When was reflexology invented

What Is the History of Reflexology? More info on this topic. Reflexology Home. History of reflexology. How it works. How it can help. Reflexology points. Find a reflexologist. He, like Fitzgerald, espoused continual pressure on the reflex or point of contact. Eunice D. Ingham, a Physical Therapist, worked closely with Dr. Riley and was fascinated by the concept of Zone Therapy and started developing her foot reflex theory in the early 's. She had the opportunity to treat hundreds of patients where each reflex point of contact had been carefully and thoughtfully checked and rechecked until with all confidence she was able to determine that the reflexes on the feet were an exact mirror image of the organs of the body.

Riley encouraged her to write her first book entitled "Stories The Feet Can Tell" where she documented her cases and carefully mapped out the reflexes on the feet as we know them today. This book was published in and was later translated into seven foreign languages which spread the benefits of Reflexology way beyond the borders of the States. However, there is a distinct difference between the two therapies.

Zone Therapy relies solely on the zones to determine the area to be worked, whereas Reflexology takes the zones as well as the anatomical model to determine the area or areas to be worked. After the publication of her book Eunice Ingham found herself on the program at many health workshops. She traveled around the country giving book reviews. As these sick people, whom everyone else had given up on, got better the word spread and Reflexology became better known amongst the medical fraternity as well as lay people.

Reflexology is a therapy that dates back thousands of years. It can actually be traced back to the ancient civilisations of Egypt, India, Native America and China. The oldest known documentation of reflexology is a pictograph that was found in the tomb of an Egyptian physician named Ankmahor at Saqqara dating back to BC, which depicts patients having treatments done on their hands and feet. The more modern form of reflexology was first pioneered by an ear, nose and throat surgeon by the name of Dr William Fitzgerald Dr Fitzgerald was the founder of Zone Therapy, which was an earlier form of reflexology.

He discovered that exerting pressure on the tips of the toes or fingers caused corresponding parts of the body to become anaesthetised. From this, Dr Fitzgerald divided the body into ten equal zones, which ran from the top of the head to the ends of the toes.

By using tight elastic bands on the middle sections of the fingers or toes, or using pegs on the tips of the fingers, minor surgery could be carried out with no further anaesthetic agents required. Such alternative and non-invasive treatments can help to improve the health of patients suffering from a host of medical conditions, but where exactly do they originate from?

Although there are some grey areas as to the true origin of reflexology, there is evidence of some form of this powerful therapy being practiced in China as far back as 4, B. At the same time in Egypt, the tomb of Ankmahor depicted hieroglyphics that referred to the practice of hand and foot therapy. The North American tribes of Indians are also known to have carried out a form of foot therapy for many hundreds of years. As taught in our London reflexology courses, reflexology has certainly stood the test of time and has helped thousands of people around the world to live in better health.