Reflexology: Religion or Science?

Last week, I attempted to explain in Western terms what Eastern or alternative practitioners mean when they talk about the body’s energy pathways. "Energy pathways" is simply a 3,000-year-old shorthand for the way the organs of your body produce energy that travels throughout the body. Eastern practitioners usually refer to these pathways as meridians and skeptics should note that these meridians actually track closely with the lymphatic and circulatory systems modern science has more recently mapped.

The nervous system houses another set of these pathways. The nerves in our bodies do not just travel from one spot or another to our brains. Rather, the nervous system is a web-like network that connects every part of our bodies to at least a few other areas.  

For example, if you have a problem in your heart, a certain part of your foot will be sensitive. If you have a problem with your sinuses, a spot on your hand may be painful to the touch. The knowledge of these maps in your feet and hands is a science called reflexology. It is basically a study of the nervous system that's thousands of years in the making.

Reflexologists, like those at Tai Chi Bodywork Center on Main St., examine hands and feet primarily. As toxins accumulate in a certain part of the body, the conjugate nerves that end in your feet and hands will accumulate something called “crystal deposits” – the nervous system’s equivalent to a trashcan. When a reflexologist massages your foot and finds a spot that hurts like crazy, they can look at a map of your foot and deduce that, for example, something is wrong with your spleen. As they massage that area, they both break down the deposits – restoring freedom of energetic flow through the area – and send a signal to the brain instructing it to heal whatever organ or body part is ill. 

The results can be profound. Recently, my daughter complained of a sinus headache. Knowing where the sinus areas are on the foot, I massaged them. They were a little painful for her at first, but with a little massage the pain eventually went away… and so did the headache!

On a diagnostic note, though a reflexologist is not a doctor, they can be helpful in making diagnoses. For example, the area on your foot and hand that corresponds to the gallbladder may be so painful that when they attempt to massage it, you writhe. And then, a week later you find out you have gallstones. A seasoned practitioner can read the signs and give you advice about consulting your doctor. 

Acupuncture and acupressure are also common treatment strategies for problematic pathways. These modalities focus on the points within energy pathways themselves, not just their endpoints in the hands and feet. There are literally hundreds of these points in the body. If you receive acupuncture or acupressure therapy from an experienced practitioner, they can even discuss what each point means to your mental faculties. 

It’s rather amazing. For example, every few months I will schedule an appointment with my acupressurist, Stephen Markman – a teaching level practitioner in the art of Jin Sin Do who's located in Chestnut Hill. During each session, there will inevitably be a point where I say, “Hey, that point there – remember that point. I want to ask you questions about it after the session is over.”  

When we’re done, he will explain what that point means. He’ll explain that the point has to do with this or that emotion: like joy or regret, thinking about overcoming a hardship, or dealing with a relationship. They are really specific. When he explains the point, it ALWAYS matches up to exactly what I was thinking about when he was putting pressure on that spot! It never ceases to amaze me. 

How can this be true? Can certain physical points on our bodies actually be connected to our brains in such an intimate and detailed manner?  Apparently they can, and stimulating them can affect our cognition and the function of various organs. 

Join me next week for a more in depth exploration of the science of pressure point therapies and acupuncture.