A full quarter of all the bones in your body are in your feet – more than 50 of them. Take a closer look… straight down. There they are.

Maybe you’ve underestimated these two distinctive members of your body. On an average day you walk around and pound on them with an accumulated 1,000 tons of force. Talk about true workhorses. The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) considers your feet a marvel of engineering, too. According to their most recent estimates, the typical person walks about 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day – or over 115,000 miles during a lifetime. That’s like walking a circle around the entire earth a whopping 4 times!

No surprise then to discover your feet bear the answer to better health for your entire body through the miracle of reflexology. And that’s only half the good news. Your hands hold the other half of this ancient health secret.

How Reflexology Works

On reflexology charts, the body is reflected on the feet and / or hands. It serves as a map for technique application. The body is divided into 10 zones-five on each side of the body. Each organ (part of the body) is linked to areas on the hands or feet.

A person trained in reflexology can diagnose abnormalities in various parts of the body by feeling the hands or feet. This action stimulates the flow of energy, blood, nutrients, and nerve impulses to the corresponding body zone to relieve ailments in that zone. But even the layman with some basic instruction and a reflexology chart can benefit through self reflexology.

By applying pressure on pressure sensors in your hands and feet using specific thumb, finger, and hand techniques, your body reflexively responds to the stimulated area. This results in relaxation, improved circulation, and exercise of the nervous system among other benefits of touch for pain relief and healing in the reflected area. For example, massaging and applying pressure to an area which spans both heels can provide relief from sciatic
pain.

From Ancient Medicine to Proven Science

Reflexology really isn’t a new discovery. Like many of today’s best natural paths to better health, reflexology has been around for quite some time. In fact, it was first practiced as early as 2330 B.C. by the Egyptian culture, as well as early Indian and Chinese people.

Foot reflexology as we know it today was revived in large part thanks to physical therapist Eunice Ingham. Two doctors she worked with had rediscovered how stimulating one part of the body can create a response in a distant part of the body, a practice they called Zone Therapy. Eunice built upon this knowledge to publish her groundbreaking book “Stories the Feet Can Tell” in 1938 which recognized how the feet contain a mirror image of the body in reflex points.

According to noted reflexologists Kevin and Barbara Kunz, numerous scientific studies repeatedly validate the immediate health benefits of reflexology. Besides merely zapping stress and increasing relaxation, their review of many controlled studies shows reflexology is also useful in mental health, cancer care, post-operative, childbirth and recovery, and general pain reduction applications.

Those who practice reflexology have found they can reduce their dependence on medications and, in a sense, reprogram the nerves in their body through touch to aid and complement virtually any healing process or medical treatment.

Patients with symptoms of coronary heart disease like chest distress and angina found symptoms disappeared with foot reflexology. They also enjoyed a related drop in blood pressure of as much as 25/5 after treatment – better results than their regular medicine offered.

Even growth patterns were positively affected through reflexology with mentally disabled children showing significant improvements in height, weight, and other health measures in a controlled study.

And these are results from just two out of hundreds of studies. The 1996 China Reflexology Symposium Report found foot reflexology to be 93.63% effective in treating 63 different disorders. What type of pain or disorder could reflexology help you with? Take a look at the charts below to find foot areas you can apply self reflexology to.

Resources

Kunz K, Kunz B. Can Reflexology Help Me? 2010.

Kunz K, Kunz B. Reflexology Research, In Brief. 2004.

Lingyun Y, et al. Observation on Improvement of Feeble-Minded Children’s Social Abilities by Foot Reflexo-Therapy. 1998 China Reflexology Symposium Report . 1998;24-28.

Zhongzheng L, Yuchun L. Clinical observation on Treatment of Coronary Heart Disease with Foot Reflexotherapy. 1998 China Reflexology Symposium Report . 1998;38-41

Related posts:

1. Reflexology for Back Pain and Sciatica
2. Are Your Shoes Contributing To Your Back Pain?
3. Healing Herbs: Lemongrass

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While there can be a variety of factors leading to back pain, you may be bringing this pain on yourself simply by the way you sit, stand or bend at your job. If you’re reading this at work (or even at your desk at home), take a moment to become aware of how you are sitting.

