| Please go to the following link for an updated website The Science of Reflexology - Zone Theory, Meridian Theory, Nerve Theory, Homeostasis Theory
(History section below)
There are 26 bones in each human foot and approximately 7,200 nerve endings. The body comprises a total of 206 bones.
If you receive a reflexology session on both feet, over one third of all the bones of the body have been worked in some way and 7,200 nerve endings have been contacted in each foot!
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| There are 27 bones in each human hand (one more bone appears in the wrist as compared to the feet).
There are 48 named nerves in the hands. When the hand is kept wet (for example, in the bath) the skin of the palm wrinkles. Why? The exact mechanism is not known, but it is clearly controlled by nerves.
When the nerve which supplies feeling to an area of skin on the palm is cut, that area of skin not only becomes numb, loses its ability to wrinkle when wet. It also loses the the ability to sweat.
If you receive a reflexology session on both your hands AND feet, over half the bones in your entire body have received care, attention, and relaxation, not to mention enervation of the nervous system also (perhaps after a reflexology session we should call it the 'relaxed' system). :-))
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| A reflexologist who knows how to work with your ears is only interested in the outer parts! There are no bones in the outer ear, auricle or 'pinna', simply cartilage and skin.
However modern reflexology practitioners have seen a resurgence of an approach embraced for over 2,500 years within traditional Chinese medicine. The human ear is seen to represent an upside-down fetus (the head being at the earlobe), points on the ears are the reflex points relating to different parts of the body. | 
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It may seem like a strange idea, but it's a really calming experience. Try it, you might like it! | |
Zone Theory - designed by Dr. William Fitzgerald.
The Zone Theory states that the foot is linked to the body with nerve endings and that those nerve endings correspond to zones on the body. There are ten vertical zones that correspond to the fingers and toes. In the Zone Theory applying pressure to a certain finger or toe yields an effect on a body part within that zone. | 
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Also in the Zone Theory it is believed the soles of feet show a map of the human anatomy (when placed side by side). This theory seems to work in case studies but there is no nationally recognised scientific evidence supporting the Zone Theory.
Recently on an Oprah show Dr Oz mentioned validating MRI research which indicates that if stimulation is applied to the eye 'reflex' on the foot, the corresponding area of the brain lights up on the MRI.
Meridian Theory - comes from Chinese medicine and relies on the belief that there are a number of invisible energy pathways, or meridians, that carry life force or energy, known as 'chi'. When these pathways are blocked illness results.
Reflexology is used to release blockages and allow a clear flow of energy throughout the body. This theory is based on the idea that most of the major energy pathways begin or end in the feet and hands.
The meridian theory is also applied when practicing acupuncture (use of needles on the meridian points) and accupressure (deep pressure on the meridian points).
Using this theory, a full reflexology session working on both the hands and feet will contact all 12 meridians.
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| Nerve Theory, Nerve Endings, Crystals
When reflexology is performed the sensory receptors in the patient's feet are stimulated and impulses are sent through the nervous system. Because the hands and feet have an incredible number of nerve endings the stimulation has far reaching effects.
This explains why pressing an area on a persons hand or foot could have an effect on another part of the body. Also it has been shown that applied pressure to a foot helps energy flow, improves blood and lymph supply, and “promotes neurological stimulation to the affected area” (Stillerman).
There are chemicals in the body called endorphins that suppress pain “by blocking the transmission of pain impulses from one neuron to another.” The Canadian scientist Professor Pomeranz discovered that acupuncture set these chemicals free. Reflexology works the same way but with the use of pressure rather than needles.
It is also believed that nerve endings are unable to transmit their impulses because of crytalline deposits that build up and block their pathway. Certainly most reflexologists will concur that areas of a foot can feel 'crunchy' when worked, and that the deposits can be 'cleared' during a reflexology session.
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Homeostasis Theory
This theory is based on the view that the human body is programmed at a cellular level to attempt to move back into 'homeostasis', or healthy balance - no matter how hard a job we make it for ourselves sometimes!
Reflexology can assist the body back into balance by stimulating a system, or systems, that may be out of balance for whatever reason.
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| History of Reflexology | | 
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This scene is found in the physician’s tomb at Saqqara in Egypt. The translation of the hieroglyphics are as follows: "Don’t hurt me." The practitioner’s reply:- " I shall act so you praise me. " A good path for any reflexology practitioner to follow!
Of course, this is an interpretation from the viewpoint of our culture and time and the framework of reflexology, but it is clear from both the inscription and the picture that some kind of hand and foot work is in progress.
Reflexology practice has been recorded and practiced worldwide in many countries. The term 'reflexology' was said to have been first mentioned in the modern world by a Russian scientist called Vladimir Mikhailovich Bekhterev, b. 1858, d. 1927. He was a specialist both in neurology and psychiatry. (Ref: Collective Reflexology, the Complete Edition, Vladimir Mikhailovich Bekhterev).
Some other names connected with reflexology throughout recorded history include Dr Cornelius of Germany, Dr William Fitzgerald of the USA, his student Dr Joe Shelby Riley (also a chiropractor) and Eunice Ingham.
Should you engage a reflexology practitioner outside the USA, many different styles and approaches abound, from the use of strong and intense pressure to use of tools, crystals, oils, dry powder and even cupping mechanisms and 'boots'.
Reflexology was also used by the American Indian tribes. For the Bear Clan, Cherokees from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, feet are important. "Your feet walk upon the earth and through this your spirit is connected to the universe. Our feet are our contact with the earth and the energies that flow through it".
The style of reflexology performed by this practitioner is based on the work of Eunice D. Ingham amongst others. Eunice Ingham (b: 1889, d: 1974) was a groundbreaking force in the establishment of reflexology as a compliment to Western medicine in the United States. She worked closely with Dr William Fitzgerald, the proponent of the Zone Theory profession to validate the result of her work and carefully compiled a number of case studies. Her nephew, Dwight Byers, continues to lead her school of reflexology in St Petersburg, FL, to this day. |
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