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	> What is Reflexology
	> Where Did it Originate
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Reflexology

Where Did Reflexology Originate?

Archeological evidence traces the roots of reflexology to ancient Egypt (2330 BCE), China (2704 BCE), and Japan (690 CE). It has also practiced worldwide for centuries.

Reflexology as known by the general population was reinstated as a health practice in the early 20th century by the American physician, William Fitzgerald, MD (1872-1942).  Dr. Fitzgerald pioneered the development of the zone theory of the body, using the foot to map out the various zones for diagnosis and treatment.  He divided the body into 10 longitudal zones, 5 on each side of the body. Each zone runs from top of the head down to the 5 digits of the feet, also extending out to the 5 digits of the hands. Each zone relates to different areas of the body. Using direct pressure on one part of the foot, for example would generate a therapeutic, or anesthetic, effect within the targeted zone.  Dr. Fitzgerald named this healing method Zone Therapy.

Dr. Fitzgerald's work was continued and expanded on by Dr. Joseph Shelby Riley, his assistant, who published drawings of zones on both the feet, hands and outer ear to promote what he called Zone Reflex.

In the 1930s, a nurse and physiotherapist named Eunice Ingham (1879-1974) further developed Dr. Fitzgerald's theory and mapped out the entire body onto the feet, also discovering that applying pressure on various areas of the foot resulted in relief in corresponding parts of the body. This mapping was more location-specific than the original maps created by Dr. Fitzgerald and expanded the mapping to include 3 lateral lines. Dr. Ingham also changed the name of Zone Therapy to Reflexology. Her groundbreaking book on the subject was published in 1938 called Stories the Feet Can Tell, which subsequently inspired workshops all over the world. The late Dr. Ingham and her nephew, Dwight C. Byers, were considered the leading authority on foot Reflexology. Mr. Byers is the Director of the International Institute of Reflexology which conducts ongoing workshops worldwide.

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