Reflex Action

I am tired. I need to relax. What do I do? In Singapore, I do as the Singaporeans do. In the middle of my meetings and shootings, I pop into...

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I am tired. I need to relax. What do I do? In Singapore, I do as the Singaporeans do. In the middle of my meetings and shootings, I pop into the friendly neighbourhood foot reflexology centre.

Rows of reclining chairs beckon; I lie down, close my eyes and stretch my feet. Firm fingers start working their magic: Applying pressure on the soles of my feet, pressing, pulling, kneading. It’s 45 minutes of bliss.

After working half an hour on my feet, the masseur gives my head and shoulders the reflexology treat. Through half-closed eyes, I watch Singaporeans stroll in, lie down, read a book and have the treatment done. There are several foot massage centres all over the city. George Tay runs four of these.

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‘‘It is much more than massage,’’ says Tay, certified reflexologist from the International Institute of Reflexology, USA. ‘‘It’s a science which the Reflexology Association of Canada defines as ‘a natural healing art’, based on the principle that there are reflexes in the feet and hands that correspond to every part of the body.’’

His wife Susan chips in, ‘‘By stimulating and applying pressure to the feet or hands, you are increasing circulation and promoting specific bodily and muscular functions.’’

There are more than 7,000 nerve endings in each foot, they point out. Tay claims he helped Susan recover from a brain surgery, thanks to reflexology. He has studied the original Ingham method, which does not require the washing of feet or the use of gadgets and creams.

The 1996 China Reflexology Symposium Report found foot reflexology to be 93.63 per cent effective in treating 63 disorders.

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Several explanations are offered for this feeling of well-being and healing. According to one theory, involving phantom limbs and brain activity, some regions of the brain lie so close to each other that they can affect each other.

For instance, the area dealing with feet and the area dealing with the genitals are in close proximity. So whilst having sex, an amputee can experience feelings in his or her phantom foot.

Moreover, in ancient times, we stimulated reflexes naturally by walking barefoot over rocks, stones and rough ground, or by using our hands more often to climb, build or work. Today, we have lost much of this.

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Reflexology helps restore this balance and promote natural health and vitality. It also increases circulation, releases tensions, induces calm and serenity, increases energy and balances emotions.

I can vouch for all the above because I am addicted to it. Each time I trip out of the foot reflexology centre, I feel like a newly minted coin.

P.S. Did you know that reflexology originated in ancient Egypt? A wall painting of the sixth dynasty (about 2,400 BC) found at Saqqara in the tomb of Ankhmahor, an ancient Egyptian physician, depicts two men working on the feet and hands of two other men.

Better Health Through Reflexology,
14 Scotts Road, 5-42 Far East Plaza,
Singapore
Phone: 65-7337118