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Reflexology Research of Post Operative Pain Reduction

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Method: Sixty patients of general surgery were randomly assigned to a control group or a reflexology group. All were given the “required quantity of standard drugs such as NSAID (Diclofenac and Opioids (Pethidine and Fentanyl).”

Fifteen to twenty minutes of foot reflexology work was applied to the treatment group.

Results: “This study show a decrease of the quantity of pain killers in Group I (foot reflexology) to less than 50% in comparison with Group II (control).”

Dr. Shweta Choudhary PhD (Dept of Biophysis), Dr. Guresh Kumar, Dr. Kulwant Singh (Dept. of Biostatistics), All-India Institute of Medical Science, New Delhi, India

Reflexology & Back Pain

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A study conducted at the Hospital of Beijing College of Languages investigated the effect of reflexology treatment on acute lower back pain. Twenty patients between the ages of 35 and 55, all of whom were teachers or office workers, and suffering from lower back strain participated in the study.

The reflex points on the patients’ feet were treated for a maximum of ten treatments and the results analyzed. All of the patients reported that the treatment had effectively eliminated their pain; 5 of the patients obtained complete relief after only one treatment, 10 after 3 to 4 treatments and a further 5 after 5 to 7 treatments. No analgesics or other medications were used throughout the course of treatments.

Although a small scale study, it adds to the growing body of evidence confirming that reflexology has extensive therapeutic value beyond the realms of mere relaxation and stress management.

– Xiao Zhenge, Hospital of Beijing College of Languages

 

Reflexology Comforts Breast Cancer Patients

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EAST LANSING, Mich. – Researchers at Michigan State University are finding that many women who are receiving chemotherapy while in the late stages of breast cancer are turning to a complementary therapy known as reflexology to help them cope.In a pilot study, researchers from MSU’s College of Nursing tested three different complementary therapies – reflexology, guided imagery and reminiscence therapy, in which women recall times in their lives when they’ve met and overcome challenges. Of those three, reflexology proved to be the most effective.“Reflexology is the one people stuck with the most during the eight-week protocol,” said Gwen Wyatt, a professor in MSU’s College of Nursing who headed the project. “It’s also the one that had the most positive outcomes.”Women who are receiving chemotherapy for late-stage breast cancer face myriad physical and emotional issues. Reflexology – which is a specialized foot therapy that applies firm pressure to certain parts of the sole of the foot – helps women adjust better to their treatment. Reflexology can be used to support patients through treatment such as chemotherapy or for enhancing well-being for cancer-free individuals.“We see things like a decrease in depression and anxiety, and improvements in spirituality and emotional quality of life,” Wyatt said. “Overall, they have an improved quality of life.”

We don’t really have a Western, scientific way of testing how this works. The mechanism is not clearly understood. But for us, we just measure the patient’s perception of change. Currently, there are no physiological measures,” she said.

Wyatt stressed the reflexology and other similar therapies are strictly complementary, to be used in conjunction with conventional health care.

“These supportive measures are intended to create a less stressful link for the patient to the treatment center,” Wyatt said. “Instead of dreading the next cancer treatment, patients are able to focus on the comfort measure that will be provided during treatment.”

Wyatt and colleagues are now embarking on a more detailed investigation into the value of reflexology in treating late-stage breast cancer patients. Using a National Institutes of Health grant of more than $3 million, they will more closely examine the benefits of reflexology in a controlled study.

Women will be divided into three groups – one will receive reflexology for four weeks, one a “placebo” foot massage for four weeks, and one will serve as a control group. Participants will be interviewed before the study, immediately after the four weeks of therapy, and again two months later. This way the immediate effects can be compared with more long-term benefits.

“Breast cancer can be a very difficult experience and advanced-stage disease even more so,” Wyatt said. “This study will make the treatment journey more manageable and women may want to continue it after cancer treatment to maintain a sense of well-being.”

Contact:Gwen Wyatt, College of Nursing, (517) 432-5511, gwyatt@msu.edu; or Tom Oswald, University Relations, (517) 355-2281, oswald@msu.edu

 

Reflexology and the Bald Eagle

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A group of us attending a monthly Reflexology meeting nearly fell off our chairs when one of our members entered carrying a cage holding a magnificent Bald Headed Eagle.

The Reflexologist was a volunteer working with rehabilitating injured wild animals at a nearby sanctuary. She told us this poor fellow had been severely injured and they were nursing him back to health at the sanctuary.

Her daily routine included Foot Reflexology on this bird of prey.

Well, not actually Foot Reflexology, let’s call it Talon Reflexology. She claimed this raptor looked forward to its daily stress relief sessions that appeared to help speed up its healing process.

Bet you’re wondering like the rest of us did. How do you perform Talon Reflexology on this beautiful animal? After all aren’t the talons hard and rough? I’m no expert on avian anatomy, but I have heard that the reason birds survive cold weather is that they have minimal nerve endings in their feet (talons) and legs. Perhaps so, and he still looked forward to his daily Reflexology and he was recovering nicely thank you.

