Marlborough House 1 Middle Street, Taunton TA1 1SH
Reflexology
Remember – you can talk to us about your problems completely free and without obligation. Please call 01823 272227 or contact us
What is reflexology?
Reflexologists work with reflex points in our feet and hands corresponding to the organs and parts of our bodies. By stimulating these reflex points reflexologists can help relieve many conditions. A safe and gentle complementary therapy, reflexology is a popular, natural treatment for maintaining bodily well-being.
What to expect
First we’ll ask you about your health, your medical history and lifestyle, so that we can tailor a treatment specifically for you. You do not have to take off your clothes, only your socks or tights and shoes. We’ll ask you to lie down on a treatment bed.
Your session starts with some relaxation exercises. Then we use a number of gentle massage and pressure techniques to relax and loosen the muscles in your feet. During the session you can close your eyes and relax, or we are always pleased to chat. In general, you should find the session pleasant and soothing (but once or twice you may feel a very slight discomfort – this is normally an indication of an imbalance in the corresponding part of your body). Your tensions will be eased, and your circulation improved. This gentle therapy encourages the body to heal itself.
Who and what we treat
At Marlborough House we treat a wide range of conditions. Patients tell us that a session leaves them feeling relaxed, alive and walking on air!
Contact us
To contact us, please call 01823 272227 or click the link below.
RESEARCH TESTIMONIALS
Depression, stress, immune functions in middle-aged women
Taehan Kanho Hakhoe Chi. 2006 Feb;36(1):179-88. Lee YM, Department of Nursing, Inje University, Busan, Korea. lym312@inje.ac.kr
Effect of self-foot reflexology massage on depression, stress responses and immune functions of middle aged women
This study aimed to identify the effects of a self-foot reflexology massage on depression, stress responses and functions of the immune system of middle-aged women … The subjects consisted of 46 middle-aged women (40-64 years) … Subjects were not treated for 4 weeks; subsequently they were trained in self foot reflexology massage for 2 weeks, and then they massaged themselves daily for 6 weeks (2 days at the research centre, 5 days at home). The outcome variables were measured 4 times: at baseline, pre training, after training, and after the intervention. The collected data were analysed using repeated measure ANOVA by the SPSS/WIN program.
There was a statistically significant difference in depression, perceived stress, systolic blood pressure, natural-killer cells and Ig G. However, there was not a statistically significant difference in diastolic blood pressure, pulse or serum cortisol. These results suggest that a self-foot reflexology massage could be utilized as an effective nursing intervention to reduce depression and stress responses, and to strengthen immune systems in middle-aged women.
Pain from breast and lung cancer Oncology Nursing Forum, January/February 2000, Volume 27, Number 1 Nancy L.N. Stephenson, PhD, RN, CS, Sally P. Weinrich, RN, PhD, FAAN, and Abbas S. Tavakoli.
Following foot reflexology intervention, patients with breast and lung cancer experienced a significant decrease in anxiety. One of three pain measures showed that patients with breast cancer experienced a significant decrease in pain. These findings suggest that foot reflexology may be a self-care approach to decrease anxiety in this patient population.
Cancer care Hodgson H, Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow (2000)
The objective of this study was to determine whether reflexology has an impact on the quality of life of patients in the palliative stage of cancer. Twelve patients in the palliative stage of cancer with various tumour types were randomised into two groups. They were randomly assigned to receive either reflexology or placebo reflexology. All participants completed a linear analogue self-assessment scale relating to quality of life. All participants then received three sessions of either reflexology or placebo reflexology. The same person, a qualified reflexologist, provided the interventions for both groups. The participants were not aware of which intervention they were receiving. All participants then completed a second linear analogue self-assessment scale relating to quality of life. All participants felt that their quality of life had improved, even those who had received the placebo treatment. The reflexology group, however, reported more benefit than the placebo group. There was a significant difference (p = 0.004) between the reflexology group and the placebo group. This study showed, therefore, that reflexology does have an impact on the quality of life of patients in the palliative stage of cancer.
Lower back pain Reflexology in the management of low back pain: A pilot randomised controlled trial.
This study was designed as a pilot study for a randomised controlled trial to investigate the effectiveness of reflexology in the management of low back pain (LBP).
Results indicate that reflexology may have a positive effect on lower back pain.
