Reflexology
Reflexology is foot massage guided by a map of the body that has no anatomical basis. Small trials report short-lived relaxation and pain relief similar to any gentle foot massage; guidelines list it as an option for pain only with low confidence.
Overview
Reflexology applies pressure to zones on the feet or hands said to correspond to organs. The underlying map has no anatomical or physiological support, but the practice is essentially a structured foot massage and randomised trials in breast cancer report small short-term reductions in pain, anxiety and fatigue compared with usual care, without clear advantage over ordinary foot massage. The 2022 SIO-ASCO pain guideline says reflexology or acupressure may be offered for general cancer pain, a weak recommendation on low-certainty evidence; the SIO breast guideline grades it as an option for quality of life. It is safe with the same precautions as massage (neuropathy, foot wounds, deep vein thrombosis).
How it works
Any effect is best explained by the general relaxation and attention effects of touch rather than by the claimed organ correspondences.
- Safe, relaxing
- Weak SIO-ASCO 2022 mention for general pain
- No plausible specific mechanism
- Not superior to ordinary foot massage
- Small unblinded trials
Latest papers
topQuery for this technology: (TITLE:"Reflexology" OR ABSTRACT:"Reflexology") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Reflexology, not a curated reading list.
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