Science News

Reflexology Does Not Make the Grade

Do you use or practise reflexology, if so then this story will interest you. For those not in the know, in reflexology, there is said to be a map of the body on the feet and hands, and applying pressure to the correct spot on the foot can help ease pain or discomfort in the affected part of the body. So British doctors have teamed up with reflexology practitioners to get their help in treating people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, which causes painful abdominal cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation. Unfortunately in this study, whether a patient got reflexology or not made no difference to their IBS symptoms ! So the moral of this story is - if you have IBS, reflexology is probably not the way to go !

27th Jan 2002