Issel encourages people to use reflexology to help them deal with stress, which she says causes 75 to 85 percent of illnesses. Foot therapists work certain parts of the foot to improve the circulation and reduce physiological stress in specific areas. They work the toes for the head, the ball of the foot for the chest, the arch for the abdominal cavity, the heel for the pelvis and the lateral area for the legs. For example, a migraine may mirror itself into tension in your toes. Reflexologists take a holistic rather than conventional approach to healing.
Any medical benefits are secondary to the relaxation process.
You relax the entire foot, which relaxes the entire body, which works on healing itself. Most foot therapists teach their clients how to recognize their own body stress and how to do some moves on themselves at home as needed. Issel knows that when her arches feel tense, her kidney is about to act up, so she works her arches. Reflexologists don't promise to cure illnesses with their therapy, but it has been reported that reflexology indirectly helps headaches, premenstrual syndrome, asthma, digestive disorders, some skin conditions, arthritis, and some neurological symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis. It is not a substitute for conventional medicine, but works well with other conventional or complementary therapies.