‘Just how and why reflexology works is not so ~lear’.~ All
writers on the subject seem to agree that the modes of action
usually offered are but theories. The foot, ear, hand,
back and other body locations are believed to represent
‘holographic reiterations of the anatomy of the body’: or
a ‘perfect microcosm or miniature map of the whole
body’,5 or ‘a scanner screen recording bodily functions’.6
Maps were drawn up where one particular area (usually
the sole of the foot) is assumed to represent one particular
organ or organ system. These are based on the assumption
that ten ‘energy zones’ run longitudinally through the
body. Each foot has five of these lines, and all body organs
are believed to lie along one or more of these lines.’