Reflexology

[Hapexamendios]

Hello all.
.
Last week I was given a reflexology massage by a friend of mine who is taking a course in holistic therapy at a local college. Despite being a skeptic, with reflexology normally consigned to my mental file marked bunkum, I agreed to be a case study to help her out (the fact that a foot massage from an attractive woman is, erm, 'nice' may have had a little to do with my decision ). However, I now find myself in the situation where I've agreed to assist someone who is going to take money off people for (perhaps) spurious reasons. There are of course many benefits from conventional massage therapy, but I was wondering whether the learned people here at JREF know if there has been any proper scientific studies done on the efficacy of reflexology beyond placebo effects.

Cheers

 

[Big Les]

No study links, sorry, but if you think about it, this is one of the more straightforward bits of nonsense, like acupuncure - you are physically manipulating a part of the body with a lot of nerves and fairly complex arrangement of muscles and other types of tissue. So you can create some odd sensations that will release endorphins, distract you, and induce your brain toward a placebo effect for whatever ails you. So "it works" after a fashion. But you can't apply pressue in a specific pre-determined part of the foot and observe a measurable positive effect elsewhere.

Therefore it's low-grade woo in my book. Or as my new favourite phrase goes, a tax on stupidity.

 

[JJM]

Here are two relevant articles:

http://www.ncahf.org/articles/o-r/reflexology.html

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/reflex.html

If you are interested in quackery, you should explore quackwatch, and www.skepdic.com (the Skeptical Dictionary).

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Hapexamendios]

Many thanks to you both.