Let’s be honest from the beginning: unfortunately reflexology can’t cure cancer, BUT it can be very useful as an alternative therapy for people with cancer.
Is well known that anxiety, stress, sickness and pain come with cancer. Reflexology can help with the symptoms by supporting relaxation in such a difficult time even when every person has a different response to this therapy.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) cancer diagnoses are growing globally, causing physical and emotional stress on individuals and their families, that’s why it is so important to know there is something we can do.
This is how reflexology therapy works
Easy-peasy! Reflexology it’s a kind of foot massage that works by applying pressure on some points of the feet. Why? To stimulate nerve pathways. And then? It encourages relaxation throughout the body.
By the way, this isn’t a new invention. It’s an ancient practice that has been tested for centuries satisfying people around the world.
Why choose reflexology for cancer’s patients?
Unlike regular massages, reflexology only involves the feet, hands and ears. So, it doesn’t imply touching the whole body which can be positive for people that don’t want to reposition or undress, for example.
When it comes to patients receiving chemotherapy it has been demonstrated that reflexology can reduce the side effects of the treatment decreasing nausea, vomiting and fatigue. But there is more, it can be helpful in the psychological field, family issues and daily life.
Another benefit is that reflexology therapy can be applied directly by nurses, even during chemotherapy sessions, becoming a great way to provide remarkable relief and calm.
Afitap Özdelikara and Mehtap Tan from Ondokuz Mayıs University in Turkey assure reflexology has good effects on enhancing the immune system, regulating the bloodstream helping with headaches, hypertension and others.
What about footwear for reflexology?
The good news is that there is a way people can practice this feet therapy just by using the appropriate shoes.
Kenkoh has designed all the sandals and flip flops based on the principles of reflexology, so a person can be, let’s say at the supermarket, the doctor or the park, and get these massages just for wearing their footwear. Awesome, right?