Well, I guess Reflexology is going to the birds.

Treating Eczema with Reflexology

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Reflexology, the act of applying pressure to the feet and hands with specific thumb, finger and hand techniques, has been around for nearly 3,000 years. Although it is not as common in the West as other forms of alternative medicine, many people have found it to be effective. It is also still frequently used in the East for a variety of ills, including eczema and other skin conditions.

How reflexology works is somewhat in question. Some say that reflexology techniques manipulate specific areas of the hands and feet that correspond to parts of the body and that these techniques, in turn, manipulate “qi” – translated from the Chinese as “life force” or “spiritual energy.” Western medicine doesn’t generally acknowlege the existence of life force or spiritual energy, but it is the essence of medicine in many parts of the East.

Others explain reflexology in more physical terms – massaging the hands and feet with reflexology techniques affects the pressure sensors connected to glands, organs and other parts of the body so they become relaxed and restored to normal function. It also improves circulation.

Whatever the explanation, thousands of people in the West and, no doubt, millions in the East tout its benefits.

Diagnostics in reflexology incorporate the condition of the skin texture, color, pallor, temperature and humidity, among others and it is also said to be an effective treatment method for a variety of skin conditions, including eczema.

In reflexology, as in other practices, it is believed that eczema is often caused by internal toxicity resulting from improper function of the organs. The body attempts to eliminate the toxins through the skin, which manifests as eczema or other skin conditions such as dryness, boils, and so on.

In traditional Chinese medicine, of which reflexology is a part, the skin is related to the lungs a theory borne out by the fact that many people with eczema also have asthma or other breathing problems. Eczema treatment within reflexology might consist of working on the adrenal glands which, in turn, release cortisone one of the body’s natural and powerful anti-inflammatory properties. The cortisone would reduce the inflammation in the lungs and mucous membranes, help those areas relax, open up the airways and thereby get rid of congestion and get mucous flowing out of the body and, with it, the toxins causing the breathing problems, and the eczema.

As some of the toxins we’re accumulating come directly from polluted air and chemicals in household and personal products, it is always wise to apply a shielding lotion for eczema treatment regardless of whether you’re using other treatment methods: A good shielding lotion bonds with the outer layer of the skin to form a protective layer that keeps out chemicals. However, to help the body with internal problems that may be causing your skin problems, you might want to give reflexology a try. Check it out online – there are many sites that teach you the basic techniques at home. However, if you have internal health problems do check with your medical or health practitioner to make sure you get all the attention

Ear Crease Early Warning Sign of a Heart Attack?

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A diagonal crease across your earlobe at a 45 degree downward angle toward your shoulder may be an early warning sign of a potentially fatal heart attack, according to reports in Modern Medicine (57,10:126) and British Heart Journal (611,4:361).

You might think we’re pulling your, uh…, ears.

But, scientists have been studying the amazing ear-crease phenomenon since 1973 with inconclusive results until this research report.

In this study, they found telltale ear creases in both fat and skinny people who died from sudden heart attacks, so weight was not a factor.

The common denominator was sudden death, often in people who apparently did not know how sick they were.

In the current study, researchers randomly selected 303 people whose cause of death was unknown before autopsy. They found diagonal ear creases in 72 percent of the deceased men and 67 percent of the deceased women.

Men with diagonal ear creases were 55 percent more likely to die of heart disease than men without ear creases. The risk was even greater for non-diabetic women (1.74 times more likely to die of heart disease).

Interestingly, ear creases did not predict death from heart disease in diabetic women. Those with ear creases generally don’t get them until after age 50, the reports say.

Fatness apparently does not influence whether people have ear creases, researchers say, because both fat and thin people have them in roughly equal numbers. However people with heart diseases seem to develop the creases, regardless of their age, they add.

The alarming thing was the link between ear creases and unexpected death. Many people in this study had died suddenly from heart attacks, but had no history of heart disease, the researchers say. In this group, earlobe creases alone were a greater predictor of sudden death from heart attack than known risk factors, such as previous heart disease, the studies report.

That fact has led researchers to speculate that some doctors may be missing severe heart disease cases among some middle aged and elderly people. If that’s the case, help yourself by checking your ears for diagonal creases.

If there is a crease, tell your doctor about the crease and these studies.

The idea is to catch unsuspected heart disease so you can get appropriate treatment from the health care practitioner of your choice.

This is just one of the fascinating facts that Ear Reflexologists learn in the Universal College of Reflexology’s Ear Reflexology Course, which is available as an online course.

A fully trained and competent Ear Reflexologist can immediately check sensitivity on the heart reflex areas in the ears (checking for positive and false positive signs) and work as appropriate to the clients comfort.

Just another great way that the Universal College of Reflexology’s highly trained Ear Reflexologists can make a potential life saving difference!