Research

A great number of clinical studies have now been conducted into the effectiveness of reflexology as a treatment. Here are summaries of just a few:

Constipation

"Using Reflexology to Relieve Chronic Constipation" (from the Danish Journal of Nursing, 24, June '92)

This was a Pilot Study: 20 women, 30-60 years of age, defecation interval two days or more, suffered from constipation from 5-54 years with an average of 24.6 years. Treatment procedure: per person: 15 free treatments (2 per week for 4 weeks, minimum 2 days between each treatment, and then one treatment each week for 7 weeks)

Results

	Before	After
Frequency of defecation-average	4.1 days	1.8 days
Painful defecation	40%	Nil
Normal stool consistency	Nil	50%
Reduction in use of laxatives		55%

Other health problems were reported by 95% of the women and 80% said that these health problems had changed for the better.

Headaches and Migraines

"Headache/Migraine - Has Reflexology an Effect?" by Leila Eriksen

Study: 220 patients over a maximum of 6 months (average 10 treatments each) and again 3 months after treatments ended, with patients filling out diaries. The majority of the 220 patients were 25-54 years; 33% had previously experienced alternative treatment with success; 63% had headaches for more than 9 years, 71% for more than 6 years.

Results

At final treatment: 23% were cured, 55% were helped which equals a positive effect on 78% (25% from the tension headache group were cured and 20% from migraine group). At the time of follow-up only 23% of the migraine patients had no effect. Also at the follow up:41% obtained a better life quality, 53% felt physically better, 50% psychologically better.

Premenstrual Symptoms

Randomized Controlled Study of Premenstrual Symptoms Treated with Ear, Hand and Foot Reflexology by Terry Oleson, PhD and William Flocco "Obstetrics & Gynecology"

Objective

To determine whether reflexology therapy - the application of manual pressure to reflex points on the ears, hands, and feet that somatotopically correspond to specific areas of the body - can significantly reduce premenstrual symptoms compared to placebo treatment.

Methods

Thirty five women who complained of previous distress with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) were randomly assigned to be treated by ear, hand, and foot reflexology or to receive placebo reflexology. All subjects completed a daily diary, which monitored 38 premenstrual symptoms on a four-point scale. Somatic and psychological indicators of premenstrual distress were recorded each day for 2 months before treatment, for 2 months during reflexology and for 2 months afterwards. The reflexology sessions for both groups were provided by a trained reflexology therapist once a week for 8 weeks, and lasted 30 minutes each.

Results

Analysis of variance for repeated measures demonstrated a significantly greater decrease in premenstrual symptoms for the women given true reflexology treatment than for the women in the placebo group.

Conclusion

These clinical findings support the use of ear, hand and foot reflexology for the treatment of PMS (Obstet Gynecol 1993; 82:906-11).

Reduction of Symptoms

Symptom	Placebo Reflexology	True Reflexology
Easily Irritated	63%	43%
Nervous or Anxious	36%	24%
Depressed or Sad	66%	24%
Forgetful or Confused	76%	25%
Critical of Self & Others	68%	36%
Headache	77%	22%
Backache	48%	26%
Constipation	60%	25%
Tired or Fatigued	27%	8%
Difficulty Falling Asleep	33%	0%

From the Division of Behavioural Medicine, California Graduate Institute, Los Angeles; and the American Academy of Reflexology, Burbank, California. This study was funded by private contributions to the California Graduate Institute and the American Academy of Reflexology.