In naturopathy, the treatment of reflex zones on the human body has long been an option in the therapeutic spectrum that is frequently used. The reflex zones are interconnected with the internal organs. Thus, by touching them on the surface of the skin, diagnoses can be made and pain-relieving, metabolism-stimulating and healing treatments can be carried out. In what way the reflex zones are so closely connected with other areas of the body, can not yet be sufficiently extensively described.
What are reflex zones?
In naturopathy, the treatment of reflex zones on the human body has long been an option in the spectrum of therapies that is frequently used. The best known in our country today are the reflex zones on the feet. The various forms of treatment of reflex zones on the body have been used for thousands of years in very different parts of the world. Reflexology belongs to experiential medicine and folk medicine. Ancient cultures such as the Incas and the Romans knew about it. Also in the Asian area the treatment of the reflex zones occupies an important position since ancient times. In Europe, the first written documents about reflexology exist from the 16th century. The physician Dr. Fitzgerald, who lived from 1872 to 1942, was the first to collect the worldwide knowledge about reflex zones and compiled it in a descriptive way. This resulted in a picture of the human body, which can be divided into ten areas from the head to the soles of the feet, symmetrically present in both halves of the body. Fitzgerald also described to his zone concept the relationships of the reflex zones, which they have to other regions on and in the body and to the internal organs. This description of the reflex zones on the human body is still valid today. Today, many alternative practitioners, doctors and physiotherapists treat their patients on this basis. The treatment of reflex zones belongs to the regulatory therapies.
Function and task
By touching with the hands and massaging the skin areas, the self-healing powers of the organism are stimulated. In total, there are about 30 systems of reflex zones that can be stimulated through the skin surface. The best known are the reflex zones on the feet and hands. But there are also therapeutically effective skin zones on the ears, back and in the chest and abdominal area, which are called dermatomes or reflex zones. Before a reflex zone treatment, the therapist can determine possible disturbances in the function of the internal organs or in the musculoskeletal system by palpating the skin segments. In case of diseases, there are hardenings in the muscles, skin changes in the respective reflex zone or the patient reacts with an inappropriate pain reaction when only slight pressure is applied to the tissue lying under the skin. Therapists can use these deviations from the normal state for diagnostic purposes. For example, the entire human being, with all his organs and structures, is also represented on the foot. Therefore, numerous disease patterns can be successfully treated via foot reflexology. Why this succeeds, as with other systems of reflex zones, is not satisfactorily explainable with the present scientific approach until today. It is probably an energetic interaction of muscles, tendons, skin and nerves, in which impulses are transmitted into the interior of the body to the diseased organs and tissues. In the middle of the 20th century, the physiotherapist Eunice Ingham worked intensively with Dr. Fitzgerald’s findings on the foot reflex zones. She achieved numerous successes in treating patients. Mrs. Ingham wrote down her observations and findings and modified the treatment by introducing certain grip and pressure techniques in the manual therapy of the reflex zones. Hanne Marquard was trained by Eunice Ingham and made reflexology a well-known alternative medical method in Germany as well. In addition to massage, there are other forms of treatment of the reflex zones. Often injections with homeopathic medicines are placed in certain skin segments, which are supposed to stimulate the body to heal itself via the interconnectedness of the reflex zones. Painting symbols or tattooing on the skin of one or more reflex zones was already practiced in ancient folk medicine.Tattoos of this type were found on the more than 5,000-year-old Neolithic glacier mummy found in the Ötztal Alps in 1991.
Diseases and ailments
Increasingly, the treatment of reflex zones is used in naturopathic practices for a whole range of diseases. Commonly used today are massages and injections to achieve therapeutic success. Thus, even with a pronounced arthrosis in the knee or hip, a treatment can improve the mobility of the diseased joints. In addition, reflexology is particularly well suited to relieve pain. Reflexology can stimulate the activity of kidneys and liver, regulate the digestive activity of stomach, intestines, pancreas and gall bladder. In the case of chronic bladder and urinary tract infections, the stimulation of the corresponding reflex zones can achieve a retuning of the organism. Other areas of application of reflex zone therapy are:
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Respiratory diseases
- Climacteric complaints
- Inflammations
- Nervous diseases
- Diseases of the reproductive organs
- General stimulation of the metabolism and purification and detoxification.
In most cases, several applications of reflexology are necessary to achieve a lasting effect. Usually two treatments per week are scheduled. Those who are interested in the reflex zones and the possibilities to alleviate and heal diseases through these skin areas, can read up and apply treatments on the foot on themselves and family members. Children, in particular, respond very directly to massage of the appropriate reflex zones for health conditions.
