Danny Davis
An introduction to the general concepts…
Reflexology, a spiritual and energetically based method of hand, foot, and ear massage, offers benefits to a myriad of individuals and for numerous conditions.
With roots in ancient Chinese medicine and the idea of qi, pronounced “chee,” and often known as life-force energy, reflexology offers a simple method that can genuinely heal the physical, mental and emotional bodies we all have.
Through the stimulation of specific reflex points, that connect to other areas and parts of the body, you can induce healing all on your own. Whether you go to a trained reflexologist or not, the practice is truly accessible for all.
For instance, if you were experiencing digestive troubles, you would share this with your reflexologist. They would then locate the point on your foot, ear, and/or hand that connects to some areas related to your digestive tract.
Through massaging, pulling, or tracing of the point which connects to the relevant area(s), relief can be found. The effects might take time, though, as reflexology often occurs in a subtle manner.
In general, reflexology aids in the following:
- Combating physical pain and rewiring the perception of pain
- Soothing the nervous system
- Including a deep state of relaxation
- Enhancing digestive health
- Combating insomnia or sleep disturbances
- PMS
- Headaches
Reflexology might connect to the nervous system, which can incredibly beneficial. Your feet alone have approximately seven thousand nerve endings. So, stimulating these tissues and nerves can be more beneficial than other areas.
As they are connected to the central nervous system, you will feel the effects for a significant amount of time following a reflexology session. If you are hoping to unlearn certain behaviors or shift the way you perceive or feel pain, then a simple rewiring of neural pathways through reflexology can be wildly beneficial.
The Science of Pain
In relation to the nervous system, some studies have explored reflexology’s effects on chronic pain and an individual’s experience of pain. Over time, with consistent reflexology sessions, an individual might be able to experience less vivid sensations of pain.
Unrelated to chronic pain, but with similar discomforts, reflexology might benefit those experiencing abdominal pain related to female reproductive organs, specifically in the context of menopause and menstruation.
Some folks think that the main benefits of reflexology come about from stimulation of the circulatory system. Through the stimulation of tissues, blood flow improves and, supposedly, this can lead to an increased sense of well-being. Of course, this encourages a more potent overall healing to occur.
Another perspective held relates to the lymphatic system. Through the stimulation of the tissues, the lymphatic system is flushed and cleansed more readily than usual.
The body can release toxins better and one’s life force energy grows in its strength and vitality. No matter what you choose to believe, it is clear that reflexology is a rather tangled medicine due to its wide array of benefits, but the lack of precise scientific support does not aid in clearing up the matter.
For clarity, Mary McGlone wrote in Footnotes: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Practice of Foot Reflexology, “what we are doing is assisting the client to come into a state of balance and awareness in order to allow his/her own healing mechanism to be stimulated.”
Presence and understanding of the very given moment are key, rather than focusing on what is to come or what could come about through treatment. The now, “which is all that ever exists,” should be the focus, according to McGlone’s reflexology manual and personal methods.
Reflexology: What The Science Shows
Chronic Pain and Reflexology
Reflexology might benefit those individuals experiencing chronic low back pain, one of the most common complaints in the realm of chronic pain.
A study from the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, with the involvement of
their nurses and a research team, found that reflexology stands as a viable and reliable means of interrupting the experience of chronic low back pain.
Plus, it was found that reflexology can easily be taught to be people. So, you can share the practice with patients and let them ‘take it home’ with them.
Another study, from 2018 and led by C. Kern, gathered 311 participants. They found that the research on reflexology remains limited, but it is an “inexpensive, reliable, teachable, and simple non-invasive treatment.” (The Benefits of Reflexology for the Chronic Pain Patient in a Military Pain Clinic.)
Reflexology for Female Reproductive Health
The methods of reflexology might be able to aid in improving the quality of life for those going through menopause and monthly menstrual cycles.
A randomized controlled trial from the School of Complementary Health in Exeter, United Kingdom was conducted by Jan Williamson et. al in 2003.
The researchers examined just how efficient and effective reflexology could be on those experiencing menopause, particularly in relation to the psychological symptoms. So, while reflexology begins in the physical body, this study looked more into the intangible effects which might be shifted due to emotional and mental effects brought on by reflexology.
With seventy-six women between the ages of 45 and 60, all reporting menopausal symptoms, research began. Each woman received nine reflexology sessions or a nonspecific foot massage, which acted as the control group. Four qualified reflexologists were involved in the study. The sessions occurred over the course of 19 weeks.
