Reflexology Chart

Reflexology is the utilization of nerve points within the feet (and sometimes the hands) in order to manage and alleviate pain or discomfort in various points of the body.

It is a non-invasive and ancient form of healing.  People can try reflexology for themselves.  You can't really "break" yourself by giving it a shot. :)

I created a reflexology chart, which you can access here.  It's good for beginners.  Enjoy!

Reflexology Chart for Super-Beginners

Reflexology is a wonderful and non-invasive way to manage pain and discomfort.  It involves massage of the feet, and sometimes the hands, in order to stimulate the nerve endings in those appendages and induce a feeling of well-being in corresponding bodily areas.

If you're really new to reflexology, but you want the benefits of trying it out, here's a really easy and basic way of figure out "what goes where."

There are specific points for each part, but the general rules are these:

Most parts on the head correspond to areas on the toes.
The midsection of the body corresponds to the middle of the foot, and arch areas.
The lower part of the body corresponds to the heel.

Using Reflexology to Help Baby's Earache

Reflexology is a fabulous method in the arsenal of wellness.  Coupling new-age (and age-old) methods with scientific medicine can really bring about some wonderful benefits for the soul as well as the body.   Reflexology is non-invasive, comforting, and can work well with conventional medicine to ease physical ailments.

When your baby is ill, the most important thing on your mind is to help ease the little one's suffering.  One of the most common physical ailments of childhood is an earache -- even for adults, the pain and discomfort of an earache can be just unbearable.  

Shanti Burgess, an herbalist and reflexologist, of Happyzine, a New Zealand website which offers information for health and happiness, endorses reflexology as a way to help soothe the stress of earache.   To ease the discomfort of an earache, Burgess suggests working on the toes, particularly the last two toes on each foot.  She also recommends working on the "the spleen, thymus, upper body lymphatic points, throat, jaw, cervical neck, diaphragm, and adrenals" to help ease baby's discomfort.  Check my reflexology chart here for more information on those particular parts of the foot.

And, feel free to look at Happyzine's article, How to Soothe Your Three-Year-Old's Ear Ache By Pressing Points on Their Feet, here, to learn more about using reflexology for an ear ache.

Soothing Your Baby's Tummy with Reflexology

As many of you know, I'm a big fan of reflexology.  It's a favorite form of healing for me, because it is non-invasive, easy to do, and feels great.  The soothing touch and human contact is wonderful for erasing physical and emotional stress.

When you have a sick child, few things matter more to you than helping that little one to feel better.  A young child may be able to talk and tell you what hurts, but when it's a baby, there is often a lot of guesswork involved.  One common cause for complaint in a cranky baby is a digestive problem, or simply put, a tummy ache.

Shanti Burgess, an herbalist and reflexologist, of Happyzine, a New Zealand website dedicated to health and happiness, suggests trying reflexology to soothe your baby's tummy.  Because babies are so small, their foot pressure points may be difficult to handle with any degree of accuracy.  Instead, focus some light pressure on the ball of your baby's foot.  The digestive system responds to the areas just under the ball, so a light massage should help to alleviate some of your baby's discomfort.  If you're confused about where to start, a gentle foot massage on the entire foot can't steer you wrong.

Check out Happyzine's article, How to Soothe Your Baby's Tummy with Reflexology, here, for more information.

Easiest Reflexology Chart Ever!

In the past few months, I've been thinking a lot about reflexology.  It's something that I've studied, here and there, for the past couple of years.  I certainly wouldn't call myself an expert, though I would say that I'm an enthusiast.  It's the sort of holistic treatment that I love, because it's non-invasive and no matter how inexperienced you are, you can't really hurt someone or do it "wrong."  

