The Hutchinson System

Reflexology is a unique method of using the thumb and fingers to stimulate more than seven thousand two hundred nerve endings in each foot. These nerve endings correspond to all parts of the body, including organs and glands. Some reflexologists also work with the hands and the ears. Stimulating the appropriate region is intended to eliminate energy blockages thought to produce pain or disease in the related areas. Reflexology is used to prevent, rather than cure, and is used to relieve a wide variety of ailments.

Dr. William Fitzgerald, in his book Zone Therapy, states that “a form of treatment by means of pressure points was known in India and China five thousand years ago. This knowledge, however, appears to be lost or forgotten. Perhaps it was set aside in favor of acupuncture, which emerged as the stronger growth from the same root.” There also appears to be evidence of reflexology being used in Egyptian art around 2330 B.C.E.

Reflexology can relieve stress and tension within the body. It improves circulation and lymphatic flow and works to unblock nerve impulse pathways. These benefits all work toward helping the body to heal itself by restoring balance to the vital energies. According to Shelly Hess, author of The Professional’s Reflexology Handbook, “Reflexology works to discover how the soft tissue organs and the entire skeletal system are functioning. Through trained fingers, the reflexologist can detect early warning signs that the body is struggling and can then help restore the internal system to better balance.”

How Much Time Should I Allow?