REFLEXOLOGY THROUGH THE AGES
Many civilizations have practiced reflexology. Evidence of this has been documented on four continents: Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America. The most common theory is that the earliest form of reflexology originated in China, as much as 5000 years ago. The early Taoists are credited with originating many Chinese health practices.

The Cherokee tribes of North America to this day practice a form of reflexology that they continue to pass from generation to generation.

Reflexology traveled across India, Japan, Asia, and China. Traditional East Asian foot reflexology is called Zoku Shin Do. This is the foot portion of the Japanese massage technique. The roots of Zoku Shin Do go back to ancient China and are over 5000 years old.

Many changes took place in zone therapy, or reflexology, as new knowledge was added. In China, reflexology reached a new level. The practice of acupressure using the fingers turned into the practice of acupuncture using needles. The study of the reflex points still existed, but the knowledge was linked or added to and taken in a new direction—the direction of meridians. The Chinese concept of meridian therapy is an important part of the foundation of reflexology.

There are many peoples and individuals who deserve credit for the development of reflexology. This timeline charts some of the salient contributions.

REFLEXOLOGY TIMELINE

2500 BC Ancient Egypt. Evidence of the practice of reflexology has been found in ancient Egypt, dating as far back as 2500 BC. Alternative medicine procedures were commonly practiced. The Tomb of the Physician, Ankhmahor, is located in the necropolis (city of the dead) of Saqqara. Saqqara was a burial ground of Egyptian pharaohs for over a thousand years, from the time of the First dynasty, the earliest organization of the civilizations of the Upper and Lower Nile Valley, dating back to 2750 BC.

Physiotherapy was depicted in a relief tomb in Saqqara, showing the massaging of a shoulder and a knee. Heliotherapy (exposure to ultraviolet sun rays) for pain relief was mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus. To relieve pain in any part of the body, the procedure was to anoint the body and expose it to the sun. Mud and clay therapy was described in this way: “Thou shalt do for it: rub her feet and legs with a mat [mud and clay] until she is well.” Hydrotherapy (treatment by water) was practiced in a sanatorium near Dendara temple, in chambers that were equipped with basins. Water was poured down over a statue, then flowed down a canal into the basins. In the tomb of Nenkh-Sekhmet, Chief of Physicians in the 5th dynasty, it was written: “Never did I do anything evil towards any person.”

A pictograph dating between 2500 - 2330 BC in the tomb of Ankmahor displays the operation of circumcisions. Some illustrate the care given to the hands and feet, and it has been suggested that they represent the manicure and pedicure. The translation in *** most reflexology books of the hieroglyphs states: “Don’t hurt them; and make it enjoyable for you, my dear.” Most reflexo

logists say that this is a reference to an early practice of reflexology, though this is questioned.

475-221 BC In China, the Yellow Emperors of Internal Medicine identified 14 channels (meridians) within the human body, six of which travel to the foot. Meridians are energy pathways all over the body that link our internal organs with the other parts of our body. These energy channels are the pathways for the circulation of the vital life force, which the Chinese call chi and the Japanese ki. Chi is also referred to as “life force,” “vital force,” and “vital energy.” Although chi is necessary for the existence of life, it is not visible to the naked eye; it is more akin to the electrical energy in our body. Reflexology is very effective in stimulating and revitalizing this energy flow. As we practice our reflexology techniques, we stimulate the autonomic nervous system, which is linked to every organ, gland, and all parts of the anatomy. The Chinese theory is that there must be an open flow of chi to maintain good health.

60 BC Mark Anthony is noted in historical works to have worked on Cleopatra’s feet at dinner parties.

300-700 Age of the Mayans and the Incas. These high cultures developed reflexology to diagnose and treat many illnesses. The Mayans documented their findings by carving them into stone plaques. The altar at Copan has engravings with symbols encoded that only medicine men could understand.

790 Buddhas footprints are found in the Medicine Teacher Temple in Nara, Japan.

It is believed that Marco Polo translated a Chinese massage book into Italian in the 1300s, thus introducing reflexology and massage to Europe. Another possibility is that the Dominican and Franciscan missionaries brought this knowledge home sometime during the Middle or Dark ages of Europe, between 400-1400 AD.

1582 In Europe at this time, zone therapy was practiced in several countries. The first book found published on the subject was by Dr. Adamus and Dr. Atatis in 1582. In Leipzig, Dr. Ball writes a a book on the same subject.

1771 Johann August Unzer, a German physiologist, in his published work is the first to use the word “reflex” with reference to the body’s motor reactions.

1830 Neuro-vascular holding points are discovered in 1830 by Dr. Terrance Bennet, a chiropractor. He found these points mainly on the head, and deduced that they seemed to influence the flow of blood to specific organs and structures in the body.

1833 Marshall Hall, an English physiologist, in a study on the reflex function of the medulla oblongata and the spinal cord, uses the term “reflex action” and demonstrates the difference between unconscious reflexes and volitional acts.

1834 The Swedish doctor Pehr Henrik Ling notices that pains emanating from certain organs are reflected in certain areas of the skin, but with no direct relation to these organs. Other students followed this line of thought, including the English neurologist Sir Henry Head. The treatment zones that he discovered came to be known as “Heads zones”. Therapeutic anesthesia was born.

1870 Russian psychologists begin researching zone therapy. These include Ivan Pavlov and Vladimir Bektev, founder of the Russian Brain Institute.

1890 Sir Henry Head publishes his discoveries that the sensitive areas of the skin are connected through nerves to a diseased organ. “The bladder,” he wrote, “can be excited into action by stimulating the soles of the feet.”

1900 Dr. Alfons Cornelius in Germany improves his own health by reflex massage.

~Peace~