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"In an unprecedented press release today the medical profession
announced the discovery of a new treatment that has been scientifically
proven to be effective for more than 100 health conditions and has no
known adverse side effects. Conditions researched include: diabetes,
pre-menstrual syndrome, constipation, headaches, asthma, allergies,
bronchitis, irritable bowel syndrome, prostate problems, lower
back/neck/shoulder/chest pain, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and
multiple sclerosis. Frequently, recipients reported that this treatment
was effective for both the targeted health condition and other health
conditions simultaneously. In addition, recipients reported that they
felt much better than they had in years. It was also reported that
seemingly healthy people embraced this treatment for its revitalizing
and rejuvenating effects. Many stated that they felt much less likely to
succumb to illness while receiving this treatment."
Unfortunately, the above announcement is fiction - a fantasy of what
might happen in a perfect world. The description, however, is an
accurate description of reflexology.
RESEARCH
Most of the scientific research of the effectiveness of reflexology has
been conducted in China, Denmark and Great Britain - three countries
that have integrated the practice of reflexology into the mainstream
health care system. A few studies have been conducted in North America
and other countries despite the extreme difficulty of accessing trained
research personnel and facilities to fulfil the standards for
publication.
Most of the published studies find that reflexology is an effective
therapy for between 75% and 80% of the subjects. This is pretty
impressive when compared with other therapies. There is no therapy that
is 100% effective, and, most other therapies have adverse side effects.
HISTORY
It would seem that the practice of reflexology has its roots in many
ancient healing traditions. A papyrus found in a physician's tomb in
Egypt dated 2330 B.C. is the earliest evidence of the practice of
reflexology in ancient times. This papyrus clearly shows the practice of
both foot and hand reflexology. It has also been established that
healing traditions in India, Japan, China and Europe utilized the
phenomena now known as reflexology. Apparently, this phenomena, in which
there is a direct relationship between parts of the feet, hands and ears
and other parts of the body, was discovered independently by each
culture as its healing tradition evolved.
THE EXPERIENCE
When you submit yourself for a reflexology session you can anticipate a
very thorough massage of your feet, hands or your ears. For many years
reflexology was practiced on the feet, and so, not all reflexologists
are trained to work on the hands or ears. If you prefer a hand or ear
reflexology session you should check that it is available before making
an appointment.
Similarly, some reflexologists use a very heavy pressure and others a
comparatively light pressure. Contrary to common belief, the amount of
pressure does not determine the effectiveness of the session.
Frequently, a very light touch will be far more effective than a heavy
touch - no, it does not have to hurt in order to be beneficial!
The cost of a reflexology session varies from practitioner to
practitioner - much like the cost of a haircut. Also, the length of a
session will vary with different practitioners - ranging from 20 to 90
minutes. Of course the duration of the session will affect the fee
charged. Also, many practitioners are willing to provide their service
in your home or office - and it is reasonable to expect to pay extra for
this convenience.
If you have a health condition for which you would like a therapeutic
benefit, then you might want to explore on the internet the
effectiveness of reflexology for your condition. My web site <http;//www.pacificreflexology.com>
presents research for a wide range of health conditions and a search
engine may be used to find additional "reflexology research".
Alternatively, call a reflexologist and inquire about the potential of
reflexology for your condition.
In general, the more frequently that you receive reflexology the more
beneficial it will be for a health condition. On rare occasions a single
reflexology session provides remarkable results. However, generally, the
longer that you have suffered from your condition, then the longer it
will take for you to experience the desired benefits. If after receiving
five reflexology sessions you are not experiencing any improvement in
your condition then you should look to other therapies to assist you -
it seems probable that you are among the 20% - 25% people that do not
benefit from reflexology.
If your objective is relief of stress and tension, or, a purely blissful
relaxing experience then how frequently you indulge is purely up to you.
It is not possible, if you are basically healthy, to indulge in too much
reflexology. Having said that I should warn you it is possible for you
to experience an unpleasant reaction to the reflexology session. This is
a comparatively rare occurrence. It can be a nauseous feeling, a bad
taste in the mouth, a headache, gas release, perspiring or feeling cold.
These situations reflect the potency of the reflexology stimulation -
and the body catching up on its cleansing processes.
THE BENEFITS
Reflexology works by reducing stress and tension in the body, so, it is
very relaxing. It is relief of stress that produces the therapeutic
benefits of reflexology. As your body relaxes, your blood and lymph
circulation and nerve supply to your cells improve. Consequently the
cells of the body get cleansed and nourished, and the glands and organs
of the body are revitalized and rejuvenated. In this way reflexology
creates an environment that allows the body to more effectively heal
itself.
Therapeutically relaxing the body with reflexology is a powerful
complement to many other natural healing modalities. For example,
reflexology received prior to chiropractic, physiotherapy or any other
manipulative therapy will facilitate that treatment and extend the
benefits of the treatment. Similarly, massage therapists have reported
that reflexology prior to a massage is very effective in preparing a
person for their massage.
Reflexology also works in tandem with nutritional, herbal, or
homeopathic therapies. First, by assisting the body to utilize the
therapeutic qualities of the remedies more effectively, and second, by
the potency of the combination of the benefits of the two therapies.
As much as reflexology has a broad spectrum of health benefits, most of
my clients enjoy reflexology simply for pleasure. In fact, many people
that have experienced both reflexology and full body massage prefer
reflexology. The convenience of not having to totally disrobe, combined
with the purely blissful melting sensation as the effects of reflexology
slowly creep up and envelop your whole body/consciousness has many
clients self proclaim proudly that they are addicted.
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