Student IDNumber-1708673Formative AssessmentHolistic Holistic health is a wellness method it can mean a differentapproach to health for many people, body, mind and spirit and soul. Health ofthe entire being emphases on treating the underlying causes rather than givingtreatment which would be bio medical model. “Over the last several decades,hundreds of studies have proven the effectiveness of the various parts ofholistic treatment”(holistichealth,2017).Health may be holistic; however the effect that certainfactors have on health can still be much larger than other factors andtherefore be safely neglected. Holisticmeans giving and attention and a lot of care to the whole meaning the wholeperson.
The term holistic is taken from the Greek word holos, meaningwhole. For example, Doctors and nursesuse holism when preparation and preparing to care. Individuals and therepersonalities often have negative choices whereby holistic health is affected.These are things such as unbalanced diet, extreme alcohol intake and smoking. Theholistic view is broadly accepted in medicine. Holistic is a complex connectionand interaction between experiences, perceptions and circumstances and peoplesbeliefs and what they accept. There are many holistic treatments and approachesI have chosen to write about this subject as it has been a treatment that hasalways been of interest to me and looking into this subject will give me thechance to find out more and actually understand reflexology. There are severalhypotheses that explain how reflexology actually works.
What isreflexology?Reflexology is a process which treats and heals the body,reflexology reduces stress and induces deep relaxation also can be seen tocleanse the body of toxins and impurities. Reflexology is the study andpractice of treating reflex points most commonly in the feet and hands which iscalled zone therapy it relates to corresponding parts of the body. “The feetcan be thought of as mirroring the body and so the organs and glands etc. can bemapped on the feet” (Nelson,holistic health, p167).The left foot would mirror the left side of thebody and right foot the right side of the body. Reflexology is a holistichealing technique, which means the individuals mind body and soul this method doesnormally work on aspects of the body.
Using precise hand and finger techniques,a reflexologist can increase blood flow hole energy of the body, inducerelaxation and enable homeostasis. Also charts and diagrams can pin point outareas on the feet that relate to different organs. Reflexology aims to treatthe cause of the problem and ease the body as a whole.
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There are ten zonesthrough which energy passes through the feet here are some zones and which bodyorgan it connects to.Zone 1-runs through the centre of the bodyZone 2-rund threw the eyes, the body and the first fingerand second toe.Zone 3-runsthroughthe eye the second finger and third toe.
Zone 4-runs down through the ear and on the third finger andfourth toeZone 5 runs from the ear to the little finger and fifthtoe.(Thornes.N,holistictheory,p155)Reflexology isn’t just a treatment done in the feet andhands even though it’s mainly used this way also cross flexes and areas such asthe shoulder hip elbow and knee and even the wrists, this is known as crossreflexes or referral areas. The hole process is very healing and can have verysignificant results in a patient feeling relaxed and happy with their treatmentone theory is known as meridian theory this is a Chinese theory they believesthat energy flows around the body through channels known as meridian whichflows round the body and putting the body on a complete relaxation this is doneso by putting pressure on the feet which helps clear channels through the footand then onwards around the body. Reflexology can be seen as a manipulative andbody based method and way in a positive approach in holistic health. As reflexology has a holistic healing technique,the persons mind, body and soul are taken into account when giving treatment toenable how they will react to this treatment.Furthermore this type of therapy is seen as safe frompractitioner anyone in the medical field but with any treatment (Therapy) itcan carry a few contra-indications e.g.
if a person who is diabetic differentteqniqu when it comes to compression on the body it will be performed light andsoft instead of hard and firm. Also Cancer patients may find it beneficial tohave a reflexology performed it is helpful for pain control for a cancerpatient, and can improve the and extend in some cases life for the patient.Dealing with a patient who has cancer of the lymph and glands system should beavoided as reflexology could cause the infection to spread everywhere across thebody. Reflexology will not worsen an ailment and will regularly improve thecondition. However, reflexology should never be seen as a cure to a problem andshouldn’t overall a medical treatment which would bio medical always takesecond opinion id this treatment isn’t working then seek medical help. Goingback to patients with cancer research has shown that the effects weresignificant when undergoing cemotheory, “Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), aboutone-third of American cancer patients have used complementary and alternativemedicine (CAM)” (Wyatt.
