WORLD REFLEXOLOGY WEEK 19th-25th SEPTEMBER 2022…

WORLD REFLEXOLOGY WEEK – 19^th – 25^th September – World Reflexology Week takes place every year in the last full week in September. It is about promoting reflexology and raising awareness of reflexology among the public on a global level. At the AoR they always have members across the UK who run events offering taster sessions of reflexology; either for free or for a small donation.

The main benefits of reflexology are that it unblocks energy channels and has a relaxing effect. It can also stimulate the body’s own healing mechanisms and help with pain relief.

Records dating back as far as 2,700BC show that ancient Eastern Chinese Cultures practised massage to heal a number of ailments. Egyptian tombs have also been discovered to have images of figures being massaged. It is also well known that Julius Caesar underwent daily massages to treat nerve pain.

William Fitzgerald developed the ‘zone theory’ after finding that he could induce numbness and reduce certain symptoms in the body by simply applying pressure to specific points on the hands and mouth.

The zones are throughout the body with the head having five zones on each side. All the zones lie in each finger and thumb and the theory is that energy travels through the zones and these have an energy connection to all organs, muscles, blood supplies, nerve cells and different tissue types. Disturbances in any of your body will affect these zones so applying pressure on your hands and feet to these zones it will stimulate the flow of energy back through your body to the area that needs it.

The neck which is highly prone to tension could respond well to reflexology. To work on your neck reflex cup one thumb in the other hand so that it is resting between your index and middle fingers. Use your working thumb to walk along the bone of the thumb from the first to the second joint. Make seven small steps along the bones, to represent the seven vertebrae in the neck.

Reflexology is a non-invasive complementary health therapy that can be effective in promoting deep relaxation and wellbeing; reducing stress in people’s lives can be key in optimising good health and building resilience. It is a touch therapy that is based on the theory that different points on the feet, lower leg, hands, face or ears correspond with different areas of the body and reflexologists work these points and areas.

However reflexology is viewed, there can be no doubt that what it does provide is a period of time for relaxation where the client has one-to-one attention and supportive touch in an empathetic listening environment. Reflexology can be used safely alongside standard healthcare to promote better health for their clients.

Love Reflexology writes some ways you can share what reflexology is and how it can support your clients including:

Hosting taster treatments;
Giving a talk to a local group (this could be online or in-person);
Writing a blog;
Contacting a local radio station to talk about reflexology;
Sharing information on your social media pages.

There has never been a better time to promote reflexology as more people are seeking out ways to boost their well-being following the challenging two years everyone has lived through.

Pub Med wrote that data collected showed pain intensity scores were reduced by reflexology, and this decrease improved progressively in the first and sixth weeks of the intervention, indicating a cumulative dose effect. The results of the study implied that the inclusion of reflexology in the routine care of patients with fibromyalgia could provide nurses with an effective practice for reducing pain intensity in these patients.