Are your shoulders hunched a bit forward? Are you lacking lower back support? Are your legs stretched out beneath your desk? Also, consider the repetitive motions of frequent tasks throughout your day, or the times you lift too heavy a burden. Is there work-related stress causing tension in your neck and shoulder muscles?

Every year, Americans alone spend an estimated $50 Billion trying to find relief from back pain. Much of that goes towards pain-killing drugs and other “solutions” that never get to the root of the problem. But one technique first developed by Frederick Matthias Alexander over a century ago has proven to be a safe, cost-effective, and long-term solution to both treat and avoid future back pain.

F.M. Alexander discovered that poor posture and inefficient work habits are “learned” as a way to adapt to the demands of the workplace. The Alexander Technique restores balance, coordination and grace through the release of muscular tension and inefficient movement. You learn how to recognize, stop and adjust – to release and relieve stress in the neck, lower back and legs.

But knowing that you’re not sitting or moving right isn’t enough. Most people, when these poor posture habits are pointed out to them, sit more upright, lengthen the spinal cord and place their feet squarely on the floor. Then, over time, they revert back to their old posture. The old ways tend to feel “more natural” due to muscle memory. The Alexander Technique helps us “unlearn” these bad habits.

An Alexander Technique teacher will work with you at your workstation or wherever you perform your tasks, gently guiding your body so that it moves efficiently and effectively. Just as important, the teacher will help you recognize when you might be slipping back to old habits and how to make immediate corrections.

The Alexander Technique makes a wonderful compliment to ergonomic programs that many companies offer their employees. It builds on existing ergonomic workplace strategies by introducing an element of mental and physical awareness to improvements, reducing many of the risk factors behind pain and injury.

The Technique doesn’t require any conditioning exercises, specialized postures or any physical exertion at all. The basic principles are easy to learn and your instruction is personalized to your particular situation. Once mastered, it’s not unusual to discover the ability to apply it to whatever you do – work, play or any activity in between – and carry yourself with a greater sense of coordination and grace.

The Alexander Technique has been endorsed by physicians, health care professionals and scientists thanks to its track record of over 100 years successfully treating chronic pain, injury and even depression and anxiety If you’re interested in finding out if the Alexander Technique can help you, a good place to start is the website for the American Society for the Alexander Technique. It can provide you with useful information about the Technique and facilitate finding professional teachers in your area who have completed the 1,600 hours of study required to receive certification.

References

National Institutes of Health. Handout on Health: Back Pain. Jul 2010.

Little P, Lewith G, Webley F, et al. Randomised controlled trial of Alexander Technique lessons, exercise, and massage (ATEAM) for chronic and recurrent back pain. BMJ. 2008; 337; a884

Related posts:

1. Herniated Disc Caused by Poor Lifting Technique?
2. A Rare Case of Upper Back Surgery
3. Three Easy Steps to Correct Sitting Posture

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If you heard that interview already, you know Prolozone Therapy is a virtually painless, non-surgical procedure completed in just minutes in a qualified doctor’s office with a phenomenal 75% success rate.

And by success, I’m not talking about run-of-the-mill “less pain while you keep taking doing the therapy” results. I’m talking about a therapy that corrects the actual underlying disorder and results in a permanent cure for many types of severe chronic pain in areas that are notoriously hard to repair, like joints, tendons, and ligaments in your knee, shoulder, wrist, hip, spinal disc, etc.

Now I’m getting emails from readers all over the world asking where they can find a doctor trained in Prolozone Therapy. So today I’m happy to share a comprehensive list of doctors qualified to administer Prolozone Therapy (and other ozone related therapies).

If you’ve already found success using Prolozone Therapy, I would love to hear your feedback below. And if you haven’t listened to the Dr. Shallenberger interview yet, I urge you to do so now!

Related posts:

1. Prolozone Therapy: Miracle Cure for Pain?
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3. Inversion therapy got rid of my sciatica pains!