what is reflexology?
Reflexology is a gentle, non-invasive holistic therapy, which is said to ha
ve originated in China 5000 years ago. However the oldest documentation we have depicting reflexology was unearthed in Egypt and is dated around 2350 BC. The existence of a book by Dr Adamus in 1582 indicates that a form of reflex technique was known and practised in Europe - particularly in the countries of central Europe at this time. The 18th century saw the emergence of science and medicine as we know it today, and subsequently the ideas behind reflexology began to gather momentum too. Pioneering research began into the body's nervous system and its reflexes; in 1893 Sir Henry Head published his discoveries; 'the bladder' he wrote 'can be excited to action by stimulating the sole of the foot...'. Two other British researchers also made great progress in understanding how the nervous system co-ordinates and dominates the functioning of the body and they received the Nobel prize for their discoveries. By the 20th century Dr William Fitzgerald, generally considered the 'Father' of reflexology discovered the body could be divided into 10 longitudinal zones, and that by working on one zone he could elicit a response from everything else in that zone. As a surgeon he carried numerous operations without the use of of anaesthesia, instead creating an analgesic effect through the stimulation of reflexes.