The Parent's Guide to Reflexology: Helping Your Child Overcome Illness and Injury Through Touch
Reflexology is a technique of applying pressure to specific parts of the hands and feet to reduce stress, similar in principle to acupuncture. While massage and other forms of therapeutic touch have long been accepted as adjunct therapies for adults and children, reflexology lacks the same degree of acceptance in the United States, owing in part to the paucity of clinical trials demonstrating its efficacy. Parent-child bonding and relaxation may indeed result from reflexology techniques, but readers will want to maintain a healthy skepticism concerning curative claims. This book by two reflexologists abounds with anecdotal accounts of remarkable recoveries and self-healing ascribed to the use of reflexology techniques. Although the authors include a disclaimer that the techniques are not intended as a substitute for medical care, they don't mention appropriate use until deep in the book. The only resources listed are the authors' own publications. A marginal purchase for alternative-health collections.?Anne C. Tomlin, Auburn Memorial Hosp. Lib.,Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.