Five Health Benefits of Foot Reflexology
Foot reflexology consists of a specific massage to the sole of the foot. It focuses on the parts of the feet that are connected to areas of the body in which the patient may suffer from a condition or ailment. This technique can help with numerous pathologies related to internal organs and other bodily structures.
Foot reflexology
Reflexology assumes that our feet represent our whole body, which is why they are known as ‘reflex zones’. According to this type of alternative medicine, different areas of the foot are connected to the internal organs, the hormonal glands, and even different parts of the brain.
The method consists of a massage that involves different levels of pressure and fluid movements. The therapist doesn’t use any instruments of physical aids; they only use their hands and a little oil to avoid any friction that may bother the patient during the massage.
This technique tries to stimulate or relax different parts of the body by treating certain specific points in the foot. If you go to a consultation to treat a specific pathology, focusing on the associated point of your foot can help to alleviate the ailment.
Scientific studies aren’t conclusive about whether foot reflexology can directly treat pathologies that affect internal organs or not. However, it does have several benefits, which is why people have used this ancient Chinese technique for centuries.
But there are some cases in which using reflexology is contraindicated. Those cases include feverish or infectious processes, cancer, burns, pathologies that require surgical solution or deep vein thrombosis, as well as any inflammation that may be affected by increased circulation.
Foot treatment: benefits of reflexology
The feet are an essential part of the body. They support a large portion of the weight of a standing person and are necessary for any type of personal mobility. However, we don’t usually pay much attention to them.
Therefore, the first and most basic benefit of reflexology is the fact that it consists of a nice massage to the soles of the feet. This will help relax the area and relieve any type of tension that we might have, even if we’re unaware of it.
Identify pathologies
When performing the foot reflexology technique, the therapist will analyze the structure of the feet, and they’ll be able to link it to certain pathologies. For example, if they detect a flat foot, this could explain spinal pathologies. On the other hand, a cavus foot can lead to heart or liver pathologies.
Reflexology also states that toe problems reflect in the organs of the head; meanwhile, calluses or hardness will affect the gut and the associated body area.
Body activation
Foot reflexology can help increase blood circulation, with all the advantages that this entails. On the one hand, it will further activate the immune system, which protects us against other diseases. Likewise, an improvement in blood circulation will also have a positive effect on blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
By improving circulation, we also favor the waste removal processes of our body. For example, the patient is likely to urinate more frequently after a reflexology session.
Combat pain
A study by the Manuela Beltrán University in Colombia shows that there’s an improvement in pain levels after a reflexology session. This benefit is linked to the relaxation that the patient feels after the therapy. The feeling of relaxation has its own set of benefits, as we’ll learn in the next section.
Relieve stress
Who doesn’t enjoy a good massage? After all, this technique consists of a pleasant manipulation of an area that often needs it.
Because of this reason and all the ones we listed above, a reflexology session will always do a good job in providing a few minutes of tranquility, a pleasant sensation, and time away from our daily routine, on top of the other benefits it has for the body. Have you ever tried this relaxation method?
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Cabieses V Báltica, Miner Sarah Mary, Villegas R Natalia. ANÁLISIS REFLEXIVO DEL CUIDADO EN REFLEXOLOGÍA Y MASOTERAPIA CENTRADO EN LA PERSONA, POR PARTE DEL PROFESIONAL DE ENFERMERÍA. Cienc. enferm. [Internet]. 2010; 16( 1 ): 59-67.
- Aranda Izquierdo Angel Antonio, Barranco Peregrino Belkis, Serrano González Luisa María, Barciela Calderón Julio. EFICACIA DE LA REFLEXOLOGÍA PODAL EN EL TRATAMIENTO DEL DOLOR CERVICAL. AMC [Internet]. 2007; 11( 2 ).
- Villota, Ximena María. APLICACIÓN DE UN PROGRAMA DE REFLEXOLOGÍA PODAL PARA EL MANEJO DEL DOLOR LUMBAR CRÓNICO DE ORIGEN BIOMECÁNICO. Umbral Científico, núm. 16, 2010; pp. 20-30