What did they find? Well, both methods were effective. Sadly, most women in the control group caught on to the fact that they were not receiving proper reflexology, so this likely impacted the results of the study.
Nonetheless, benefits were seen as severity of hot flashes and night sweats decreased over time with treatment. Scores for depression and anxiety fell in both groups, with reflexology allowing them to fall a bit more than the average foot massage.
Still, the results were not significant, but did show promise for some sort of healing to be brought on through the simple method of reflexology. While not the best method on its own for treating menopausal symptoms, reflexology still stands as a somewhat beneficial method that might be best practiced as a complementary method and not a standalone treatment.
Another study, conducted by Terry Oleson and William Flocco, hoped to “determine whether reflexology therapy… can significantly reduce premenstrual symptoms compared to placebo treatment.” This study gathered 35 women who had previously complained of symptoms related to premenstrual symptoms (PMS). The women were assigned at random to receive either ear, hand, and foot reflexology treatment or the placebo treatment.
In order to adequately track progress and the experience of each woman, each of them completed a daily journal entry that monitored a whopping total of 38 symptoms. All of the symptoms were measured on a four-point scale, which is typical and reliable in the realm of psychological research.
Both somatic (that is, physical) and psychological experiences were recorded every day for 2 months leading up to treatment, 2 months during reflexology treatment, and the 2 months following the conclusion of treatment.
Each group, placebo and experimental, were trained by a certified reflexologist over the course of 8 weeks. The sessions lasted 30 minutes, which seems to be the most common length of time for reflexology training and proper sessions.
The results were, thankfully, significant and supported reflexology as a valid, efficient, and reliable method of treating PMS. The researchers support reflexology and its benefits after seeing how significantly the women’s PMS symptoms decreased over the course of the study and treatment.
Reflexology for Pain Experienced by Cancer Patients
In some cases, reflexology is offered in a partner setting; meaning the message is delivered to an individual by a chosen partner. One study, conducted by Nancy L. Stephenson et al in 2007, looked into the effects of reflexology delivered by a partner on cancer pain and anxiety.
Not only were physical shifts considered, but the perception of pain and anxiety, too. In this way, the study stands out a bit as it considers the energetic effects of reflexology more so than other research studies.
The study involved four hospitals in the southeastern United States. There were 42 experimental subjects and 44 control subjects. Some patients had lung cancer, others had cancers linked to breast, colorectal, head, neck, and lymphoma.
The treatment plan involved a 15 to 30-minute teaching session for the partner who would be delivering the foot reflexology session. A certified reflexologist delivered these training sessions.
From there, the receiver of the treatment could receive a similar training session if desired, but this was not required. The partner would then deliver the reflexology massage for approximately thirty minutes.
What did they find? It seemed as if most patients experienced a nearly immediate decrease in the perception of pain and anxiety. The researchers concluded that integrating a reflexology training regimen for cancer patients and their chosen partners would be of benefit to many. If qualified professionals were on hand to provide such training, shifts in pain levels and anxiety levels might be seen.
Reflexology and Breast & Lung Cancer, Specifically
In the winter of 2000, Nancy L.N. Stephenson et al completed a study that hoped to “test the effects of foot reflexology on anxiety and pain in patients with breast and lung cancer.”
With twenty-three inpatients involved, all with either breast or lung cancer, the majority of the group were female, white, and over the age of 65. Along with the treatment provided by certified reflexologists, they were all receiving opioids and other conventional medicine in order to treat a given cancer.
Reflexology was introduced through a daily 30-minute session where both feet received treatment. By the time the study concluded, the researchers had found that the patients experienced decreased levels of anxiety.
Beyond that, only one of three measures related to the experience of pain showed a significant decrease. This measure related solely to patients with breast cancer and not lung cancer.
What can be taken away from this?
Well, the researchers agreed that foot
reflexology might be a reliable method of self-care if practiced properly, but mainly in relation to decreasing anxiety levels and not much else.
For nurses and other healthcare professionals, it is rather easy to learn reflexology and then share it with patients and/or their loved ones/partners. This will allow for the simple method to transform their experience of anxiety, mainly, in a way that they might otherwise be unable.
As reflexology does not require any specialized equipment or invasive techniques, it is an ideal complementary therapy for most individuals. In this way, reflexology is a widely accessible method if encouraged and taught by those who understand the methods and reflex points well.
Also, worth mentioning, and in relation to reflexology’s efforts to combat pain and anxiety in cancer patients, is one study. In 1991, Ferrell et al. found that cancer patients experienced significant decreases in pain after a general foot massage.
