Reflexology

ISBN 0-435-45104-9

This is an essential text book for those studying for this qualification, it is also a useful guide for those already qualified.

This text book provides all the information required for anyone studying for any reflexology qualification. The book guides you through the practical procedure and the essential underpinning knowledge in addition it has full colour diagrams illustrating the reflex areas of the feet and hands .

The contents include:  

• preparation for treatment
• consultation
• manual and visual assessment
• contraindications to treatment
• anatomy and physiology of the feet and all body systems
• the reflexology procedure
• locating reflex points
• contra-actions and aftercare

It also includes the essentials of setting up and operating a business.

Review from Guild News 2002

Reflexology is a useful guide for students and practising reflexologists, fully covering the VTCT Diploma and providing a clear and comprehensive route through both this and all other Reflexology courses.

Author Susan Cressy has worked with students in beauty and holistic therapy for seventeen years and information in the book is aimed to answer the common questions she has come across over the years. The book published by Heinemann, provides a comprehensive source of reference for the student, teacher and qualified reflexologist and covers the practice of reflexology, the importance of consultation, client care and the provision of aftercare service.

This concise publication includes an entire section on essential anatomy and physiology of the foot and hand, with illustrations depicting maps of the feet and hands and detailed full colour photography demonstrating reflex actions related to specific organs. Information on body systems and their corresponding reflex points helps the reader to understand the body and how it works - essential for anyone looking to work professionally.

In addition to providing a vast amount of information on the practical aspects of reflexology, Susan Cressy has also included two sections on business practice to advise those who, once qualified, wish to open their own salon. Guidance is supplied on health and safety, creating a business plan and marketing, as well as recruiting staff and establishing a retail line.

As a learning tool the book offers practice tips and assessment at the end of each section. Case studies include personal profiles of clients, their condition and the reflexology treatment they received. There are two additional case studies which students can complete using the information provided and what they have learnt from the previous chapters.

Sample pages from Reflexology:

The History of Reflexology

The practise of reflexology has been evident, from previous research, throughout history and it has appeared in different ages and cultures from east to west. The earliest records and the oldest documentation have been found in Egypt in picture form on the walls of tombs. There is a scene depicting the possible practice of reflexology, which appears on the wall of a tomb at Saqqara. This tomb belonged to Ankhmahor, a highly respected physician and influential official, second only to the king. It is also depicted on papyrus showing medical practitioners treating patients’ hands and feet in 2,500 B.C. Egyptian medical practitioners were renowned throughout the world for their expertise and their work was well documented by the artists of the day.

Reflexology was also practised in ancient India and it is said that the Buddhist monks who travelled to China took with them the techniques and practice of reflexology and some time later they continued to Japan, spreading their teaching.

The Chinese had been using acupuncture for healing and had divided the body into longitudinal meridians, which they said constituted the body’s energy system, by 2500 BC. Those practising acupuncture believed that pain or illness was caused when one or more of theses meridians were blocked, disrupting the body’s natural flow of energy and creating an imbalance. The acupuncturist used needles to unblock this energy flow. The Japanese used a form of pressure massage called Shiatsu to achieve the same effects. Instead of using needles they applied pressure, using fingers or thumbs to the acupuncture meridian points and this helped to unblock the energy flow in the same way.

Although there is no evidence to support it, there is a theory that a form of reflexology was passed down to the native Americans by the Incas. The Cherokee Indians have practised a form of reflex pressure on the feet to heal and balance for centuries. Evidence of the development of Reflexology in the United States by Dr. William Fitzgerald is well documented. In 1895 Dr. Fitzgerald completed a medical degree at the University of Vermont, he then practised medicine for two and a half years in Boston before going to London. After two and a half years at the Central London Nose and Throat Hospital he worked in Vienna as an assistant to Professors Adam Pollitzer and Otto Chiari. Returning to the United States he worked as head of the Nose and Throat Department of St. Francis Hospital in Connecticut.

It was during this time that he claims to have discovered zone therapy. Whilst working with patients he discovered that applying pressure to certain points in the nose, mouth, throat and on the tongue deadened the sensation in certain areas of the body. He also found that exerting pressure on the hands and feet produced pain relief. These discoveries led him to map out areas of the body and their connections as well as noting the conditions affected by the pressure points and call it zone therapy. He divided the body into ten equal longitudinal zones, which ran from the top of the head to the tips of the toes and used these for their anaesthetic effect. His findings show that those parts of the body that are in each zone are linked by a flow of energy and the parts of the body in each zone can therefore have an affect on each other.

He worked closely with a colleague Dr. Edwin Bowers demonstrating their theories and writing articles and books describing and explaining the principles of ‘zone therapy’.