Reflexology – A Different Kind of Map

There’s nothing like a foot rub after a long day. The question is, can putting pressure on the toes and heels help other body parts—like your head, back, and stomach— feel better too? Fans of reflexology think so. This practice uses massage on specific reflex points to relieve tension and improve health. It dates back more than 4,500 years, but doctors and scientists do not fully agree that rubbing the feet can cure ailments throughout the body.

- By Deena Viviani

Ancient Practices

If ancient writings could be considered textbooks, The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine would most likely be the first on medicine. Originally, scholars thought the book was written around 2600 BCE by the legendary Chinese emperor Huangdi. Newer evidence suggests it may be from around 300 BCE and compiled by a number of different authors. No matter what its origin date, it is the earliest literary record of the health benefits of massage and acupuncture. And it is still used today as a reference for traditional Chinese medicine.

In 1897, archaeologists who opened the tomb of Egyptian noble Ankhmahor discovered documentation of hands-on medical treatments. A wall mural dating from 2500 to 2330 BCE depicts hand and foot massage. Additional scenes of medical practices are inscribed on the walls of the tomb. Scholars say that this illustration and its accompanying hieroglyphics are the first known documentation of reflexology.

The Father of Modern Reflexology

By the late 1500s CE, the practice of massaging specific points of the feet for healing was all the rage in Europe. Called “zone therapy,” it involved mentally dividing the feet into five vertical and four horizontal sections that corresponded to the rest of the body. In America, Indigenous people also practiced forms of foot massage and touch therapy. The Cherokee, for example, identified meridians throughout the body and massaged specific points for healing.