On-Line Reflexology Training & Certification

Reflexology Educators, Mentors and Coaches since 1991

Reflexology back in vogue

By Leave a Comment

As young Shanghainese discover the health benefits of foot reflexology, this ancient traditional Chinese treatment is coming back into vogue in a big way, writes Xu Wei.

At the spacious room of Shu Ya liang Zi Foot Therapy, a professional healthcare chain, customers enjoy a 90-minute, 88-yuan (US$10.6) service which includes soaking the feet in a special bath steeped with 28 kinds of Chinese herbal medicines and a hand-and-foot massage. It’s a therapy that leaves customers in a state of utter relaxation, both physically and mentally.

“Foot therapy is an ideal treatment, advocated by the World Health Organization,” says Li Xueren, director of the chain. “With people’s rising awareness of the quality of their lives, we have witnessed a considerable increase in our customers, who are eager to gain the health benefits from the bottom of their feet.”

The majority of its 22,000 permanent customers, according to Li, are white-collar workers who are obsessed with the pressure of work and eager to find out an outlet for release. (Shanghai Daily News 5th April 2004)

Reflexology & Recovery

By Leave a Comment

According to a 1994 Swiss medical report, foot Reflexology is one of the most useful treatments for post operative gynaecological patients. The researchers demonstrated that reflexology enhances urination, stimulates bowel movements and so aids recovery. Patients who received reflexology treatment also showed a much less need for medication than patients in the control group.

– Kesselring A. (foot reflex zone massage) Fussreflexzonemassage. Schweiz med Wochenschr suppl (SWITZERLAND) 1994, 62 p88-93

For more reflexology information enjoy reading How did Today’s Health System Evolve? in the Research & Articles Section

Reflexology & Angina

By Leave a Comment

Foot reflexology applied during an active onset of angina and observed with EKG showed disappearance of symptoms and a change to T-waves in V1.3 elevated from depressed T-waves and T-waves in V5 inverted upright from an inversion of T-waves. Following a 10-day course of daily 50 minute foot reflexology sessions, nocturnal attacks of premature beats were relieved though premature beats still occurred occasionally.

Bing-zhao, Zhang, “Effect of Foot Massage on a Patient with Angina Observing with EKG; A Case Report,” 1994 China Reflexology Symposium Report, China Reflexology Association, Beijing, p. 53 (Outpatient Dept., Senile Convalescent Hospital, Shenyang, China)

Premenstrual Symptoms

By Leave a Comment

Randomized Controlled Study of Premenstrual Symptoms Treated with Ear, Hand and Foot Reflexology

By Terry Oleson PhD and William Flocco, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vol. 82, No. 6, December 1993

This study was designed to determine whether reflexology treatment can significantly reduce premenstrual symptoms compared to a placebo treatment. Thirty-five women who complained of previous distress with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) were randomly assigned to be treated by ear, hand and foot reflexology or to receive placebo reflexology. All subjects completed a daily diary, which monitored 38 premenstrual symptoms on a four-point scale.

Somatic and psychological indicators of premenstrual distress were recorded each day for 2 months before treatment, for 2 months during reflexology treatment, and for 2 months afterward. The reflexology sessions for both groups were provided by trained reflexology therapist once a week for 8 weeks, and lasted 30 minutes each. Results: Analysis of Variance for repeated measures demonstrated a significantly greater decrease in premenstrual symptoms for the women given true reflexology than for the women in the placebo group.

The treatment group showed a 46% reduction in premenstrual symptoms, which was sustained at 41% during the post treatment period. It was concluded that ear, hand and foot reflexology is an appropriate therapy for the treatment of PMS.

Pope John Paul II received Foot Reflexology

By Leave a Comment

On November 26, 2003, on the recommendation of the Taiwan ambassador to the Vatican, Reverend Josef Eugster, who is originally from Switzerland but who has lived in Taiwan for decades, made his first visit into the bedroom of Pope John Paul II. Reverend Eugster situated himself at the feet of Pope John Paul II and began giving the pope a foot massage. “I told the pope that foot reflexology is the way that I spread the gospel in Taiwan,” Reverend Eugster said.

“When I was massaging his feet, I was not nervous in the least. It was only later that day after I had left the pope that it dawned on me that I had just given a massage to someone who I revered. It was at that time that I became so excited that I could not asleep that evening,” he said. Reverend Eugster is well known throughout Taiwan for his method of spreading the word of Catholicism via foot reflexology. The reverend’s keen skills in foot massage have long set him apart from other members of the Church throughout Taiwan. However, never in his wildest dreams did he think that one day his massaging talents would be precisely what would get him through the doors of the Vatican in to see the pope.

In relating the story, Reverend Eugster said it all began with the recommendation that was provided by the Taiwan ambassador to the Vatican. In 2003, the ambassador took it upon himself to write a letter to the bishop that was responsible for taking care of the pope. In the letter, the ambassador wrote that there is a reverend in Taiwan who uses foot reflexology as a means to spread the word of the Church. He said that he hoped that the Vatican would give the reverend an opportunity to try and come to the aid of the pope. The ambassador wrote such a letter twice, but did not get any response. The third time he wrote to the bishop, however, he received a reply.