G,Sikorskii.A,2013,pg31)by doing this research team hypothesized an improved CAM use due to exposure tothe reflexology trial which they seen a vast improvement in the ladies thatwent under go reflexology to ladies that didn’t. “While conventional medicineprovides standard symptom care, more than 80% of women with breast cancer turnto complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM)”(Wyatt.G,Sikorskii.A,2013,pg31).The History ofreflexology”Whilst the art of reflexology dates back to Ancient Egypt,India and China, this therapy was not introduced to the West until DrWilliam Fitzgerald developed ‘Zone therapy”.
(Whatisreflexology,2016) He believed that reflex zones and area of the feet and handswere linked to other areas and organs of the body inside the same zone. Also thetherapy is believed to be practised by the Chinese as long ago as 4000BC whichhas been researched in Assyria, India and Egypt. It has progressed and changes overthe centuries into a number of forms such as-Traditional reflexologyReflex zone therapyReflex therapyVacuflexology.These are different types of reflexology that is availabletoday there has been many Trials that show that reflexology is very much neededand has shown great results such as these listed below were this shows itsevidence base and success rate to be good.
(Launso et al, 1999);Anxiety (McVicar et al, 2007);Premenstrual syndrome (Oleson and Flocco, 1993);Lower back pain (Quinn, 2008);(Mantle, F, 2008).Health andwellbeing to reflexologyReflexology has many positives on your health and wellbeingit can lower levels of stress and improve a person’s relaxation, it can helpimprove circulation, by promoting blood flow all around the body it can createphysiological, chemical and responsive changes throughout the body. During andafterwards a reflexology treatment, the body can begin to release and clearblockages that could be affection the balance and energy flows around the bodyand help to re-balance itself also can have an impact on one’s mental andphysical mental energy, Reflexology is suitable for all ages, and can bringabout a sense of well-being for people who are either suffering from a medicalor health condition, or for people who are looking to prevent illness andmaintain their well-being. Helping to cope with the pain of fibromyalgia,helping the quality of sleep in women after giving birth and in many otherhealth issues. It has also been accepted as a therapy that carries otherbenefits such as a growth in vital energy, body awareness and issues with howyou look, relaxation and general well-being to a person (E. Brendstrup, S.Arnberg, 1999, pg52-58). Reflexology has been proven to be effective, howevereverybody is individual, therefore what might be deemed as effective resultsfor one person, may not be the case for another.
Reflexology benefits thereceiver on several levels, including physically, mentally and spiritually. Reflexologyaids the body. When the reflex areas are stimulated, the whole body becomesrelaxed and this has a large impact on how the body feels. Through Reflexology,a person may gain an increased awareness of various body sensations.
Forexample, they may notice how tight their body feels in a stressful situationversus how loose it feels at rest. It also benefits the mind, when at rest, themind can relax. Drugs or any type of surgery. Reflexology can also be seen analternative therapy, both Complementary and alternative (CAM).
CAM can be seenas more of a holistic and natural approach, reflexology has many benefits andis always used in a diagnosis process its safe and also a natural treatmentwhich is another reason it’s popular to use today. “Stress contributes up to80% for the development of any illness. Other 20% of stress will influenceother conditions” (B.kuz,2009, 160) and reflexology is mainly used to destress stress and relaxmind body and soul. There is a high demand for reflexology and becoming moreand more popular to practice. Despite the recent vast use of reflexology,minimal attention has been given to the ethical issues connected to the study andexploring of reflexology.
In the view of public health and safety, it can arguethat the study and research going into reflexology should be the same standardsas ethical requirements for all clinical research.Practice in the UKTo practice reflexology you have to retain and undertake acourse, This institute offers level 3 diploma of reflexology course high levelof standards, reflexology outline, bridging course, anatomy and physiology,limbic reflexology, neuroflexology, and vertical reflex therapy have to meetguide lines and follow correct practice by the IIr uk(institute of reflexology,2014). ConclusionTo conclude, there is no concrete evidence that reflexologyactually works. Also, there are no reliable scientific studies that prove this.Some people may think that reflexology is a type of miracle or even magic,whereas others may see it as just a foot massage used for relaxation.
Reflexologists describe this therapy as the practice on working on specificreflexes relating to corresponding body organs.
