Reflexology Chart A5 Learning chart - Englisch

Reflexology, also known as 'zone therapy', is an alternative medicine that involves applying pressure to the feet and hands using specific thumb, finger and hand techniques without the use of oil or lotion. It is based on a system of zones and reflex areas that are believed to reflect an image of the body on the feet and hands, with the premise that such work produces a physical change in the body. Practices similar to reflexology may have existed in earlier similar historical periods. Similar practices have been documented in the history of China and Egypt. Reflexology was introduced to the United States in 1913 by William H. Fitzgerald, M.D. (1872-1942). Fitzgerald claimed that the application of pressure had an anaesthetic effect on other areas of the body. It was modified in the 1930s and 1940s by Eunice D. Ingham (1889-1974), a nurse and physiotherapist. Ingham claimed that the feet and hands were particularly sensitive and mapped the whole body into 'reflexes' on the feet, renaming 'zone therapy' reflexology. Modern reflexologists use Ingham's methods or similar techniques developed by reflexologists Laura Norman and Hanne Marquardt.