Reflexology’s origins in ancient healing practices have their contemporary applications as well. Through simple techniques that focus primarily on your clients’ hands and feet, you can improve their circulation and help to expel toxins in their body.
By learning the benefits and techniques of reflexology in the privacy of your home or office trough home study courses, massage therapists can easily implement these tools into their practice.
Reflexology can aid in easing a wide array of symptoms that persist from chronic and acute aches and pains, back pain, chronic migraines, sports injuries, sinus conditions, arthritis and sleep disorders. Some of reflexology’s benefits include the reduction of stress by techniques that bring the body into proper balance while removing unhealthy blockages and toxins.
An Internet search resulted in numerous home study courses available that any massage therapist can take to fulfill their continuing education requirements.
For reflexology, basic home study courses include topics that cover stress and well-being, understanding body systems, basic principles using the feet and hands, relaxation exercises for the feet and hands, treating specific ailments, energetic anatomy, meridians, energy zones, case histories, modern and ancient practices and the treatment of specific conditions. More advanced courses are available for home study and can also be found online.
Recent studies have shown reflexology helped to significantly improve the sleep of postpartum women. The study, titled “Randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of using foot reflexology to improve quality of sleep among Taiwanese postpartum women,” was conducted between July and December 2007 and monitored the effects of 65 postpartum women who reported having poor quality sleep in the days following childbirth.
The study found that women in the intervention group, who received five half-hour sessions of foot reflexology, reported a better quality of sleep after the treatment compared to the control group.
Make sure you check with your national and state licensing bodies to make sure the courses you select are acceptable for continuing education credits.
–Jeremy Maready