While the study did not specifically look at the methods of reflexology, which would include a precise focus on reflex points and their connection to other areas of the body, it does offer a glimmer of hope for the benefits of physical work and its links to the emotional and mental layers of being.
Reflexology for Nausea, Vomiting and Fatigue in Cancer Pateints
Jin Hyang Yang of Inje University in Korea conducted a study aiming to “identify the effects of foot reflexology on nausea, vomiting, and fatigue in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.”
The timeframe of the study was January 2004 until March 2004. Over the course of the two months, 34 patients were involved in the study. 18 were placed in the experimental group and 16 in the control group.
A pretest and 2 posttests were conducted in order to properly measure the variables being studied.
The experimental group received 4 phases of reflexology for 40 minutes which was provided by a researcher and their assistants.
What did they find? The results were promising. A significant decrease in nausea was seen, as well as a decrease in vomiting and fatigue. So, all three variables decreased in a beneficial way.
The researchers concluded that reflexology could benefit cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and could be used as a “nursing intervention in the field of cancer nursing for breast cancer.”
Reflexology for Fatigue, Sleep and Pain
Jeongsoon Lee et al. of Korea published a study in 2011 which set out to “evaluate the effectiveness of foot reflexology on fatigue, sleep and pain.”
Both a systematic review and a meta-analysis were conducted, so a lot of data was included in this study. A total of forty-four studies were eligible and included the following:
- 15 studies related to fatigue
- 18 studies related to sleep
- 11 studies related to pain
Lee et al. ultimately concluded that foot reflexology was beneficial for the variables of fatigue, sleep, and pain. But more studies are needed if we want to be sure of its efficacy and reliability beyond the variables mentioned and studied in this data review.
Reflexology for Depression, Stress, and Immunity
Yun Mi Lee, of the Inje University in Korea, conducted a study which focused on middle aged women. The study aimed to “identify the effects of a self-foot reflexology massage on depression, stress responses, and immune functions.”
Lee found a significant difference in depression, perceived stress, systolic blood pressure, and cells related to immunity. Some variables measured, including diastolic blood pressure and a patient’s pulse, as well as the stress hormone cortisol, did not show a significant decrease.
Nonetheless, the conclusion states that “self-foot reflexology massage could be utilized as an effective nursing intervention to reduce depression and stress responses, and to strengthen immune systems in middle-aged women.”
So, the study was not perfect, but ultimately the results mostly support reflexology and its benefits.
Reflexology and Hypertension
Hyoung Sook Park and Gyoo Yeong Cho of the Pusan National University in Korea conducted a study focusing on the “effects of foot reflexology on blood pressure, serum lipid levels and life satisfaction in essential hypertension patients.”
After the last study mentioned which failed to see a significant change in pulse, the study of blood pressure in this case is an interesting inclusion. Will the science contradict itself or show its support? Let’s see what happens.
The research occurred over the course of June, July, and August of 2003. 34 subjects were involved, with 18 in the experimental group and 16 in the control group. The experimental group received reflexology twice per week for 6 weeks. Also, they administered reflexology to themselves twice per week for 4 weeks.
What did the researchers find? Most notably, a significant decreased in systolic blood pressure. But, again, there was not a significant change in diastolic blood pressure.
Cholesterol levels did not show a significant shift, but triglyceride levels did shift distinctly. Life satisfaction was improved in the experimental group compared to the control group. So, the researchers concluded that foot reflexology was beneficial, for the most part.
Reflexology alone cannot do all of the work, but it can aid in overall healing and some specific realms of health and wellbeing. At the very least, one’s quality of life can improve and from there, physical improvements might be more likely.
Reflexology and Pain Following Surgery
The last study we will detail in this section is rather unique. From Iran University of Medical Science, Sadeghi Shermeh et al. conducted a study that looked at the effect of foot reflexology on sternotomy pain after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
Yes, that is a mouthful, but the results can be shared rather easily. What did the researchers find?
From a group of 90 patients, split randomly into three groups, a significant “reduction in the intensity of preoperative pain” was seen between the experimental and control groups.
The study concluded that foot reflexology appeared to be a “useful method for reducing sternotomy pain in patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.”
Studies such as this one, and some mentioned earlier on, are rather interesting due to their specificity. A lot of these studies benefit very specific groups, conditions, symptoms, and situations.
Therefore, they are not widely applicable to the general public. Perhaps reflexology might grow in popularity, efficiency, and scientific understanding if studies were conducted in general populations. This is not to say that those undergoing treatment should not receive the benefits of reflexology, but that the general public might benefit, too.
