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Reflexology

By

Denise Millstine

, MD, Mayo Clinic

Reviewed/Revised Oct 2021 | Modified Sep 2022
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Reflexology is considered a homunculus-based therapy because it presumes that the entire body is represented on the bottom of the feet or surface of the palm. In most clinical studies of reflexology, findings tend to be nonspecific effects on subjective symptoms (eg, causing relaxation, indistinguishable from that caused by massage). A systematic review of randomized clinical trials concluded that the best available clinical evidence does not support the efficacy of reflexology as treatment for any indication; the review also noted that methodology in studies of reflexology is often poor (1 Reference Reflexology (a manipulative and body-based practice) is a variant of massage therapy that relies on manual pressure applied to specific areas of the palm or foot; these areas are believed to... read more ).

Reference

  • 1. Ernst E, Posadzki P, Lee MS: Reflexology: an update of a systematic review of randomised clinical trials. Maturitas 68(2):116–20, 2011.

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