Rigt Foot
Left foot.
Feet. Feet. Feet.
Oh, how many feet you meet!
- Dr Seuss

"Reflexology is the application of specific pressures to reflex points in the hands and feet." -
William Fitzgerald

"The feet are the gateway to 10,000 different illnesses" - Japanese Proverb

"Bad feet, bad spine, bad health"

Body mechanics
• Try to not hyperextend your wrists.
• Relax your wrists and fingers, if you start to cramp up, just use a different stroke, also just use one hand, and stretch out the problem hand.
• Form your hands to the feet.
• Be aware of your back (Back straight) and shoulders (Relaxed) when performing Reflexology.

Others Information
• Peppermint essential oil works wonders for the feet. Oil is not a good choice for Reflexology; most of the techniques are just applying pressure. Some therapists use lotion, foot balm, baby powder, or nothing to massage the foot.
• American Reflexology Certification Board requires a minimum of 200 hours of study & documented practice of reflexology www.arcb.net.
• Each foot has over 7,000 nerve endings, 26 bones or 12.5% of all the bones in the entire
body, 107 ligaments, and 19 muscles.
• Have client lay supine with pillow under head and one or two pillows under legs and have
the feet sticking a little over the pillows (Legs above heart, especially for the elderly and clients that have poor circulation). Some therapists elevate the client’s feet and head with pillows (Or they make reflexology chair now www.massagewarehouse.com).
• If no tenderness is found, gently and slowly pressing deeper until the tenderness is found
(The key is on sensitivity).
• Increase pressure when tolerance has been established, be persistent.
• For maximum effect, apply pressure for 30 seconds to a few minutes, depending on the severity of the tenderness.
• Any tenderness is an indication of some degree of problems in the associated zone.
• If the spot is too sensitive, keep coming back for a few seconds each time until the sensitivity is gone.
• Perform one area at a time, massaging (Or stimulating) all tender spots.
Do not over massage at the beginning; proceed slowly. Try to have both hands one a foot at the same time.
• Perform each technique at least 3 times. Cover the foot that you are not working on with the sheet or a towel.
• Try not to loose contact when working on the feet and do not loose contact when switching to the other foot.
• Work both of the feet at the same time to finish the session if you would like. If they come in with certain problems, work that area on the foot that relates to that part of the body. If you are only using one hand, make sure you support the foot with the other hand.

Parts of the body related to reflexology
• The eyes (Iridology)
• The ears (Auricular reflexology)
• The feet (Foot reflexology)
• The hands (Hand reflexology)
• The scalp (Scalp reflexology)
• The face (Face reflexology)
• The skin (Points of acupuncture)

Corny
• Reflexology treats your “SOLE / SOUL.”
• Reflexology will “HEEL / HEAL” you!
• Do not stub your toe or you might get a headache.

Indications & Contraindications
• Athletes foot - LC / peeling and cracking, fungus
• Bone Spurs - I / excess calcium on heel, sometimes hard to walk
• Bunions - LC / bursa sac becomes inflamed
• Calluses - I / thick mass of skin
• Corns - I / hard, gray, and yellow skin
• Edema - LC for Acute and I for Sub Acute / retention of fluid
• Flat Feet - I / foot strain, excessive standing
• Gout - LC / excess uric acid in the blood, usually in big toe
• Hallux Valgus - I / abnormal prominence of the joints
• Hammertoes - I / overlapping and curling of toes
• Ingrown Toenail - LC / edge of nail breaking into skin
• Morton’s Toe - I / Build up of scar tissue between 3rd and 4th metatarsals
• Numbness - use lighter pressure / poor circulation, diabetes or nerve damage
• Open Wounds - LC
• Overgrown Toenails - LC / thick, deformed, sometimes curling under toes
• Pregnant - LC on ankle, O.K. to work in the last part of 3rd trimester (Avoid during first three months of pregnancy and use caution while pregnant as labor can be induced accidentally).
• Surgeries - depends on the surgery and how log ago it was
• Varicose Veins - legs, light to no pressure depending how bad
• Warts - LC/ viruses
• If you have any doubts, please contact a Doctor!

Other types of Reflexology
• Advanced Reflexology Training - The ART techniques are far more positive because of the type of stimulus used, that is, the pressure is deeper without going beyond the patient’s tolerance. A special treatment sequence is used which forms a very important part of the ART
approach. Also the more orthodox ‘walking’ techniques are not the mainstay of ART, although they can be used in conjunction with ART. Other areas of the hands, fingers and thumbs are used in an entirely different way, which makes the treatment far more flowing and dynamic.
• Auricular reflexology - Mode of reflexology whose focus is the ear. Dr. P.F.M. Nogier of France "discovered" the method in 1967.
• Ayurvedic Reflexology / Acupressure - Service offered by the Dr. Guervaz Ayurveda Center, in New York City. Its purported design is to open "channels" and "meridians."
• Gentle Touch™ of Reflexology - Advanced method of accessing the feet and energy field of
the client while using the most minimal of touch.
• Precision Reflexology - It focuses on stimulating “reflex points” on the feet in order to maintain good health. Practitioners believe that by applying appropriate pressure to the reflex
points it is possible to treat a wide range of disorders.
• Reflexotherapy - Based on the strict individualization of each case of upset balance or disease.
• Vertical Reflexology - Client stands up and only the dorsal part (Top) of the foot is treated.
Focuses on working the weight-bearing dorsal reflexes (top) of the foot rather than the familiar plantar or sole where the main reflexes are conventionally situated. www.boothvrt.com
• Ingham Method - Form of zone therapy or reflexology. In the 1930's Eunice Ingham, a psychotherapist working for a physician, used zone therapy on patients. She mapped the entire body as represented on the feet. At first used to reduce pain, Ingham developed the work into the Ingham Reflex Method of Compression Massage (Later known as Reflexology). Only the hands are used to apply the pressure to the reflex points on the feet.
• Meridian Reflexology - Combines Western and Eastern traditions.
• Vita Flex Therapy - "vitality through the reflexes." It is a specialized form of hand and foot massage that is exceptionally effective in delivering the benefits of essential oils throughout the
body.
• LaStone Reflexology - During a treatment, the recipient, fully clothed, will lie on a bed of hot stones along their spine, as well as, hot stones in their hands and on all of the 7 chakras. A full foot reflexology treatment is done solely with the use of hot basalt or cold marble stones depending on the individual needs of the recipient. Auricular (ear) stimulation is also done following the foot reflexology. The recipient then turns over onto their belly and hand reflexology is done. The session ends with a ceremonial closing off of all energies that have been passed on through the use of these healing stones.
• Swiss reflex therapy - works on the same principle as reflexology but also utilizes the benefits of aromatherapy. Following consultation, the feet are treated with a specially prepared aromatherapy cream, stimulating healing through the use of reflex points but with the additional boost of the properties of essential oils. Treatment continues at home with a prescribed cream which should be massaged into the feet daily.
• Morrell Reflexology - uses the same access points as traditional Reflexology and follows its basic philosophy. However, the original heavy pressure is replaced with an extremely light touch.
The theory was developed some 15 years ago by Patricia Morrell, who was no longer happy with
the traditional approach of breaking down crystals of uric acid in the foot. She began to think in terms of affecting a person not just on a physical level but on a more subtle, energetic level. She discovered that by employing a soft, gentle touch, she not only made her patients more comfortable but achieved even better results than before.

• And there are many others...

My favorite Reflexology site: www.universalreflex.com