Delaware
Woman Magazine
Award Winner, Delaware Press Association––Second
Place
"Reflexology: Therapy Through the Feet"
So here I am, lying on a massage table in a darkened
room, feeling silly. I’m completely dressed, but I’ve
removed my socks and shoes, as requested. I’m here to experience
reflexology. Like most first-timers, I’m skeptical that a half-hour
of foot manipulation will magically rejuvenating not just my feet,
but my entire body.
Terry Meyer, owner of Massage and Reflexology of Delaware,
is doing her best to put me at ease. Giving me a moment to settle,
she selects some serene music and closes the door to her private massage
room, shutting out the world. We’re cocooned within a temporary
oasis. It’s pleasantly decorated with rugs, plants and heavy
blinds that filter out the sunlight. The flickering candles are a
nice touch.
Taking my foot in her hand, she asks if I want a blanket.
I’m not surprised; my feet are always cold. Poor circulation,
I’ve been told. That’s about to change.
“Are you feeling anything?” Meyers asks
several minutes later, eyeing me above her working hands.
“Yeah!” I reply through clinched teeth, relieved that
she expected the response.
“That’s the respiratory part of your body.
Are you getting over a cold or do you have asthma?”
“Allergies,” I admit. I’m surprised
when she smiles. Her satisfaction deepens as she moves on to confirm
the tightness in my neck, shoulders and spine (my stress magnets,
as I call them).
“This is so neat,” she says. “No
matter how many times I do this, reflexology always proves true.”
Meyers has been performing reflexology for 10 years.
She’s happy. I’m mystified. How did she learn all that
from kneading my feet?
“I was just showing you what your body told
me,” she explains matter-of-factly. “It’s not voodoo
or magic. It’s purely scientific.”
I look over at the two reflexology charts tacked to
the wall and get lost in the numerous colors outlining territories
on two large feet. Each color identifies the body part that is energized
when pressure is applied to that area of the foot.
What is Reflexology?
Reflexology is a compression/release technique that induces a relaxation
response. It’s based on the premise that there are 10 energy
zones in the body, five on each side, running from the head to the
feet. The zones correspond to all of the glands, organs and systems
of the body.
Ann Gillanders, author of The Joy of Reflexology,
sums up the proven benefits of reflexology: it normalizes the body’s
functions, helps to break down tension and alleviate stress, and improves
nerve function and blood supply throughout the body.
Reflexology can be done on the hands. But for maximum
benefit, says Gillanders, reflexology is applied to “the very
roots of our being” – that is, the feet. Using the thumb,
finger and hand, practitioners apply specific pressure to the minute
reflex points.
When the body has been damaged by illness, injury
or disease, it will attempt to regain its natural equilibrium. I was
reminded of this the other day when I cut my finger. Observing the
gash close within a matter of days, I realized that my body is in
a constant state of repair.
At times it just needs a jump start to recover, starting
with the power of touch. Touch is important to healing, agrees Meyers.
“We’ve become very touch skittish because of all the stories
of negative touch. Reflexology has many other benefits, but it’s
still touch. It just feels good.”
Reflexology practitioners view themselves as facilitators
to healing. “The body knows what to do,” says Meyer. “You
don’t have to believe in reflexology for it to do you some good.
It’s a physical response.”
Why Does Reflexology Work?
The answer, say Kevin and Barbara Kunz, authors of Hands and Foot
Reflexology: A Self Help Guide, is that any form of sensory signal
alters the tone or tension level in the body. The entire body participates
and acts in unison in response to deep pressure information from the
bottoms of the feet.
Each foot has more than 7,000 nerve endings, 26 bones,
107 ligaments and 19 muscles. By manipulating the section of the foot
that corresponds to other parts of the body, positive changes are
made in the digestive, reproductive, respiratory, circulative, lymphatic,
endocrine, skeletal and urinary systems.
Those who haven’t tried it remain dubious. But
Laura Colona of Claymont swears by reflexology. Intense back and foot
pain sent Colona limping to Meyer for relief. She had just undergone
back surgery. “I went to Terry twice a week for three months
and it made all the difference,” she says. “It helped
with my pain and depression. Before that, I always had to plan my
day around my pain.”
