Reflexology Terms

Reflexology is a type of complementary therapy technique that can be useful when it comes to treating a range of symptoms from pain management problems to diabetic issues. Not many people know very much about the treatment, however, so in this article, we'll be giving you a run-down of some of the basic terminology that you should familiarize yourself with in order to fully understand reflexology.

Zone therapy - this is one of the basic tenets of reflexology that you should definitely learn about if you are considering visiting a reflexologist. Zone therapy is the hypothesis that there are ten different zones of the body which are described as being vertically oriented along the two sides of the body. Certain fingers and toes correspond to the different zones, and they can all be manipulated in order to meet some special need in another part of the body.

Nerve endings- nerve endings are a major part of the nervous system, and the feet and hands have amongst the most nerve endings in the human body. These nerve endings link to all of the organs of the body, and reflexologists believe that they can manipulate the health of those organs by massaging the nerve endings in the feet or the hands. To that end, charts have been created which help a reflexology practitioner to effectively identify the specific points of where nerve endings correspond to organs so that practitioners will be able to quickly pinpoint the area which needs to be manipulated in order to achieve a result.

Qi - Qi energy is one hypothesis that has been proposed regarding exactly how reflexology works. There are many different opinions as to why reflexology can be so helpful in eliminating such a wide range of symptoms, and some believe that there is an invisible type of life energy that flows through the body. According to those who put forth the Qi hypothesis, energy levels in the body may become disrupted which can result in an illness. Blockages may occur in the energy, and blockages are believed to be stored as lumps or crystals in the hands, ears, and feet, which would explain why reflexology would be helpful in correcting the problem.

William H. Fitzgerald - William H. Fitzgerald was the man who introduced what we know as reflexology to the United States in the year 1913. Fitzgerald identified the idea that applying pressure to certain points of the body resulted in an anesthetic feeling in another part of the body, which laid the groundwork for future reflexologists in terms of identifying specific pressure points and creating reflexology charts that reflected their findings.

Hopefully, this article helped you to learn a little bit more about the world of reflexology. Reflexology has been shown in study after study to be helpful in terms of eliminating pain as well as a host of other symptoms. Knowledge is power, and the more that you know about different types of alternative therapies, the better suited you will be for dealing with problems if western medicine cannot meet your needs.