Reflexology is believed to have been used in China, India and Egypt as long ago as 5000 years. It was brought to the US by Dr. William Fitzgerald during the 1920s, and has continued to flourish as a treatment option to this day.Reflexology theory holds that your entire body is mapped out onto your feet. When certain points are massaged, corresponding areas of your body will be effected. All treatments involve a Chinese Medical diagnosis so that appropriate areas can be massaged for each individual patient. Much like other forms of Chinese medicine, Reflexology is a system that treats the body as a whole, not just the symptoms of a biomedical complaint.
Reflexology has been shown to be an effective treatment for digestive disorders, headaches, various body pains and more!
If you receive a reflexology treatment, always make sure to drink plenty of water following treatment as uric acid that has settled into your feet due to gravity will be released during your treatment! Much like after a massage, if these chemicals are not diluted by water you consume, you may experience feelings of nausea or muscle aches.
Does this work for dogs as well? I'm guessing that it's probably not as well mapped out, but that sounds really cool!
ReplyDeleteTo tell you the truth, I've never tried reflexology on pets! I would assume that the map is the same, since their energy pathways are the same. I'm not sure how easy it would be to do reflexology on a pet since many of them don't like to have their feet touched, but I may have to give it a try! Great idea!
ReplyDeleteI'm planning on bringing Heffner in to see you in the fall to get a little tune-up before I start trialing him again (he doesn't like the heat so he gets the summer off) and maybe you could try it then? He's really great about having his feet handled.
ReplyDeleteThat would lovely! I would love to see how it might work on a dog patient!
ReplyDeletethe massage practitioner I visit does a reflexology treatment before massage to see what areas need work. it's my favorite part of the session.
ReplyDeleteI did chuckle at the thought of trying it on my pup though. He considers his feet to be off-limits. :)