A uniform definition of reflexology (the term reflex therapy
is sometimes used as a synonym) does not seem to
exist. Two examples of relatively authoritative descriptions
are given below. ‘Reflexology is a Chinese and Indian
system of diagnosis and treatment dating from 3000 BC,
often used together with acupuncture. It is based on the belief
that the whole body is represented on the foot (mostly
on the soles of the feet), and that the internal organs
can be stimulated by pressing particular areas of the foot
(less commonly the hands). The reflexology zones do not
correspond exactly to either the nervous system or acupuncture
meridians, but the same principles of illness due
to ‘blockage’ of energy channels is applied as in traditional
Chinese medicine. The method was first used in the West
in 1913 by William Fitzgerald, an ENT surgeon interested
in acupuncture. Reflexology involves palpation to locate
sites of tenderness, or crystalline deposits beneath the skin,