One thing that confuses people, however, is just where all of those pesky reflexology points are located!  I've looked at a lot of charts, and while it seems that there's some debate going on about some of the parts of the body and their corresponding reflexology areas, I have formulated a chart that is based on the most widely-agreed locations.  My reflexology chart is a very simple, basic diagram that has the most commonly sought locations featured prominently.  The image of the sole of the foot was taken from an image from Gray's Anatomy that I found online -- I just colored in and labelled all of the "good" parts. ;)

 I wouldn't recommend reflexology as a cure-all or any sort of replacement for the advice of a doctor, but I would most happily recommend it as something to try as a supplemental treatment -- it certainly can't hurt you, and at the very worst, you'll be getting a nice relaxing foot rub out of the deal (how bad could that be?).  Just remember to be gentle and go slow if you're trying it for the first time.  Get a friend to try some of these reflexology points on you, or just refer to my picture below and do it for yourself.  It's easy and so much fun!  Consult your doctor before doing this, as some types of massage may be unsuitable for people with certain health issues.

P.S.  As a special gift to you, I fully permit everyone to use, share, and refer to my chart under the Creative Commons No-Derivs License!  (more info below)  

Feel free to distribute it as long as you link back to me.   

Just click the picture to get the full-sized image.

If you use my reflexology chart, please comment below 

so that I can come visit the place you have displayed it. :)

Enjoy!

Reflexology Chart by Sage is licensed under a 

Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Reflexology Basics

UPDATE:  I've made a reflexology chart!  Click here to see it!

Reflexology is an ancient healing art that originates thousands of years before Christianity. It is said to have a wonderful and powerful impact on the health of those who receive its practice, both in body and in mind. However, it is not a mainstream healing technique, and not much information about reflexology is commonly known. Because I consider it to be a safe and relaxing practice, I'd love to share some of the information about reflexology in the hopes that my readers will give it a try sometime.

This healing practice has been around since the very beginnings of recorded human history. Ancient health and spiritual practicioners in Egypt and China developed this healing technique. Their theories revolve around the concept that every person has an energy flowing through them, as well as around them, and often illnesses can be caused or exacerbated by disruptions in the flow. The human feet contain energy points which connect to various organs or parts of the body. By providing pressure or stimulation to various energy points in the foot, one can change the energy. A reflexology practicioner can remove blocks, stimulate to encourage energy flow, or balance the the energy back to its rightful state. By doing this, once can promote and restore physical and mental health. 

Reflexology's benefits must often be experienced in order to be believed. There are many advantages and positive effects that are enjoyed by those who receive this soothing technique.

Reflexology techniques can have a wonderful effect on the physical being; it can remove tension in the muscles of the feet. All massage is beneficial for assisting in the removal of toxins from the body, enabling the body to help heal itself more efficiently. Quite a few conditions are thought to be alleviated on some level by reflexology, such as circulatory issues, headaches, certain digestive ailments, high blood pressure, neck or back pain, and even female health issues such as PMS or infertility. Massage is generally good for these types of conditions because the manipulation of the muscles and tissue which is done during the massage is quite effective as a stress reliever; when physical stress is reduced, the instances of the conditions above is often reduced or even eliminated entirely in some cases. If the power of the reflex points actually does connect to various bodily organs, then the potentials of reflexology's benefits are well worth the exploration.

Not only can reflexology help physical issues, but it can also relieve the recipient of emotional stress as well. It is a soothing technique that can put someone into a wonderful state of relaxation. Physical and emotional tensions are alleviated, allowing the body to feel rejuvenated. A stressful condition, such as anxiety or depression, can be alleviated with some simple relaxing touches. This relaxation can enable the recipient to have a more peaceful and relaxed outlook, possibly even improving insomnia and promoting a more restful sleep, which will in turn have even more health-boosting power.

In general, reflexology is a relatively safe practice -- however, I must advise you to check with your physician before starting a reflexology program as this type of massage may not be advisable for people with certain health conditions. There are many ailments which conventional medicine is, as yet, unable to treat effectively, so reflexology may be a great alternative health practice for you to try in such instances. After getting advice from your doctor, look online to find the right reflexologist that will meet your needs and help to enhance your physical and emotional health. Enjoy!