When a new client visits my reflexology practice she is coming in with one of two main goals: she is trying to maintain her health, or she is trying to restore her health.

The core underlying theory of reflexology is that it promotes homeostasis, balance within internal bodily functions, and the body self-heals. Beloved French Osteopath Martine Faure-Alderson describes in her book Total Reflexology:

“Practiced on a regular basis, reflexology can lead to true regeneration of the body. Much like how it carries its own genetic material, the body contains restorative faculties and immunity. Reflexology can stimulate the body’s ability to self-heal.”

Reflexology for health maintenance

Factors that stress our bodies, compromising our immune systems and potentially leading to illness, occur on a daily basis in our living environments, from air and water pollutants to chemical food additives.

Most of us know when we’ve pegged the meter over to unhealthy stress, but in today’s fast-paced world it can be much more challenging to identify when we’re flirting with that thin line between healthy stress and unhealthy stress.

Remember that fancy word homeostasis from above? The American Heritage Dictionary defines homeostasis as: “The ability or tendency of an organism or cell to maintain internal equilibrium by adjusting its physiological processes.” Reflexology prompts the electrical, chemical, magnetic, energetic, and nervous systems to seek that space of equilibrium. After a reflexology treatment my clients tell me they’ve noticed an increase in eliminatory function, and a greater overall sense of wellness. Maintenance clients keep their reflexology treatments in a 3-4 week window so the benefits are cumulative from session to session. As they say, the proof is in the pudding, so what are you waiting for? Book your session today!

Restoring health with reflexology

We’re not in the profession to heal or cure for specific medical conditions. The same principle that supports a healthy person supports an unhealthy person – the body has it’s own innate ability to self-heal and reflexology can stimulate that process. Acute health conditions like a muscle sprain or a urinary tract infection often respond quicker to reflexology than chronic health conditions like constipation or years of back pain.

Chronic patterns of stress in the body don’t go away overnight, reflexology keeps bringing the body’s awareness back to that area of dysfunction and bit by bit the body works to restore equilibrium. I’ve seen this with emotional trauma held in an area of the body that releases over time, and old injuries that the body is now better equipped to heal on a deeper level than at the time it occurred. Adrenals that ease out of a pattern of disregulation and no longer turn big and little stress into the same fight-or-flight response.

Then there’s health conditions that can’t be restored by reflexology – like cancer and multiple sclerosis – but accessory symptoms are improved creating a better quality of life. Like when my client discovered reflexology was the only thing that eased her elbow-to-finger and knee-to-toe numbness brought on by the three experimental cancer drugs she was on. Or when a client with multiple sclerosis celebrates improved bladder control after a series of reflexology sessions. 

What to expect in a reflexology treatment

We’ll discuss medical history and I’ll ask questions about your lifestyle like how much sleep you’re getting and how your digestive system is functioning. I also want to hear what your wellness goals are for the visit, such as decreasing joint pain, getting pregnant, or just feeling more alive from the inside-out.

The actual hands-on portion of the reflexology session may vary according to your needs. A typical session is 45-55 minutes long and focuses on the reflex map of the feet. Treating the body as a whole, reflexologists always work over every reflex area for the entire map, whether the feet, hands, or ears.

Have a question before you schedule an appointment? Reach out via email or voice, I’d love to hear from you!