History of Reflexology

Let's have a look at the main milestones of reflexology.

Foot reflexology is an ancestral art and has been practised in various forms for a long time. Did you know that it was V.M. Bechterev, a Russian physiologist, who first coined the term "reflexology"?

5000 BC Chinese practised a form of pressure therapy and foot massage which might be akin to reflexology therapy.

2300 BC In Egypt, inscriptions found in Ankhmahor's tomb at Saqqara show foot and hand massage.

1917 In the US, doctor William Fitzgerald, an ear, nose and throat specialist, published a book illustrating the reflex areas with their corresponding connections. At the time, he showed that applying pressure had an anesthetic effect on another area. Today's foot reflexology is issued from his findings.

1938 Reflexology was further developed by Eunice D. Ingham (1899-1974), a nurse and physiotherapist. Her first book entitled "Stories The Feet Can Tell" and many others became standard textbooks for students. Ingham found that the feet and hands were especially sensitive, and then mapped the entire body into "reflexes" on the feet. It was at this time that "zone therapy" was renamed reflexology, and found to be effective for more than just pain reduction.

1960 The late Doreen Bayly was the pioneer of reflexology in Great Britain and her teachings are still continued today through the Bayly School of Reflexology.

Today, with reflexology, a practitioner can help you fight stress and achieve deep relaxation. By the way, remember that the term foot reflexology is prefered to foot massage.