In the early 1900's, Dr William Fitzgerald - a leading ear, nose and throat doctor, aka the "discoverer of zone therapy" became aware that Native Americans were using pressure points to relieve pain and whilst in Vienna, Europeans were researching the nervous system and the effects of stimulation of the sensory pathways. After much research and experimentation on his patients with pain relief during minor surgery "Zone Therapy" was discovered. Using items like rubber bands and combs etc on the fingers and hands he was able to relieve pain by placing these items to deaden the pain in an anaesthetic effect.
Zone Therapy is the energy lines that run through the body on a vertical axis (See picture below)
In 1917, Dr Fitzgerald published a book titled "Zone Therapy, or Relieving Pain at Home". This book describes his success with relieving pain using various devices on the hands and feet.
According to Dwight C. Byers (author of Better Health with Foot Reflexology), Dr Fitzgerald had attended an important dinner with a well known concert singer. She had announced that her upper register tones of her voice had gone flat and no throat specialist was able to find the cause. Dr Fitzgerald had then asked to examine her fingers and toes, and had deduced that the cause was because of a callous that had developed on her right big toe. He had applied pressure to the corresponding part in the same zone for a few minutes, and the patient remarked that the pain in her toe disappeared. He then asked her to try the tones in her upper register, and she was able to sing two notes higher than she had ever sung before. Apparently, this magical experience was an everyday occurrence in the clinic of Dr Fitzgerald.
This study was relatively unknown, but Dr Joe Shelby Riley was a physician that was interested by the idea of zone therapy, but did not actively pursue this concept. A physiotherapist working with Dr Joe Shelby Riley, Eunice Ingham "mother of reflexology" became obsessed with Zone therapy, and decided to target the feet more than hands due to the sensitivity from having over 7,000 nerve endings in the feet. She developed the maps of the entire body on the feet thanks to her research in reflexology.
She also developed the technique to use to access these reflexes using pressure with the thumbs. She also practiced on her family members, one in particular for asthma and hay fever and deduced that a few sessions in a week would help clients with less serious cases.
In her early days as a physiotherapist she noted a decrease in her clients perception of pain, an improvement in their mobility and when reflexology was administered directly after a surgical treatment, there was a noticeable increase in recovery time.
News of her therapy had spread and people from all over America sought her treatments. Eunice Ingham had dedicated over 40 years to reflexology and her technique is still taught today.
By using her technique a reflexology session will last approximately 1 hour, depending on the health of the client and I personally perform this amazing healing technique.
Reflexology has many techniques that have been developed over the world containing different theories, but ultimately they all create the circumstances that self-healing can occur.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this post. If you would like to try a reflexology treatment for yourself, call me on 0457 170 095 or book through my Facebook page HERE
Carly
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