Due to the lack of generalizable information and data on reflexology, it remains kept in the dark. Down the road, perhaps this will shift. For now, we can thank the researchers, scientists, and reflexologists who have studied its benefits thus far and shared the deep healing method with those in need of a reduction of pain, anxiety, fatigue, depression, and more. Reflexology, as old as might be, remains relevant today, and for good reason.
The Trouble with Science and Energy Work
Beyond the specific benefits of reflexology related to chronic pain, female reproductive health, anxiety, depression, and more, let’s look at the science in a broader manner.
In the wide scheme of things, how beneficial and efficient is reflexology? Mei-Yeh Wang et. all conducted a systematic review of the efficacy of reflexology in 2008. It was to be published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, Volume 62, Issue 5.
The researchers looked at reflexology without any specifics or in relation to any particular condition. They noted that while reflexology seems to have numerous potential benefits as seen in “anecdotal evidence,” there has yet to be a systematic review of the efficacy of the practice. So, they went on and did it themselves.
They compiled data from 1996 to 2007 and drew from a variety of sources, using the “keywords reflexology, foot reflexotherapy, reflexological treatment, foot massage, and zone therapy” to compile the sources. Some articles were sourced directly from Chinese databases as a good amount of research has been conducted in China alone (which makes sense, given that reflexology roots itself in Chinese medicine and similar ideologies).
All the studies compiled used a controlled clinical trial design and featured reflexology alone. Although reflexology is most often recommended as a complementary therapy and not a standalone method, its benefits can be seen most clearly when studied on its own.
After some time, the researchers found only five studies “suitable for review” as of 2008, and only report featured statistically significant effects. Most notably, reflexology was able to benefit those experience physical trouble related to urinary symptoms.
The other conditions and symptoms did not benefit as notably from reflexology. Ultimately, the researchers could not recommend reflexology as a beneficial method, despite some benefits seen.
Without significant results, a method cannot be seen as a reliable and valuable treatment plan no matter how much the general population love and praise it.
So, herein lies the trouble with studying the science of energetic work such as reflexology.
The benefits often exist beyond what physical sciences can explain. Perhaps if more psychological approaches were taken to the study of reflexology, the benefits might become clearer. Even then, though, there lacks a depth to such sciences and pseudoscience thanks to the vastness and ethereal nature of energy work.
For instance, when it comes to meditation and Reiki, the results are widely known and heard, but are rarely tangible shifts. Rather, the study of the brain waves, emotions, and more in-depth reactions from the methods are necessary in order for the benefits to become clear.
Reflexology might be more beneficial than science shows simply because science is taking a surface-level approach to a matter that exists beyond skin and bone levels.
The Controversy
Potential Flasehoods of Reflexology
As seen in the last study mention, a systematic review which failed to see the benefits of reflexology on any multitude of conditions, reflexology is not the best method when left as a singular treatment.
Not everyone sees the benefits of reflexology, and some consider it to be entirely placebo based – meaning, the benefits are all in your head and nothing really changes.
Of course, those who find themselves practicing energetic healing methods such as reflexology on a regular basis might be accustomed to this reaction.
Energy work is incredibly subtle, especially when first beginning. So, newcomers seeking explicit shifts and tangible changes might be skeptical.
And, even more so, scientists seeking tangible evidence might find themselves growing impatient and weary of rather ethereal and intangible effects caused by reflexology. After all, how can you explain the healing of insomnia through a foot massage? Well, we cannot do so thoroughly just yet, but we are well on our way.
The Future of Reflexology
Where will these studies and questions lead reflexology and its practitioners?
In recent years, reflexology found itself growing in popularity. In turn, it became less vilified and deemed more reliable and beneficial. With its growing popularity, scientific research and funding began to grow, too.
As time goes on, reflexology seems to be set to grow and expand even more. Someday, perhaps, reflexology could grow to be as accessible and famous as the widely praised acupuncture.
At present, though, it remains a less popular method. If you are practicing reflexology now, amidst the rise in studies and usage, then you are a bit ahead of the trend. You might even be one of the individuals paving the road for a bettered understanding of reflexology and its methods.
As mentioned earlier, hopefully the studies to come will focus on groups and individuals who have yet to experience reflexology. The repetition of studies is necessary, a la the scientific method, but the expansion and broadening of horizons should be made a priority, too.
Reflexology can expand and broaden the wellness of so many, and the support of science can aid in doing just that.
Learn more about Reflexology in our free eCourse – Reflexology 101
