history of reflexology
Reflexology: Formal assessment 1.
“Explain the history of reflexology and compare the key theories of reflexology and their influences on modern day complementary therapies”
After researching reflexology extensively I have discovered many possible places of origin as far back as 2330BC. The oldest documentation that could be interpreted as the practice of reflexology was brought back to Europe in 1979 by Dr Gwendolyn Raines. It consists of an Egyptian papyrus scene dating from 2500BC and depicts the treating of hands and feet of patients by medical practitioners. In the tomb at Saqqara of the physician Ankmahor, an influential official second only to the king, there is a wall painting depicting the possible practice of reflexology. Reflexology was believed to be practised in India over 5000 years ago and taken to China via travelling monks and here an early acupuncture was being used alongside digit techniques. There is neither an exact founder nor origin of reflexology yet it has stood the test of vast time and helped thousands of people to better health.
The dictionary definition of Reflex is “an involuntary or instinctive movement in response to a stimuli” or in the sense of reflection or mirror image. The reflexes on our feet and hands act as mirror images of the body. The term reflexology was coined in 1917 after Russian Ivan Pavlov concluded that health was affected by eternal stimuli, after teaming up with Vladimir Behterev, the term reflexology was found, yet still wasn’t widely used until the 1960’s.
In the early 1900’s “Zone therapy” was discovered and its use in health care. Zone therapy came from building upon previous research by Sir Henry Head of the nervous system. Sir Henry Head had discovered that areas of skin which had increased sensitivity to pain (HyperAlgesia) have links to diseased internal organs. The nerves surrounding the organ and the skin were connected as they were from the same segment of the spinal cord- becoming known as
“Explain the history of reflexology and compare the key theories of reflexology and their influences on modern day complementary therapies”
After researching reflexology extensively I have discovered many possible places of origin as far back as 2330BC. The oldest documentation that could be interpreted as the practice of reflexology was brought back to Europe in 1979 by Dr Gwendolyn Raines. It consists of an Egyptian papyrus scene dating from 2500BC and depicts the treating of hands and feet of patients by medical practitioners. In the tomb at Saqqara of the physician Ankmahor, an influential official second only to the king, there is a wall painting depicting the possible practice of reflexology. Reflexology was believed to be practised in India over 5000 years ago and taken to China via travelling monks and here an early acupuncture was being used alongside digit techniques. There is neither an exact founder nor origin of reflexology yet it has stood the test of vast time and helped thousands of people to better health.
The dictionary definition of Reflex is “an involuntary or instinctive movement in response to a stimuli” or in the sense of reflection or mirror image. The reflexes on our feet and hands act as mirror images of the body. The term reflexology was coined in 1917 after Russian Ivan Pavlov concluded that health was affected by eternal stimuli, after teaming up with Vladimir Behterev, the term reflexology was found, yet still wasn’t widely used until the 1960’s.
In the early 1900’s “Zone therapy” was discovered and its use in health care. Zone therapy came from building upon previous research by Sir Henry Head of the nervous system. Sir Henry Head had discovered that areas of skin which had increased sensitivity to pain (HyperAlgesia) have links to diseased internal organs. The nerves surrounding the organ and the skin were connected as they were from the same segment of the spinal cord- becoming known as