Sole to Soul

Reflexologist Pravin Kaushal explains how reflexology, which uses the sole of the feet, can be a rewarding alternative therapy for ailments ranging from jet lag to stress

A woman frequent traveller, presently employed with an international banking firm, came to me suffering from deep vein thrombosis. It took just eight sittings of reflexology to result in a marked improvement in her health. Though this patient was aware of her ailment, some like Mahesh Jain are completely taken by surprise when using reflexology, a sluggish liver problem is detected. Mahesh’s social lifestyle, business meetings, parties had increased his consumption of alcohol further aggravating the situation. Energy levels were dipping leading to low performance at work. All this snowballed into building up Mahesh's stress levels inviting other disorders like alopecia (hair loss from a particular region on the scalp). Sessions of reflexology helped boost his energy levels and brought out a marked improvement in his liver functioning.

So, what exactly is reflexology? It's a unique therapy practised on the sole of your feet. The sole has around 7,000 nerve endings connecting to all the organs in the human anatomy. It is like the fuse box of the body with the organs being the light. There are points on your feet, which once triggered, can have a profound effect on your nervous and hormonal systems. Reflexology is based on the theory of applying pressure to specific areas on the feet and, less commonly, in hands and ears. It affects the internal organ and the endocrine system, leading to a balanced body equilibrium. The therapy evolved from the work of Dr William H Fitzgerald, who was interested in the theory of energy lines or meridians and developed 'zone therapy' around 1913.

Reflexology is particularly apt for travel related ailments which arise from long sitting hours, erratic schedules, uncomfortable postures, disturbances in sleeping and eating patterns, etc. Back and neck aches, irritable bowl syndrome, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), jet lag and, most importantly, stress related to both psychosomatic and physical exertion, are natural fall-outs of travel. Reflexology is a viable alternative for these disorders.

How the treatment works

• Firstly, we apply pressure to certain areas on the feet. If the pressure is exerted on the area connected to a specific organ that has the disorder or if the organ is not performing to its optimum, it would immediately result in pain.
• Once the pain is detected it is immediately marked on a profile (which is a sketch of the feet) along with details with respect to habits and lifestyle of the specific patients.
• Once the points are marked, depending on the disorder, the line of treatment then takes its course. The sessions, its duration, and length of treatment depends totally on the intensity of the ailment and the response of the individual patient to the therapy.

Path to recovery

Patients who respond well to the treatment sometimes face symptoms called the 'healing crisis' in the form of headaches, loose motions, constipation, drowsiness etc. These effects are temporary in nature and happen when the body is in the process of throwing out toxins. Hence, they should be treated as positive signs which show that the treatment is working in the right direction.

The patient on the path to recovery would experience gradual reduction in pain at those specific points on the sole and all the 'healing crisis' would soon be nullified, resulting in a stable system.

There is a lot of misconception about reflexology being a painful therapy. Though there is some pain involved, it is the therapist's job to explain to patients the reason and the after-effects of the pain. The treatment involves clear communication between the therapist and the receiver. It is the job of the therapist to build up a comfortable and congenial environment for the treatment to be more effective.

(As told to Reema Sisodia)
(Pravin Kaushal is associated with The GOLD’S GYM, Nepean Sea Road, Mumbai-6; tel: (022) 23679392, 23618534
Email:12funnfitness@rediffmail.com)