The origins of Reflexology can be traced back to ancient Egypt; where wall paintings in a physician’s tomb at Saqqara, dated 2330BC, show patients receiving treatments on their hands and feet. Practices akin to Reflexology also appear to have been used in early China, Japan, India and Russia.
Modern day Reflexology has its origins in Zone Therapy, which Dr William Fitzgerald pioneered. He divided the body into ten longitudinal zones; the theory being that everything in each zone was connected, so pressure and stimulation of a reflex could relieve pain affecting organs, body parts and glands within a given zone. Eunice Ingham, a Physiotherapist, developed and refined Zone Therapy. She discovered that a beneficial effect could be achieved by using pressure from her thumbs and fingers on specific tender spots, which related to problems elsewhere in the body. Eventually she was able to map the entire body onto the feet. Her charts are now the standard used by reflexologists all over the world.