During her treatment, Colona was able to decrease
her timed-release pain dosage from 100 milligrams to 25 milligrams.
“I really do think I can attribute that to reflexology,”
she says. Colona now uses reflexology to maintain her feeling of well-being.
Meyers suggests that stress, constipation, stomach
problems, migraines and menopause can also be diminished through reflexology.
“Keeping the system cleansed will reduce sickness and stress,”
she said. “Some people don’t know what it feels like to
be relaxed. If you slow down a minute, you become more focused. Stress
is good at times, but when you have it without a break, it manifests
itself in a physical form.”
What Happens During a Reflexology Session?
Perhaps the best aspect of reflexology is its non-invasiveness. There
are no needles, no drugs, and you don’t strip down to your skivvies.
You remove nothing more than your footwear. And you get to zone out
for a half hour or longer to soothing music while a trained professional
rubs your feet. Even the ticklish won’t mind – trust me.
With new clients, Meyers first reviews their medical
history. She asks about medications, recent surgeries, and the existence
of any physical or emotional conditions. “There are considerations
to be made when doing massage or reflexology,” she says. “It’s
ethical and responsible practice.”
Meyer adds that those wanting to try reflexology should
seek out a certified massage technician – the minimum requirement
for professionals offering reflexology. Technicians are also required
by the state to participate in continuing education courses every
two years.
Meyer then begins working on the feet, without the
aid of oils, lotions or creams. The lubricants are avoided during
reflexology as they interfere with sensory feedback. Meyers wants
to connect directly with the foot. She’s feeling for energy
blockages, which she describes as “crunchy” areas under
the skin. To her, these areas feel like “wet sugar packets.”
The tops of my feet (the chest and lung area), my
toes (the sinus area), the side and bottom of my big toe (the neck
area), the inside of my arch (the spinal area) and the underside of
my little toe (the shoulder area) all felt this way to her. The discomfort
of my left foot during her manipulation was more intense than my right
foot – which made sense as my neck and shoulder problems are
worse on the left side of my body.
Each person will have a unique response to treatment.
Some have a profound feeling of well-being, others feel lethargic.
I felt lightheaded after the session. Meyer explained this was due
to increased blood circulation. “Some even say their feet feel
different in their shoes,” she adds.
Colona felt tingling in her feet after her first session,
and significant improvement in her pain after several days. Her advice:
stick with the therapy. “Don’t give up on the sessions,”
she says. “You will see a difference.”
Dee Burnett of Wilmington has become a reflexology
“addict.” She makes weekly treks to Meyer for the simple
pleasure of the experience. “I go because I deserve it,”
she says. “When I turned 40 I said I was going to start treating
myself. I get total relaxation from it.”
And the benefits for a cold aren’t to be sneezed
at either: Burnett says the manipulation begins to clear her nasal
passages while she’s still on the massage table.
Meyer ended my session by adding lotion to her hands
and giving my feet a gentle massage. As I slipped back into my socks
and shoes, she washed her hands, then handed me a bottle of water
and some to-do’s: deep breaths throughout the day to improve
my lung area, stretch like a cat to loosen my tight back, apply pressure
to my cheekbones to help sinus pressure, drink more water, and of
course, return for more reflexology to relax my stiff neck and shoulders.
“You don’t have to have anything wrong
with you to benefit from reflexology,” she adds. “It’s
a rest stop; a way to clear the cobwebs. Some people come once a week,
others three or four times a year.”
Reflexology has been around for thousands of years.
In ancient tombs and relics from Egypt, China, India, and Japan, foot
manipulation is featured, including a pictograph from the tomb of
a physician in Egypt dating from 2350 B.C. To try reflexology at home,
roll a golf ball or mini dumbbell under your foot.
Copyrighted 2003. Not to be copied,
borrowed, or published without written permission.
This article is available for reprint. Contact Sheri by e-mail: Sheri@Rehwoldt.com,
or via phone: 716/946-7308.
