Reflexology and Constipation

Reflexologists find that reflexology helps normalize the bowels. If a client is constipated, I find gentle to moderate pressure reflexology techniques are very effective. Usually, a movement occurs by the next day, if not within an hour or two after a session. Constipation is a common condition. In fact, there are many common problems of the digestive tract, including diarrhea, diverticular disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease. Gastroenterologists are very busy doctors! 

I found an exploratory reflexology study of nineteen women with an aim to determine the effectiveness of reflexology for the treatment of idiopathic constipation in PubMed. (Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2010 Feb;16(1):41-6. Epub 2009 Sep 9. ) Six weekly reflexology treatments were given. The 19 females were recruited using Rome II criteria. Patient’s subjective perception of constipation was recorded as well as Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), the Short Form 36 (SF36), whole gut transit and the Holistic Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (HCAMQ) before and after the sessions.

Results of the study: All participants completed the study. None were lost to follow-up. 94 % of participants identified their constipation to be improved to some extent. Ten participants had improved colonic transit times and two women had normalized colonic transit. Eleven (58%) showed an improved depression score on the HAD scale. Ten (53%) showed an improved anxiety score.  Improvement was found in general health, mental health and vitality on the SF36 scale with vitality improving significantly. 63 % had a more positive attitude towards CAM and holistic health following the study. It was found that further studies are needed, as this pilot study shows potential benefit for treating idiopathic constipation in women. Woodward S, Norton C, Barriball KL.

Above information drawn from PubMed: Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, 57 Waterloo Road, London, UK. sue.woodward@kcl.ac.uk

Other studies have found a significant difference with reflexology for constipation. One control group of healthy individuals in one study of 59 individuals, was found to have significant difference in their bowel habits as well. Daily reflexology seems to have a better result than weekly, so it helps to work on your own feet daily.

In fact, I encourage my clients to work on the reflexes of the sensitive points on the feet or hands daily for 5 minutes a day, to improve their results. Sensitive areas in the feet or hands are either something physically going on with the feet or hands, such as an injury, or tense muscles, or these areas reflect an area of the body that is not operating at its highest potential (which could simply be tension in the muscles or tissues). It also could be a meridian point which is sensitive. Stress creates tension.

Working on these sensitive points helps to de-stress and normalize the body. If you want to improve circulation to an organ or area of the body, you can use thumb, fingers and knuckle pressure on the feet or hands on the reflex areas that are mapped for that organ or areas. The reflex areas that need attention are always sensitive, so unless you have swelling, redness, loss of movement, or pain from an injury, it is helpful to work the sensitive areas. Even if you don’t know what you are doing, working the sensitive areas until they are no longer sensitive, or less sensitive, (usually up to five minutes to an area) means you are helping yourself. Everyone responds differently, but be patient and give it time and regular repetitions.

I recommend just using gentle to moderate pressure. You don’t need to go deep to get great results and you don’t want to have too much stimulation. Thorough is more important. If you make small inching movements with the thumb or fingers, you get to more of the nerve endings. Deep can also be very effective, but it helps to know how you will respond to gentle to moderate pressure first, before going deeper.  Children and the young-at-heart need a gentle touch. A reflexology teacher told me a story of how he had roomed with another reflexology teacher at a reflexology conference. They had exchanged reflexology sessions. My teacher said his roommate gave very deep reflexology sessions to the point of bruising. But my teacher gave his usual relaxing reflexology session. His roommate was constipated, but after his reflexology session that evening, in the night he got up four times to the bathroom. In the morning he said to my teacher, “I guess deep…not necessary.”

The area for self help on the feet, for constipation, is in the arch of the foot, especially in the half of the arch closest to the heel. This is the reflex area of the intestines. If you find the metatarsal bump on the outside edge of your foot (about midway) and draw an imaginary line across the bottom of your foot, that line and everything down to the heel in the arch, is intestines, small and large. The inside of the ankle and heel is also a helpful area, where the map of the rectum and anus is. The area of the arch nearest the ball of the foot has the reflex map of the liver and gallbladder and stomach, so these areas can be helpful to rub for digestion, too. The maps are anatomically positioned, so everything on the right side of the body is in the right hand and foot and the same with the left, except the brain is reversed.

Just remember, if an area is sensitive, it is a good area to work. But also remember not to work on swollen areas, recent injuries, hot areas, areas where you have sudden loss of movement, or red or bruised areas.