Reflexology, reflexologia historical
About Reflexology
Zone therapy, but for the whole body
Kairon Reflexology is a unique development of zone therapy. While traditional zone therapy often ends at the ankles, Kairon's founder Karl-Axel Lind has mapped out zone therapy throughout the entire body and on all levels, both physical, mental, and emotional. This makes Kairon Reflexology a very powerful tool for treating various types of ailments.
A Kairon reflexologist works with zones along the entire legs, on the ears, face, cranium, back, and the body as a whole.
Reflexology is an effective treatment method that initiates some form of change process, whether physical, mental, or emotional.
The training to become a Kairon reflexologist provides therapists with an understanding of the origin of an individual's imbalance and how to treat it deeply.
Kairon Reflexology is a modern and powerful treatment that helps many people live better, healthier, and more vibrant lives.
Zone therapy or reflexology is a very ancient healing art that indigenous peoples worldwide have used for a couple of thousand years before the birth of Christ, as far as we know, certainly much earlier than that. There is reason to believe that reflexology is older than acupuncture because it is less complicated and does not require needles.
The healing art is documented in China around 2400 BC and has been described among the pharaohs from around 2330 BC.
About Reflexology
The image above shows how a zone therapy treatment could have been performed over 4000 years ago. It was the ancient way for a physician to treat their patient. The mural was discovered by archaeologists in a tomb in Saqqara, Egypt. The tomb is called the physicians' burial chamber. The hieroglyphs translated:
Patient: "Do not hurt me."
Physician: "I shall act so you praise me."
During the Middle Ages in Europe, reflexology was used to alleviate various ailments, but very little of it is documented because reflexology was an empirically proven knowledge passed down from generation to generation over many centuries.
The American otolaryngologist William H. Fitzgerald (1872-1942) rediscovered this natural method in modern times. He used zone therapy as pain relief treatment during surgeries and dental extractions in his practice in Connecticut.
He experimented with different theories on his patients, and by placing clothespins on their fingers, he could perform minor surgical procedures in the ear, nose, and jaw without additional anesthesia. Fitzgerald also made the interesting discovery that pressure on a specific zone not only relieved pain but in many cases also helped with the underlying disease.
His courses gained significant attention, and together with his colleague Edwin F. Bowers, he published the book "Zone Therapy" in 1915. In the book, he described three areas representing the entire body, namely the feet, hands, and oral cavity.
Around the same time, there was a physician in Germany, Alfons Cornelius. When he received daily massages for a prolonged infection, he noticed the greatest effect from areas where the treatment was painful. He received massages only on these points, and after four weeks, he was completely cured of the infection.
The real breakthrough for reflexology came with the American physiotherapist Eunice Ingham, who was Fitzgerald's student. She further developed his ideas, and after several years of practice, she was so confident in the benefits of the method that she toured the USA to spread the message of reflexology's healing power. She wanted to teach the method to the public because she believed that individuals could easily learn the technique to help themselves and their loved ones. In 1938, she published the book "Stories the Feet Can Tell."
Together with the Danish physiotherapist Lis Andersen, author of the book "Zone Therapy - Press Yourself Healthy," reflexology gained strong foothold in Europe and also spread to Sweden.
Karl Axel Lind devoted his life to alternative medicine in general and reflexology in particular. He thoroughly studied the theories of Fitzgerald & Ingham in reflexology, and with an engineer's precision, he conducted studies on the body's zones. Since the mid-1980s, he dedicated himself full-time to further developing the earlier researchers' theories, and he is now called the Father of Nordic Reflexology.
Karl Axel's never-ending curiosity and his open-mindedness in meeting complex cases drove his research forward, and he gradually produced more accurate maps of reflex points throughout the body.
In 1987, the Kairon Reflexology School was founded.
Today, Kairon reflexology is a well-known treatment method in Sweden. Many people turn to a reflexologist, whether it concerns physical, mental, or emotional imbalance, or solely for preventive purposes to maintain balance in both body and mind.
Source, text, and images borrowed with great gratitude from www.kairon.se.