HOLISTIC HEALTH:Reflexology is suffering from a lack of scientific support and recognition, writes Sylvia Thompson
IT'S ALL in the feet, or so the growing popularity of reflexology would suggest; it has become one of the most popular complementary therapies in cancer support centres, hospices and residential and day hospitals for elderly people. Teri Garvey, author of The Report on the Regulation of Complementary Therapists in Ireland, is a strong advocate of reflexology.
"I have found reflexology very beneficial during sessions of chemotherapy which I've been having as part of my cancer treatment. I was initially sceptical, but I've seen how I have no nausea when I have had reflexology close to chemotherapysessions. Also, it has helped my digestive system and it's relaxing too," she says.
Lua McIlraith, a registered general nurse who has been practising reflexology for 13 years, says that reflexology is also common during pregnancy.
It is available in some drug and alcohol treatment centres and offered free of charge to people who contracted Hepatitis C from blood products, through the support groups Positive Action and Transfusion Positive.
"I think its potential hasn't yet been reached in Ireland," she says. "In countries like Denmark, reflexology is widely recognised as a beneficial therapy, and people are encouraged to go for reflexology to prevent the onset of various illnesses, and to protect their wellbeing."
On a broader level, McIlraith suggests that therapies such as reflexology could also be valuable in primary care settings and to older people attending out-patient appointments.
According to McIlraith, up to 80 per cent of GP visits are stress-related, and reflexology treatments could help reduce the stress levels of these patients.
In Britain, reflexology is one of the therapies currently being offered in Get Well UK, a pilot study of complementary therapies in primary care in Britain and Northern Ireland.
However, as with many complementary therapies, the stumbling block is the lack of a broad base of scientific evidence. And while the principles of reflexology are well established (see panel), there is still no firm scientific theory to explain how it works.
At a European conference on reflexology in 2003, three Italian scientists, Prof Getullio Talpo, Prof Emilio del Giudice and Emilio Lorin presented evidence from theoretical and experimental studies of physics to explain how reflexology works.
They concluded that the effectiveness of reflexology is due to a forced transit of ions through the cell membranes lying next to the body meridians (energy channels) following stimulation at certain points on the feet.
McIlraith says: "I liken it to an electrical system which has to be earthed - each organ can be earthed on a specific point of the foot."
She adds, "touch therapies work on the energy of the body as opposed to direct action on specific organs".
Despite the lack of evidence, reflexology continues to grow in popularity.
"Our biggest single problem in Ireland is that we can't access funds for research," says McIlraith, who refers to studies in Denmark and China which validate the use of reflexology for various conditions.
Another ongoing issue with organisations that represent reflexologists in Ireland is the need to standardise training.
Carol Donnelly runs the Suaimhneas school of reflexology in Dublin which is accredited by the Irish Reflexologists Institute.
"There is a need for more consistency in the training of reflexologists and we need to increase the number of teaching hours," she says.
Currently, reflexologists are required to have completed a minimum of between 100 and 120 teaching hours, which some teachers believe should be increased to 300.
Many reflexologists also believe that reflexology should be kept within the healthcare domain, and not offered as part of beauty treatments.
"Currently, reflexology is also taught as part of some beauty therapy courses and this needs to be looked at in terms of future regulation of the profession," says Donnelly.
There is also a concern that there are too many people being trained as reflexologists here. In 2006, more than 1,700 reflexologists were recorded in the complementary therapy database compiled for the Report of the National Working Group on the Regulation of Complementary Therapists.
And while many of these work part time or combine reflexology with another complementary therapy, an over-supply of therapists might make the regulation of reflexologists more difficult in the future.
Finally, as with all complementary therapists, reflexologists are advised to be members of a professional association.
And while the Minister for Health, Mary Harney, has recommended self-regulation as the best way forward for complementary therapies, Garvey cautions that people should continue to be vigilant and always check that a reflexologist is a member of a recognised professional body before going for a reflexology session.