How is Foot Zoning Different than Reflexology?
Foot zoning is more detailed than reflexology as it treats every body system during a session and is directionally appropriate and in line with how each organ works in the physical body. Dr. Charles Ersdal, a Norwegian doctor (M.D., M.A.) discovered that the body would consistently respond as a dynamically interralated whole rather than as separate symptomatic parts. He charted the entire physiology including the brain, endrocrine, blood, lymph, circulation, masculature and found that there was a directionally apprpriate way to address each signal. Foot zoning is a great way to treat the body in its entirety. The body's intellegience decides which order is best for overall healing to occur.
Before the 1930's Dr. FitzGerald discovered an interesting fact; that the application of pressure on the feet not only relieved pain in the correlating zone, but in the majority of the cases also relieved the underlying cause as well. Dr. Riley became one of his students and worked with Eunice Ingham. She is considered the mother of reflexology because she was the one to map the reflex points on the feet and called this modality "reflexology."
It was in 1950 that Dr. Ersdal heard of the reflexology technique and was helped tremendously. His experience thrust him into 26 years of intense research. Dr. Ersdal was interested in dicovering why reflexology would work on some patients but not others.
One night as he slept he had a dream which answered this question. He was told that the body needed to be treated in its entirety and not only the reflex points. He was also shown the placement of the spine, the organs and body systems on the feet. Based on what he was shown, he continued his study of the human body and physiology. During this time of research, Dr. Ersdal was able to chart the human anatomy as it relates to these points on the foot. He reaffirmed that this method utilizes the feet's natural "signal" system and even treats the signals for the organs and endrocrine system in a way that is directionally appropriate and in line with how that organ works in the physical body.