History of Reflexology
Foot work practices have existed throughout the history of humankind. Remnants of foot work practices span time and place from the Physician's Tomb in Egypt of 2300 B.C. to the Physician's Temple in Nara, Japan, of 690 A.D.
The roots of reflexology are embedded way back in ancient history when pressure therapies were recognized as preventative and therapeutic medicine.
Different versions of reflexology have existed for centuries in many diverse countries such as China, India, Japan, Europe and Egypt but to this day, its exact origin remains a mystery. It is thought that this original foot therapy spread from Egypt to the Roman Empire. The Roman Emperor Octavian, 62-14 CE, mentions foot massages that Mark Antony, 83-30 BCE, gave to the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII, 69-30 BCE. Ancient China has a history of foot therapy in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The feet have held symbolical importance for both spiritual and physical well-being for many centuries and are revered in ancient texts such as the Bible.
The modern history of reflexology is rooted in research about the reflexes in Europe and Russia 125 years ago. The idea that a stimulus applied to the body produces a response was utilized as a therapeutic tool by British physicians and researchers who applied heat, cold, plasters, and herbal poultices to one part of the body to influence another. While such uses did not take root in medical communities in the United States and Great Britain, the furthering of such ideas for therapeutic use continued in Germany and Russia throughout this century.
Russian physicians of the early 1900's followed the reflex research of Nobel Prize winner Ivan Pavlov to create reflex therapy. Their basic idea, to influence reflexes and thus brain-organ dynamics, survives as a medical practice today. To physician-researchers, such as Vladimir Bekterev who coined the word "reflexology" in 1917, an organ experiences illness because it receives the wrong operating instructions from the brain. By interrupting the body's misguided instructions, the reflex therapist prompts the body to behave in a healthier manner. Conditioning of better behavior is achieved by the application of a series of such interruptions.
American physiotherapist Eunice Ingham kept foot reflexology alive in recent history. She accomplished this by traveling around the country teaching groups of people, perpetuating a grassroots enthusiasm for the subject in the United States. A community of reflexology users emerged.
The term reflexology itself was considered illegal until a legal skirmish over the publication of Mildred Carter's book Helping Yourself with Foot Reflexology in 1970. The U.S. postal Service asked that the publisher cease and desist publication of the book on the grounds that it consisted of the practice of medicine without a license. The publisher's attorneys successfully defended the publication of the book. Subsequently, the word could be used to describe one's practice; it was also used in the titles of books. The idea became widely disseminated as Mrs. Carter's book sold one million copies and became one of the best-selling titles ever for the publisher.
In the following quarter century, the idea gained informal sanctioning in the United States on a community level. Since then, practicing reflexologists have emerged, some 30 reflexology books have been published, and the number of magazine articles published has climbed by 50o% since 1982. Television appearances by reflexologists have also increased by 500% since 1988. This shows how the popularity of this ancient practice is making a HUGE comeback!
From: Understanding the Science and Art of Reflexology, Kevin and Barbara Kunz,Alternative and Complementary Therapies, April/ May 1995, p.183-186
The roots of reflexology are embedded way back in ancient history when pressure therapies were recognized as preventative and therapeutic medicine.
Different versions of reflexology have existed for centuries in many diverse countries such as China, India, Japan, Europe and Egypt but to this day, its exact origin remains a mystery. It is thought that this original foot therapy spread from Egypt to the Roman Empire. The Roman Emperor Octavian, 62-14 CE, mentions foot massages that Mark Antony, 83-30 BCE, gave to the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII, 69-30 BCE. Ancient China has a history of foot therapy in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The feet have held symbolical importance for both spiritual and physical well-being for many centuries and are revered in ancient texts such as the Bible.
The modern history of reflexology is rooted in research about the reflexes in Europe and Russia 125 years ago. The idea that a stimulus applied to the body produces a response was utilized as a therapeutic tool by British physicians and researchers who applied heat, cold, plasters, and herbal poultices to one part of the body to influence another. While such uses did not take root in medical communities in the United States and Great Britain, the furthering of such ideas for therapeutic use continued in Germany and Russia throughout this century.
Russian physicians of the early 1900's followed the reflex research of Nobel Prize winner Ivan Pavlov to create reflex therapy. Their basic idea, to influence reflexes and thus brain-organ dynamics, survives as a medical practice today. To physician-researchers, such as Vladimir Bekterev who coined the word "reflexology" in 1917, an organ experiences illness because it receives the wrong operating instructions from the brain. By interrupting the body's misguided instructions, the reflex therapist prompts the body to behave in a healthier manner. Conditioning of better behavior is achieved by the application of a series of such interruptions.
American physiotherapist Eunice Ingham kept foot reflexology alive in recent history. She accomplished this by traveling around the country teaching groups of people, perpetuating a grassroots enthusiasm for the subject in the United States. A community of reflexology users emerged.
The term reflexology itself was considered illegal until a legal skirmish over the publication of Mildred Carter's book Helping Yourself with Foot Reflexology in 1970. The U.S. postal Service asked that the publisher cease and desist publication of the book on the grounds that it consisted of the practice of medicine without a license. The publisher's attorneys successfully defended the publication of the book. Subsequently, the word could be used to describe one's practice; it was also used in the titles of books. The idea became widely disseminated as Mrs. Carter's book sold one million copies and became one of the best-selling titles ever for the publisher.
In the following quarter century, the idea gained informal sanctioning in the United States on a community level. Since then, practicing reflexologists have emerged, some 30 reflexology books have been published, and the number of magazine articles published has climbed by 50o% since 1982. Television appearances by reflexologists have also increased by 500% since 1988. This shows how the popularity of this ancient practice is making a HUGE comeback!
From: Understanding the Science and Art of Reflexology, Kevin and Barbara Kunz,Alternative and Complementary Therapies, April/ May 1995, p.183-186
