Reflexology helps with conquering stress and achieving balance...
Let’s face it...
....there is a lot of stress in most of our lives--it's epidemic! In terms of health, stress is almost always part of the underlying cause of disease.
Reflexology creates a state of deep relaxation. Most people are surprised at the end of a session that they feel as though they have had a full-body massage (that's because, indirectly, they have!). It's best not to schedule a lot of errands, etc., following a session.
Reflexology endeavors to treat the body, mind, emotions and spirit as a cohesive system by getting to the cause of disease, not just its symptoms. Reflexology possesses the capacity to cancel out the effects of stress while it helps the body to reach a place of deep relaxation where it can balance the body systems.
Through the relaxation process the body is more capable of dealing with the stresses placed on it by daily living as well as illnesses. Reflexology gently nudges the body towards improved functioning of the system by improving lymphatic drainage and venous circulation, stimulation to the nerve pathways, and muscle relaxation.
Studies show...
The grim reality of stress is showing up in more and more scientific studies like one by the American Medical Association that reported stress was a factor in 75% of all diseases. A recent study even linked the effects of stress to weakening of the heart muscle. Stress can originate not only from the daily pressures of life but also from toxins in the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the medications we are taking. Reflexology can be a natural, low cost option to offsetting the effects of stress on heart and overall health.
In a report on reflexology research published at www.reflexology-research.com, a Chinese study demonstrated how reflexology efficiently alleviated the effects of extreme stress. Twenty patients being treated for neurasthenia, a condition of extreme emotional stress-- were given a course of reflexology at the hospital’s department of physiotherapy. The treatments focused on areas of the feet relating to the adrenal glands, kidneys, bladder, sinus, brain and heart organs that are compromised by the effects of stress and were given daily for a week with the following results presented at the China reflexology symposium in July, 1993: 40 percent experienced a complete cure; 35 percent were greatly improved; 15 percent mildly improved; and 10 percent reporting no change at all.
In the August, 2004 edition of Great Life magazine it was reported that Duke University Medical Center researchers in Durham, N.C. studied the effects of stress on hearts in a clinical trial that monitored the reaction of the heart to everyday events.
Another study determined a link between depression and impaired heart health. Researchers at Emory University, Atlanta, Ga., and Yale University, New Haven, Conn., recently studied 50 pairs of male twins by hooking them up to electrocardiograms for 24 hours. They concluded a link existed between depression and reduced heart rate variability (HRV) or fluctuations between heartbeats. Decreased HRV can weaken the heart and make it more susceptible to sudden fatalities.
Reflexology can be a natural, low cost option to offsetting the effects of stress on heart and overall health. Reflexology works to treat the body, mind, emotions and spirit as a cohesive system by getting to the cause of disease not its symptoms. Reflexology possesses the capacity to cancel out the effects of stress while it helps the body to reach a place of deep relaxation where it can balance the body systems.
Massage Alternative...
Reflexology feels great throughout your entire body and nearly everyone is a candidate for reflexology. Even people who are not candidates for massage therapy due to physical restrictions or who may be inhibited about disrobing are comfortable with foot, hand or outer ear reflexology. Reflexology is not massage. With reflexology, all you remove is footwear.
Sources:
"Reflexology and Stress" By Thomacine Haywood from website of Phyllis A. Garvey
"Reflexology FAQ" adapted from article by Phyllis A.. Garvey
