that working on the reflexes of the feet in a specific sequence can bring to our patients and their overall wellbeing.
