Articles - Reflexology
Reflexology and infertility
Reflexology is a method of activating the healing powers of the body through manipulation of the feet or the hands in some cases. Its original form can be traced back thousands of years to China, India and Egypt where a crude form of foot pressure massage was used.
The modern form started around 1909 in America when an ENT specialist named Dr William Fitzgerald first introduced the idea of Zone Therapy. He divided the body into zones or 'energy lines' running from the foot to the head and going through all the different pans of the body. He found he could stimulate healing by working along these energy lines, each zone relating to a different part of the body. In the 1930s Eunice Ingham separated work on the reflexes of the feet from Zone Therapy and renamed it reflexology. She worked on the ends of these energy lines running through different pans of the body. She found by alternating pressure it stimulated healing. Reflexology is an energy therapy working on a similar principle to acupuncture relating the zones to different pans of the body that they run through. It was first introduced into England in the 196Os, when Doreen Bayley opened a school of reflexology. It became more popular in the 1980s and it is now practised in many forms worldwide.
The reflexologist will work on the ends of these zones which will relate to different parts of the body. He/she will use some pressure and systematically work round all the pans of the foot relating it to the different pans of the body feeling for sensitive areas or 'gritty bits'. The body is represented on the foot as it is on the body, with the left foot representing the left side and the right foot the right side. This is a useful diagnostic tool and weak areas of the body or stressful signs will be noted. General physical appearance of the foot is also important such as skin colour, temperature, odour and shape of the toes. For instance, if the little toe is pushing into the adjacent toe it can be a sign of menstrual problems. Pigeon toes can also be a sign of infertility. Another external sign to look out for is cold feet, possibly indicating poor circulation to the reproductive area.
Reflexology works on both the physical and emotional dimensions of the individual and so certain sensitive areas may relate to emotional problems such as the kidney reflex which is also called the 'seat of emotion'. Thus we are able to deal with stress as well as physical problems and induce relaxation. The theory is that where there are sensitive areas, the energy line is 'blocked' and this will be worked on to achieve a free flow of energy throughout the body. It is also thought that the nerve endings are stimulated through these treatments and the circulation enhanced and this will improve organ function, thus restoring and maintaining the body's natural equilibrium and creating a feeling of wellbeing and relaxation.
Reflexology therefore is all about balance. It is useful in many different medical areas, but the area I have found it particularly beneficial in is enhancing fertility. Many cases of infertility lie in a hormonal imbalance. Conditions such as endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, luteal phase defect, fibroids, ovarian cysts and fibroids are all a result of a hormonal imbalance. Reflexology can help to put this balance right.
There are a number of reflex points to concentrate on that will help to achieve this balance. Firstly, the hypothalamus in the forebrain controls sexual function. The pituitary gland lying beneath the hypothalamus is the master gland and is responsible for controlling the other hormones involved in reproduction. Often people with anovulatory cycles, low oestrogen or those who do not have periods at all may benefit from merely being 'switched on' at the pituitary level. The pineal gland situated nearby may be of significance as well. Although its physiological role is still unclear, it plays a contribution factor in controlling our body clocks and therefore should not be overlooked.
The thyroid reflex should also be focused on. It controls our metabolism and common symptoms of low thyroid function include anovulation, luteal phase defect (which is an inadequate amount of progesterone production) resulting in a poorly receptive endometrium and an increase in the hormone prolactin an excess of which can have a negative effect on pregnancy, such as implantation problems. The thyroid reflex may appear hard and dry and often calluses may be found here. Possibly the more callused the area, the more chronic the condition is. Other symptoms that may support a diagnosis of an under active thyroid are low energy, tiredness, being constantly cold, dry skin, thinning of the hair, splitting nails, inability to lose weight and depression or tearfulness. The thyroid is controlled by the pituitary gland.
Adrenal insufficiency can go hand in hand with low thyroid function. One part of the gland, the medulla produces adrenaline and noradrenalin. Adrenal over activity would mean that the body is constantly in overdrive thus affecting circulation, muscles and sugar metabolism. Potentially this can raise three issues of sub fertility. Firstly, over activity may speed up the metabolism making the thyroid produce more thyroxin to counteract this, not sparing any to assist the hormones of pregnancy. Secondly, muscle tone may be affected thus peristalsis (a wavelike movement of the gut to assist digestion) may drive food through the digestive system too fast leading to under nourishment. For a pregnancy to take place, the body must be well nourished. Thirdly, over stimulation of the muscle tone to the reproductive organs may cause irritation and prevent implantation. At the other end of the scale over-exhaustion of the adrenal glands (possibly as a result of over activity in the first place) will gradually lead to an under active thyroid gland, causing 'burn out' leading to sub fertility. People that may fall into this category are the 'can't sit down' types and workaholics. They are generally pale skinned and often have some digestive disturbance such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Often breathing will be shallow, they will sigh a lot and have tense shoulders and diaphragm. They will have high stress levels and remain busy until 'burn out'. The other part of the adrenal gland is the cortex which is controlled by the pituitary and produces oestrogens and androgens which affect the reproductive glands.
The reproductive system should be worked on generally particularly the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes. Working over the fallopian tubes can help to unblock the energy line and achieve a free flow of energy in this area. Working over the ovaries can help to balance the hormones and overcome cyst problems which can be a result of hyper oestrogenic activity. Working over the uterus reflex can help prepare it for implantation.
There is also a relatively new area of fertility that is currently being investigated and researched that may be of particular interest to those who have had a number of failed IVF cycles, that reflexology may play a significant role in assisting. This area is known as Reproductive Immunology and is particularly concerned with antibodies. A healthy pregnancy is an 'immunological paradox' that has puzzled scientists for decades. Why does a mother tolerate the foetus which carries foreign genetic material from the father and not reject it as she would an incompatible organ? This relatively new field of Reproductive Immunology studies why in a healthy pregnancy a mother’s immune system supports the pregnancy and why in some cases she rejects the pregnancy, what tests can identity the women at risk and what therapies can prevent losses. A more common antibody problem is anti-phospholipid antibodies (causing thickened blood and a reason for miscarriage) which can be simply rectified by heparin injections. However, there are other more complex antibody problems being investigated such as DQ alpha, anti-nuclear antibodies, anti-sperm antibodies and killer cells which may require steroids, intravenous immunoglobulin treatment or very strong drugs which are extremely controversial, very expensive and difficult to obtain in this country. The drugs being researched are still in their infancy in relation to infertility problems and may have strong adverse side affects and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) are highly concerned of their usage until further research is conducted.