Treat Your Feet: Reflexology Touts Benefits of Reflexology, Pain Relief Through Massage By Brent Manley/ Special to the Commercial Appeal
		Photo by Kyle Kurlick Wei Xin Zou (from left) and Sam Bai work on clients' feet using Chinese reflexology techniques at Asia Foot Massage in Cordova. Bai, who owns the spa, says many of his clients are nurses who are on their feet all day. In 2003, Bill Schamroth and E-Ling Ballew were about halfway through a nine-day group tour of China. Their third stop was Guilin, a city situated on the west bank of the Li River in southern China. Schamroth, who works in sales for a Bartlett software company, recalls that the long trip and constant walking had taken a toll on him. "My back was killing me." The tour guide had noted that Guilin is home to several Chinese foot massage institutes, where reflexology -- the technical name for the discipline -- is taught and practiced. Ballew, already familiar with the benefits, had made plans for a foot massage. Schamroth, 63, went along to have one, too. Although he didn't know what to expect, Schamroth was amazed at the end of the one-hour session. "I felt like I was walking on a cloud," he says, "and I had no more back trouble for the rest of the trip." Ballew, of Germantown, has owned at least one bridal shop in the Memphis area since 1987 and is on her feet most of every working day, so she has been a foot massage adherent for about 20 years. For most of that time, however, she has had to go elsewhere for treatments. Therefore, she was delighted when Asia Foot Massage opened in July 2009 in Cordova. Now she goes weekly for treatments. Schamroth is also a semi-regular customer. Reflexology is an alternative medicine. Practitioners believe that the feet and hands reflect an image of the body through zones that correspond to various internal body parts. For example, the big toe is said to correspond to the head and brain. All the major organs and glands are supposedly represented. The literature on the discipline dates its origins to the Far East as many as 5,000 years ago. There is evidence the Cherokee tribes of North America practice a form of reflexology that has been passed down through many generations. Practitioners do not promote reflexology as a way to cure serious illness, such as cancer or heart disease. The basic idea is that by manipulating the zones in the feet and hands, positive changes can be effected throughout the body. Some describe the manipulations as clearing blockages in the body's life force or qi (pronounced "chee"). Others tout the relaxation benefits. Lynn Watson, a licensed reflexologist in Bartlett and owner of Footsteps in Eden, says "a relaxed body is better at healing itself." Theories about how reflexology works run from the so-called "placebo effect" to the promotion of the release of endorphins, famously responsible for the "runner's high." Others speculate that the manipulation of the feet breaks up and moves deposits that settle there from the body's organs and glands. Ballew doesn't care how it works -- only that it does for her. Lifting heavy wedding dresses and standing most of the day leaves her in pain. "My shoulders always hurt," she says. "I feel so much relief after they work on me." Xun Zhe "Sam" Bai, co-owner of Asia Foot Massage, says many of his clients are nurses who are on their feet a lot, or people who sit at computers most of the day and end up with aching necks and shoulders. He says he has also helped some people who have suffered from insomnia. Bai earned his reflexology license at a school in Los Angeles, where he studied for six months and had 600 hours of training before opening the foot massage business in Cordova. His partner, Joy Gao, underwent similar training. One of his clients is Natalya Izimora, 38, of Memphis. In a previous job with an insurance company, she traveled a lot and found that, except in areas such as Los Angeles and New York City, it was tough to find an effective foot massage. At Asia Foot Massage, Izimora says, "they know what they are doing. You don't have to tell them (where to put pressure). They know." A typical 30-minute session at Asia Foot Massage starts with placement of the feet in warm water for a short period while the face, scalp, neck and shoulders are gently massaged. The setting is a dimly lit room with soft music in the background and the faint sound of running water. The client lies in an easy chair extended all the way back. When the feet are removed from the water, Gao applies a light lotion to the feet and lower legs to begin a deep massage. Pressure is applied to different areas of the feet, including the tips of the toes. The instep of each foot and both heels also get special attention. At the end, a hot towel is applied to remove the lotion. During the treatment, no one talks. The Tennessee Reflexology Association lists four member businesses in Shelby County, including Watson's. A website called Salon Seeker lists eight businesses offering reflexology. For all but two of them, however, reflexology is well down on a long list of services that include haircuts, manicures, pedicures and facials. Like Bai, Watson earned her reflexology certificate -- she is also licensed by the state of Tennessee -- in school. Hers was in Boca Raton, Fla. She has been practicing for about four years. Her reflexology schooling included study of anatomy and physiology. Watson knows there are skeptics about the efficacy -- even the legitimacy -- of reflexology, just as there are with other alternative treatments. "Reflexology doesn't work for everything," she says, "but it works." She adds, "There is a growing body of scientific evidence that it is effective, and there is a ton of anecdotal evidence." Some of that evidence is available from Watson's clients. Debbie Rushing, 54, is a patient advocate at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Memphis. For years, she has suffered from fibromyalgia, a syndrome that causes pain throughout the body. Although "very skeptical" of the potential benefits, Rushing went to see Watson at the suggestion of a friend. Now, she says, her twice-monthly visits "have made a world of difference in my life." She is sleeping better, the pain has abated, and she has reduced the number of pills she takes daily from 28 to seven. Saralynn Turner, 52, is a travel agent and scuba diving instructor who sees Watson regularly to help maintain health and a high level of fitness, which she needs when she takes clients on diving trips around the world. "I don't wait until something hurts," she says. "It's a proactive approach to keep me in balance. Reflexology is a nurturing, calming thing to do." Gladys Strickland, 47, had chronic migraine headaches before visiting Watson 14 months ago. "I wanted relief without medication," she says. "I still get the headaches, but they are much less frequent and less intense." Watson believes her style of reflexology differs from the Asian practice, which can be intense at times. Schamroth would agree. He says his first treatment, in China, was not what he expected when he went for a massage. The result, however, convinced him. "I don't know how it works," he says, "but it made me a believer. I don't mind being crazy if I'm not in pain." More information: Asia Foot Massage, 1785 N. Germantown Parkway, 758-8883 Footsteps in Eden: footstepsineden.com, 674-3934 Tennessee Reflexology Association: tnreflexology.org Prices vary by the shop, and can range from roughly $30 for a half-hour to more than $60 for an hour and 15 minutes. © 2011 Memphis Commercial Appeal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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