gHow fast time flies! We have had the BBC2 programme about Reflexology, my new professional training DVD’s have got to the final editing stage and here we are at the Indian head Massage Course already! It’s a beautiful day and the energy is high! Fabulous!
The Kathy Sykes programme on BBC2 on Alternative medicine that featured Reflexology on Monday was interesting. I had a very open mind about what she would come up with and found her views useful as they do represent the medical community quite well. I think she wanted to find scientific proof that fitted the way she believed it should be presented. She was then disappointed (and so was I) that she did not find what she wanted. There is a huge body of evidence on research trails from all over the world and especially in Europe and Scandinavia. The Association of Reflexologists (AOR) have collated numerous sources. Click here to check out the information.
I did worry when the first few reflexologists were interviewed at a Holistic fair and wonder if they realised that they would be representing the whole of the Reflexology community. I would have loved to have seen someone from organisations like the Association of Reflexologists (AOR) or The Institute for Complementary Medicine (ICM) being asked for their opinions. The leading bodies were not represented and so she obviously had to refer to the professionals in her field of medicine instead.
What I loved was seeing her so affected by her experience of touch. She looked as if she was in bliss when she came out of the Hug workshop. The evidence of the power of touch seemed to come as a surprise to her and from that point on the programme seemed to shift focus and she was almost side tracked into investigating touch. In the end I felt she was suggesting that Reflexology possibly worked simply because it is a valid way to give and receive touch. Obviously this is a vital component of Reflexology and one that we celebrate, however there is more to it as well. What I would love to see is some organisation talking in depth to reflexologists and clients and collating the ways that they experience the benefits and then finding ways to find evidence what that is. I would love to see some one having a reflexology treatment whilst in an advanced scanner (MRI or PET) and see the changes that are taking place through out the treatment. We know that the treatment is working and there are so many theories about how and why it works. Dwight Byers expressed his views that had been passed on by his Aunt Eunice Ingham and ended up saying that “it works”. He suggested it may be “energy pathways” being unblocked and possibly the nervous system is involved.
When I took part in the first Clinical trails in the UK in 1992 at Prince of Wales Hospital in Cardiff, the intention was to prove whether the treatments of Reflexology were effective, but not how the treatments actually worked. We were treating patients who had hip and knee replacements. The results were great and showed that treatments were effective and reduced pain, increased mobility and assisted the patients in going home quicker than those who did not have the Reflexology treatments. During this time I learnt a great deal about clinical trails, obtaining the necessary protocols and the huge administrative hurdles that have to jumped over in order to even begin, let alone get published results (but that are another story!). What I wonder is if it is even possible to use the traditional medical approach to test reflexology and maybe a better way would be for a test to be devised that can assess what is happening at a vibrational level. I can come up with lots of reasons of why reflexology works and have spoken about those but Kathy’s programme left me thinking that maybe it was great that she featured Reflexology. She clearly wanted to find something and proved to herself the power of touch. It seemed to be a missed opportunity to capture the wealth of research that are diverse yet valid and cannot be dismissed.
I have two great friends who work in medical research and we have frequently discussed how the breakthrough will happen. As happen it will! The more advanced scanners will be able to see what the client feels, the tingles, the heat, the ripples etc. This is where quantum physics and the whole eastern philosophy will come together. The mystics have known for centuries and here we are in 2008 and about to integrate western technical knowledge with age old wisdom. I can’t wait!
I remember once treating a patient of mine who had been given hours to live. His wife phoned me and asked me to go urgently to the City Hospital in Nottingham. Her husband had had a routine operation and something had gone wrong. He was not expected to last the night. I told her that I would need written permission from the consultant in charge of his care before I would be allowed to do a treatment in the hospital. She set out the get this permission and I set off for Nottingham! Once we had the permission, I started to treat him and almost immediately his monitors around his bed showed him responding positively to the treatment. Within minutes there was a small crowd of medical professional behind me and making observations of his improvements. This was over 15 years ago when fewer people know about the power and potential of reflexology. It was amazing for us all (including me) to actually see his improvement on the monitors. My client was unconscious throughout the whole time. Luckily he recovered and came to see me four weeks later. He said he had no knowledge of the whole time but was grateful for the treatments as his wife had told him all about it and so had dedicated nurse. I know that it Reflexology works, otherwise I would not still be doing it twenty years after my first treatment and I know that we are on the verge of some magical breakthroughs and these will come via quantum physics. The evidence does exist and is there for us to enjoy. Some years ago I was lucky enough to do some work with a student who worked at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford and we reviewed the PET scan work that she was doing and thinking ahead to when thid may be possible for the field of research into reflexology. It is currently too expensive to use these vital scanners for this research as there is such a waiting list for people with health challenges who need them. Hopefully one day there will be enough to go round and technology will have come up with the next level of assessment and imaging technology.
One day I hope to use the PIP scanning and see what is possible with that. I used to use that in the clinic and am aware of how useful it may be. Gentle Touch Reflexology students will have seen my images and I have ideas for more investigation on this too. For more information about Harry Oldfield and Polycontrast Interface Photography (PIP) click here.
All in all I think that Kathy Sykes did open the doors for all of us to reflect and discuss her findings versus our beliefs and knowledge of what we have witnessed and seen over the years. Some missed opportunities but good that she featured it and found out about the power of touch! I could go on to say much more, however it is time to put this on the site. More to follow one day!