February 17, 2011

Who knew?  The other day I had the pleasure, and when I say pleasure I mean pleasure, of a reflexology appointment.  As a Valentine’s Day present, Christine got me a session of reflexology.  Like most, I have had massages in the past, but this one was a little different, it focused on my feet, ankles and calves.  The theory behind reflexology, as I understand it, is that there are certain points, pressure points, on the bottom of your feet that correspond to various parts of your body.

As I arrived for my appointment, I was greeted by Justine, the muscular therapist.  Justine brought me into a small, dimly lit room and soft music playing in the background.  As we entered the room, Justine began to explain to me everything that she was going to do with my feet, and again reaffirmed what I mentioned earlier about reflexology and the pressure points on the feet that correspond with the various parts of the body.

Justine went on to say that if she touches a point on my foot and it produces a little bit of pain, that could mean there is an issue with that particular organ.  (Prior to my appointment I had looked at a map of the foot from a Reflexologists point of view and had seen where the pressure points were for the kidneys)  As I was a little skeptical of this claim, I made no mention of my kidney disease to Justine to see if I really would feel a little pain or discomfort in the kidney area of the feet.

Justine had me lie on the massage table, which, as it turns out, was heated and very relaxing.  Justine then began the massage, and it was absolutely fantastic.  Then came the reflexology part of the appointment.  And sure enough, when she hit the kidney area of my foot, I felt some discomfort.  Who knew?

Being a little skeptical by nature, when I got home from the appointment, I looked up reflexology and its benefits on kidney disease, and it turns out there is a connection – a somewhat loose connection, but a connection none the less; with the theory being foot reflexology increases blood flow to the kidneys. This stimulates the kidneys to work more effectively.

According to the website renewyou.ca/reflexology/benefits:

Conditions treated are:  Bladder infections, urinary incontinence and kidney problems.
Reflexology relieves these conditions by stimulating the whole pelvic cavity which in turn improves the nerve and blood supply to the urinary system.  When toxins are eliminated and tension is broken down, the healing process begins.  With the stress taken off of the kidneys, blood pressure is lowered.

Whether or not there is an actual connection to reflexology and benefiting kidney disease, I guess will remain up for debate.  There are those that feel there is a definite connection.  And there are those that are skeptical.

I have to say that I am probably in the latter group, but leaning towards believing there is a benefit.  I would be willing to subject my feet to the “rigors” of any study looking to see if there are true benefits that come from reflexology – hey, if it will help my kidney function, count me in!