At the time, Reverend Eugster was in the Vatican attending a conference on depression. The first person to meet with him was quite a tall cardinal. To test out the reverend’s skills, the cardinal put out his feet and asked Reverend Eugster to give him a foot massage. After Reverend Eugster massaged the cardinal’s foot, he informed the cardinal of what he believed were the health problems the cardinal faced. The cardinal was extremely surprised that Reverend Eugster was able to discern his health issues simply through foot reflexology. After that experience, two other bishops came to see the reverend and once again he correctly identified the health problems facing the two of them. Having been successful on time occasions, Reverend Eugster finally was given the opportunity to have an audience with the pope.

“Actually, at the time what I was concerned about the most is that the pope for many years had been afflicted with diabetes as well as Parkinson’s disease. I worried that the bottom of his foot had lost a good portion of their ability to react. If this happened to be the case, there would be no way that I could be of any help,” Reverend Eugster said. “Luckily, when I began massaging the big toe of the pope, I noticed an expression on his face that indicated an ache. I then told the pope that this meant that he usually did not sleep well,” the reverend said. Reverend Eugster added that on that day, he spent about 20 or 30 minutes massaging the various pressure points on the soles of the pope’s feet. One by one, he explained to the pope in German about how the sensations from this or that pressure point indicated various problems, including problems associated with his vocal chords, spine and knees.

“The pope did not speak much during the time when I was massaging his feet. He only nodded or made short remarks indicating that he understand the explanations that I was providing him,” Reverend Eugster said. “I do not know whether there was anyone else thereafter who massaged the pope’s feet. However, the ambassador did tell me that two weeks later, the pope’s voice had improved quite a bit and that he was able to lift his head more than he had in the past. Reverend Eugster continues to perform foot massage and instruct others on the benefits of it. When asked if the experience of massaging the pope’s feet changed him in any way, Reverend Eugster said that at least now other people realize that there is nothing wrong with foot reflexology.

Date: 2005/04/04 11:34:16
SOURCE: Liberty Times

Editors Note: I have personally met and received Reflexology from Fr Josef Eugster and the word Reflexology and Massage are used interchangeably by Fr Josef.

New Reflexology Path at Bastyr University, Seattle, Washington

By Leave a Comment

Everyone knows there’s nothing like a good foot massage. But at Bastyr University, a new pathway studded with jutting, smooth river stones is intended to offer more than relaxation.

“It’s preventive medicine”, says Elizabeth Marazita, a licensed acupuncturist and a doctoral student in oriental medicine at Bastyr. Marazita designed the new path to mimic those found throughout China and Asia.

The path, one of the few in North America, is constructed based on the principles of reflexology, an ancient Asian therapy that links health and well-being to specific points on the feet, hands and ears.

Reflexologists use the foot as a guide to overall health, applying pressure to areas that correspond to vital organs, muscles, glands and nerves

“Just as we know what a football field is, everybody in China knows what a reflexology path is,” Marazita said. Slowly traversing the winding trail of stones — about 2 inches high — kneads sore muscles, breaks down toxins and helps build immunities, says Marazita.

Like a deep tissue massage, walking on the rocks is not always comfortable, but it can help identify tender areas of the foot that need attention.

“If I feel it in the foot, it’s something that might show up later,” Marazita said. “It’s an area of imbalance.”

Elizabeth Marazita, a licensed acupuncturist and a doctoral student in oriental medicine, designed the reflexology “Walk of Health.” During her walk last week, Marazita said she could feel the effects of indulging in junk food at the Puyallup Fair in her heel, an area linked to digestion.

The better shape you’re in, the less pain and wincing you’ll experience along the way, Marazita said.

“My 2-year-old can run this thing,” she said. Marazita, a former international banker who worked and lived in China for four years, first noticed reflexology paths in Taipei, Taiwan, during a break from a business meeting. An elderly man was walking a path the length of a football field constructed almost entirely of 3-inch-high stones — a difficulty level comparable to black diamond ski runs, said Marazita. (Bastyr’s path is considered moderately difficult).

Located at the edge of Bastyr’s herb garden, the pathway mimics therapeutic walkways found in Asia.

Located at the edge of Bastyr’s herb garden, the path is 3 feet wide and 64 feet long. The concrete at the entrance is carved to read “Walk of Health” in Chinese, with the symbols for the five Chinese elements — earth, metal, fire, water and wood.
Benches are set up for those who need a break along the path.

“It’s like walking in a riverbed,” said Virgil Miller, an herbal sciences student at Bastyr earlier this week.

Marazita suggests drinking plenty of water throughout the day after finishing the walk.

Only North Dakota and Tennessee license reflexologists. Three years ago, Washington state added an exemption to the law for reflexologists, allowing them to practice without a massage therapy license, according to Lisa Dowling, president of the Washington Reflexology Association.

“The path is great because people can go and do reflexology on their own feet just by walking on it,” Dowling said. “It’s like a type of self-care.”

WHERE TO WALK

The Walk of Health is located at the edge of the herb garden on the Bastyr University campus, 14500 Juanita Drive N.E. in Kenmore. The path is free and open to the public.

By JULIE DAVIDOW
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER