Reflexology, an ancient Chinese massage technique used on the feet, is going through a popularity surge as it emerges as one of the leading holistic therapies to release stress and pain. This method is practiced on various areas of your feet or even your hands as well as other parts of the body. The massage is known to stimulate the nervous system in a positive manner helping people experience relief from muscular stress and aches as well as being characterized as one of the top products for depression. While reflexology has only recently gained popularity in the Western part of the world, it has been used by Chinese practice for over 3,000 years. The massage is aimed at correctly aligning forces flowing through your body and has been used to treat a whole variety of health and mental conditions. In fact, one of the biggest benefits of reflexology is that it can be used along with western medicine without any fear of side effects.
What Does Reflexology Involve
When you go for reflexology, you may have to go for an initial phase of consultation wherein a reflexology massage specialist will ask you various questions about your health, medical history like chemical imbalance, diet and lifestyle. Then, the reflexologist will apply gentle pressure on your feet to determine which parts of your body aren’t functioning in the required manner.
These sessions could last for anything between 30 minutes to an hour depending on which area of your body you are getting massaged. In fact, many reflexologists may also continue your reflexology massage across several sessions just to get the treatment spot on.
How Does Reflexology Work
Reflexology massage therapy is a form of treatment based on the use of the nervous system. Our feet and hands have several sensitive nerve endings also known as reflex zones. These nerve endings have intricate correspondences with various parts of the body.
The matter of the fact is that to completely understand the benefits of reflexology, you must understand that its working principles are very different from those of western medicine. This kind of reflexology is a great way to stimulate the body and improve circulation so the body can heal itself. However, the part of your foot or palm that must be massaged to stimulate different parts of your body are usually different. So it is important for you to select a reflexologist who knows what he/she is doing before going for treatment.
One of the leading benefits of reflexology is that it boosts energy leaves when you are feeling really low and vulnerable to stress. This boost to sluggish circulation can cure problems such as back pain, anxiety, stress, migraine, respiratory problems, irritable bowel syndrome, weak digestion, headaches, asthma, period pain, menopausal symptoms, bladder problems and lots more. This list of benefits of reflexology gets only longer when you speak to other people who have already had the treatment. This treatment is known to be a great way to relieve pain from cancer treatments as well as multiple sclerosis.
However, it should not be replaced by commercial forms of treatment such as chemotherapy.