Reflexology Points of Interest
Reflexology is a healing art that has been practiced since ancient times. Specific areas on the hands and feet correspond to nerve endings that supply neuronal pathways to the various organ systems of the body. There are many reflexology points of interest; just like our ears and eyes perceive the world around us, the skin on the hands and feet are much more than sense organs. Information can be sent to the specific organs through the nerve pathways when specific areas of the hands or feet are touched, massaged and manipulated.
One of the fascinating reflexology points of interest is that you can relieve a sinus headache by applying pressure to the ends of your toes. Your second, third, fourth and little toe on both feet are connected to the nerves in your head and sinuses. The next time you have a bad sinus headache, before you reach for a pain reliever try gently squeezing the end of your toes for a few minutes. It only takes a few minutes, try it for 15 minutes. Better yet, if you have a partner, ask him/her to do this for you. It always feels good to get your feet rubbed, and during the foot massage ask to have special attention applied to the ends of your toes. It always feels better when someone else does it, but you can do it yourself also.
There are many reflexology points of interest; the crease next to the last two toes and the sole of the foot is the neuronal route to the ears. So if you have an earache, rub this area. Apply some gentle pressure to this area on both feet. Each foot represents half of the body, when you have an earache in your left ear; rub the area adjacent to your 4th and pinky toes and the sole on your left foot. Take your time massaging that area and feel the pain start to fade away.
One of the many other reflexology points of interest, the area adjacent to the 2nd and 3rd toe and the sole of the foot, is the neuronal route to the eyes. If you have eye strain, gently rub with kneading pressure in this area. If you have someone to do this for you, just close your eyes and relax and enjoy this for a few minutes.
On the hands, reflexology points of interest, is the area between the index finger and middle finger on both hands. This area corresponds with the eyes also; therefore if you don’t have a partner to massage and apply pressure to your feet, and you don’t want to do it yourself, you can relieve your eye strain by massaging this area with gentle pressure. Just close your eyes and massage this area on the anterior side of your hand between the first and second fingers and the palm of your hand. To relieve eye strain on both eyes remember to massage this area on both hands. This technique is especially helpful for people who work in front of a computer screen for hours at a time. It really does relax the eyes and makes you feel fresh, like you have had a nap.
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The origin of the Reflexology Map and its Usage
The reflexology map is another way of saying a reflexology chart. As with the reflexology chart, the reflexology map is a map of the pressure zones or points in various parts of the body which correspond to other organs and body systems. The pioneers of zone therapy which latter became known as reflexology was a team of doctors working at the Riley School of Chiropractic. Dr. Fitzgerald, Bowen and Starr White founded the theory of Zone Therapy, while Dr. Riley continued the work and was largely responsible for the propagation of the discipline. In his life time, Dr. Riley wrote several books. The last book dating back to 1942, called Zones Therapy has become a classic in modern reflexology courses today. Dr. Riley lectured all over the country, he was known in some circles as the greatest healer of all time.
Both Dr. Fitzgerald and Dr. Riley were instrumental in the innovation of the reflexology map. Dr. Riley put a lot of emphasis on charts and diagrams of various reflex zones in the human body. His reflexology map of the ten different zones may not have been colorful like the ones we have today, but they were invaluable tools to both the practitioners back then and the practitioners of today as well.
Dr. Riley’s hand reflexology map was extremely detailed leaving no area of the hand, fingers, and wrists unaccounted for. The ear reflexology map or chart that was first developed by Dr. Riley is still available for sale at the Modern Institute of Reflexology. Dr. Riley even created a reflex zone drawing or reflexology map for the face.
Dr. Riley was not alone in his development of reflexology maps, several of the doctors did work in this area. The chart or reflexology map of one side of the human body was created by Dr. Fitzgerald. He clearly marked meridian points by numbers, for example zone 3 and 4 represented the Eustachian tube and middle ear combined, while zone 4 was just the middle ear alone. According to his research there was twelve meridian points in all and they could all be accessed through manipulating and stimulating the feet. Dr. Fitzgerald was also noted for applying pressure by squeezing the fingers and fingertips to reduce pain in various areas of the body.
Dr. Eunice Stopfel created reflexology maps of the feet and was renowned for her writings about extracting crystals in the human body hovering around nerve endings. This work however has never been authenticated, though the Modern Institute of Reflexology claims they were able to extract a crystal from a human body and examine it.
Modern reflexologists have advanced the work of these great pioneers and have created some new reflexology maps. Still, the old standards continue to play a key role in the art of reflexology.
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