Reflexology: Only Dangerous If You Use It

by Brian Dunning
January 28, 2007

Let's lie back on the sofa, put our feet up, and receive a therapeutic foot massage, accompanied by the soothing sounds of the rainforest. Feel the energy as your body's impurities are cleansed, your wellness heals itself, and the cancerous tumor in your brain melts away — all because of this foot massage. We call it Reflexology.

Reflexology is the art of rubbing the foot, with the belief that certain areas on the bottom of the foot are spiritually connected to parts of the body. Rubbing the part of the foot that correlates to the brain, for example, is supposed to cure anything that's wrong with your brain, like brain cancer. Rubbing the part of the foot that corresponds with your elbow is alleged to magically reconnect a torn elbow ligament. Developed in 1913 by a man named William Fitzgerald as "zone therapy", reflexology is based on the New Age definition of the word "energy". Fitzgerald believed that a mystical force field, not understood by science, that he called "bioelectric energy", ran through the body in ten vertical bands corresponding to your ten digits. Modern practitioners call Fitzgerald's mystical energy field "life force", and believe that adepts can manipulate this force field to promote any type of wellness in any part of the body, all through actions that correspond to a conventional foot massage. For more great information on New Age energy, I refer you to Skeptoid episode #1, available on iTunes or on the Skeptoid.com website.

Now, nobody disputes that foot massages do have benefits. They feel great, and absolutely promote relaxation and stress reduction. Unfortunately, these benefits can mislead people to conclude that the massage is working for whatever other malady is claimed to be treated. Another problem with reflexology is that, when used to diagnose a medical problem that does not in fact exist, the practitioner can claim that it is a future problem that's being diagnosed and treated. Time travel combined with medical treatment! If reflexology were to be tested and compared to the results of a real medical diagnosis, this time travel aspect allows its supporters to claim even a clean miss as a direct hit.

Listener Scott Breitbach wrote in with the following letter:

Hello Dr. Dunning,

I live in a small town in Iowa (pop. 4,000ish). About two years ago a fitness center was built (the Chickasaw Wellness Complex, CWC), which I think is pretty good for a town of our size. I've got a membership and have thus far been satisfied. However a (cover) story this week in our local paper was about the new 'Reflexologist' now employed at the CWC. I have attached the article.

My issue is this: I would like to submit a letter to the editor refuting the article and exposing reflexology for what it is, pseudoscience. The reason I am emailing you then is that I need some help. I need some information and resources as well as talking points for my letter. Please help!

Scott Breitbach

p.s. Thanks for the podcast, I enjoy listening.

And thank you, Scott, for helping to fight the good fight and alerting the paper's readers to this sham. And here is the article that the New Hampton Tribune, in New Hampton, Iowa published:

What is Reflexology?

As part of the Lighten up Iowa Kick-off Celebration held at the Chickasaw Wellness Complex on Thursday, January 4, Chantal Papousek, a Lay Minister of Reflexology, introduced area residents to Reflexology.

According to information supplied by Chantal, Reflexology, or zone therapy, is the practice of stimulating points on the feet and hands, in the belief it will have a beneficial effect on some other parts of the body, or will improve a person’s general health — helping a body heal from acute and chronic conditions, help reduce pain, stress and the effects of stress on the body such as high blood pressure.

The most common form is foot reflexology. Practitioners believe the foot to be divided into a number of reflex zones corresponding to all parts of the body, and that applying pressure to tight areas of a person’s foot will stimulate the corresponding body part, thus causing it to begin healing itself.

After a medical history assessment, in a Reflexology treatment Chantal first conducts a “Thumb Walk”, pointing out tender areas of the bottom of a person’s feet. These areas are documented and treatment is focused on them.

A machine called “The Drummer” is then used on the bottom and top of the feet, similar to massage machines. The Drummer can stimulate areas deeper and more effectively than fingers.

Chantal graduated from the Modern Institute of Reflexology with a 4.0 grade point average and recently became certified as a Lay Minister of Reflexology.

Reflexology treatments can be arranged with Chantal at the Wellness Complex. For more information, contact her at the wellness complex, 641-394-5433 or by e-mail at cwc@new-hampton.k12.ia.us.

Now, at first glance, one reaction to this letter is that reflexology is probably pretty harmless, and this is the kind of New Age faith-based treatment that the majority of people seem to want these days. I've had foot massages on a number of occasions and they do feel pretty darn good, so I'm sure that the majority of Chantal's customers will come away feeling wonderful, at least until the massage wears off. Nothing wrong with that part of it at all.

But I wish that the New Hampton Tribune hadn't taken Chantal's press release so literally and reprinted it with so little reflection on its contents. What we have here is a newspaper advising its readers where to get a "medical history assessment" from a person with no medical training whatsoever. (If Chantal had any medical training, I'm sure she would have listed it on her resume before "Lay Minister of Reflexology.") This is absolutely unacceptable. From a liability standpoint alone, it's insanity for a newspaper to print this; and from an ethical standpoint it's egregious. The New Hampton Tribune has no excuse for stating that reflexology can improve a person's general health. Suppose a reader has a serious illness and goes to Chantal after reading this article, at the expense of time and money which could have been spent on crucial medical treatment. There is nothing in this article that suggests a patient should do anything else. And this is the central risk of reflexology: that a believer, or even a naive victim, will turn to reflexology in the belief that it can treat an illness, at the expense of proper medical treatment. This delay of treatment can result in serious injury or death.

I think my favorite part of Chantal's press release is that she trumpets her 4.0 grade point average from the Modern Institute of Reflexology. Notice that you'll find the Institute prominently listed on Wikipedia's "List of Unaccredited Institutions." Wow, a 4.0 GPA from an unaccredited correspondence school. The Institute has a web page describing the course of study to become a Lay Minister. The page consists largely of prayers, scriptural passages, and even a discussion of Biblical foot washing (for some reason, this particular institute mixes a large dose of Christianity in with Reflexology's usual paranormal claims). Sounds like a pretty rigorous medical course to me.

The article also states that Chantal is "certified" as a Lay Minister. Since any certification that she might have is from an unaccredited correspondence school about Biblical foot washing, and not from any medical board approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties, it's irresponsible of the newspaper to call her "certified" when she's offering what she calls a "medical history assessment". Chantal, and any other reflexologist who uses the word "medical", is about two inches away from prosecution for practicing medicine without a license, and any newspaper worth its salt should have refused to run her press release. In no way is any reflexologist certified to give any type of medical assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. To do so would be a felony.

New Hampton Tribune, clean up your act. People say "Don't shoot the messenger," I am shooting the messenger. Your article is irresponsible and endangers the health of your readers. Chickasaw Wellness Complex, what can I say. Offer massages, they're wonderful things. I haven't heard whatever you might be telling your customers, who are paying you for wellness, about reflexology — but I hope it's factual and contributes to their health, and doesn't put them at risk of seeking alternatives to needed medical treatment. And Scott Breitbach, thank you for being the only voice of reason here and looking out for the health of your fellow Iowans.

By Brian Dunning
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