Just before Christmas I was treated to the Wellbeing package at Redwoods Health Therapies in Winchester. The package included an hour of reflexology, followed by an hour full body relaxation massage with essential oils, completed by an hour Dermalogica Prescriptive Facial. After three hours of pampering, I was pretty chilled out.
I had already had an aromatherapy massage in October and blogged about the Eight Benefits of Massage, however, I had never experienced reflexology before.
What is reflexology?
Reflexology is an alternative therapy that works when pressure is applied to the feet, hands and ear to stimulate different parts of the body. The foot is divided into zones, and each zone correlates to an organ or area of the body. For example, the liver zone is located on the right foot as this organ is on the right side of the body. Applied pressure can detect energy blockages and indicate health issues, whilst helping with anxiety, PMS, headaches, improving circulation and eliminating toxins from the body.
Sounds interesting, but does it actually work?
The reflexologist did not ask me about any health concerns or conditions prior to the therapy, instead, she just gave me a very soothing foot massage for sixty minutes listening to chill out music which almost sent me to sleep. Initially, I thought there may be areas of tenderness or pain, but the procedure was extremely relaxing and not uncomfortable in the slightest.
After the hour, the reflexologist spoke to me about what she found during the session. Hormonal imbalances were a big issue in my body. Hormones are produced in the body by a collection of glands which make up the endocrine system. These glands include the pineal gland, hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, thymus, adrenals, pancreas, ovaries or testes. All of which, in my body, seemed to have some kind of blockage.
Reflexology can not only help detect a problem, but it can also try to correct the imbalance by moving blockages in the zone on the foot which in turn stimulates the organ or body system. In my case, I felt like my hormones had been shaken up a little an hour or so after, but the feeling settled down and I was left feeling both calm and energized.
Will it work for everybody?
Allowing the reflexologist to detect imbalances without any prior consultation proved to me that the therapy did actually work. I knew already that I had issues with my hormones as acupuncture told me so and evidently being on the contraceptive pill messes things up a lot. However, hormonal imbalances can be corrected naturally by alternative therapies such as reflexology, acupuncture, aromatherapy and massage. So personally, I am pleased that I tried reflexology, and definitely another therapy I would treat myself too on a regular basis for the overall health benefits and relaxation – it is a bit like a full body MOT without having to take your clothes off or have any kind of medical test…
A very insightful article Betty well done.
Nicely written and easy to understand. Not too sure I would be comfortable with a random squeezing my feet but an interesting therapy none the less
Keep up good work!
Reflexology is soooo relaxing!