Revisiting reflexology: Concept, evidence, current practice, and practitioner training

Nurul Haswani Embong ； Yee Chang Soh ； Long Chiau Ming ； Tin Wui Wong

《Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine》 5卷4期 (2015/10) Pp. 197-206

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcme.2015.08.008

摘要

Reflexology is basically a study of how one part of the human body relates to another part of the body. Reflexology practitioners rely on the reflexes map of the feet and hands to all the internal organs and other human body parts. They believe that by applying the appropriate pressure and massage certain spots on the feet and hands, all other body parts could be energized and rejuvenated. This review aimed to revisit the concept of reflexology and examine its effectiveness, practices, and the training for reflexology practitioners. PubMed, SCOPUS, Google Scholar, and SpringerLink databases were utilized to search the following medical subject headings or keywords: foot massage, reflexology, foot reflex-otherapy, reflexological treatment, and zone therapy. The articles published for the last 10 years were included. Previous systematic reviews failed to show concrete evidence for any specific effect of reflexology in any conditions. Due to its non-invasive, non-pharmacological complementary nature, reflexology is widely accepted and anecdotal evidence of positive effect reflexology in a variety of health conditions are available. Adequate training for practitioners is necessary to ensure the consistency of service provided.

關鍵字

Complementary and alternative medicine ； Treatment effect ； Foot massage reflexology ； Pain management ； Zone therapy

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