Holistic and alternative healing therapies have gained a large following in the last few years. The demand for such therapies has been met with a rise in the availability of holistic schools and specialized programs. Today, holistic schools offer training programs in a wide range of alternative and complementary healing modalities. Training in reflexology is one of the most popular of these programs.

What is reflexology? It is a non-invasive therapy based on the belief that there are zones of energy that run vertically up and down the body. These energy zones, in turn, terminate in the hands and feet. According to proponents of reflexology, whatever happens in the body is reflected in the reflex zones found on the feet and hands. That is, symptoms of illness, disease, or tenderness anywhere in your body will be reflected in the related foot and hand reflex areas.

As part of their training at an appropriate holistic school, reflexologists learn to use the zone lines to trace, on the feet and hands, a map of all the glands, organs, body parts, and systems of the body. They learn to apply pressure to these zones for the various symptoms that might be presented by their clients.

Reflexologists do not claim to cure particular diseases. As with other holistic health practitioners, reflexologists tend to believe that that their procedures help the body to heal itself. In particular, reflexology procedures are said to lower stress and reduce pain. How exactly that might occur is open to debate.

One hypothesis for how reflexology might work to produce positive effects is called the “nervous system hypothesis” According to this hypothesis, applying pressure to specific locations on the feet and hands generate signals through the peripheral nervous system, which then enter the central nervous system, and proceed to the brain. The signals are then relayed to one or more organs or systems of the body and act to make subtle adjustments to things like the use of oxygen at these locations. In addition, signals may be sent on to the motor system, which adjusts the body’s tone and lowers overall tension levels, reducing stress.

Another hypothesis, the “Qi hypothesis”, is more closely aligned with Asian medical beliefs. According to the Qi hypothesis, our bodies contain a kind of a life energy field, called “Qi”(or, Chi). When the flow of this energy is blocked or imbalanced at a point in the body, illness in the organs of that area may result. Under this hypothesis, stimulating specific points on the feet and hands can remove blockages and increase the flow of energy to affected areas of the body to promote healing. Interestingly, blockages of the life force are said to be reflected in the feet and hands in the form of small lumps or crystals that a reflexologist can detect and treat through appropriate pressure and massage.