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Home , Benedict Lust, Reflexology

NOTES Of A FRINGE-WATCHER

Acupressure, Zone Therapy, and To Stop a Toothache, Squeeze a Toe!

ublic infatuation with alternative stcp-by-step guide to the therapy. medicines of all varieties shows no m i Dougans also sells what she calls Vacu- sign of abating. , COMF1 I I I Flex Boots. These are felt boots con- P ii i.i snu 11 i) , , herbal nected to a pump that creates a vacuum (.1 11)1 TO remedies, chelation, , therapeu- around the foot and applies uniform tic touch, , psychic heal- suction over the foot and ankle. Why ing, and so on, are gaining new converts suction would work as well as or better every day. The tragedies occur, of than air pressure is not made clear. course, when gullible sufferers rely solely REFLEXOLOGY The origin of reflexology is hazy, but on such remedies and avoid seeking Dougans offers several conjectures. One mainstream help. It would be good if we I herapeulie is that it goes back 5,000 years to had some statistical evidence about the ancient China; another that it origi- Fool frequency of deaths following reliance nated among the Incas who passed it for Health and on pscudomedicines. along to Native Americans. Dougans Reflexology, one of the most prepos- W.lllxiii" reproduces an ancient Egyptian picture

terous of old alternative therapies now •II I. \\- showing a man massaging another man's being revived, is the topic of this col- foot. She thinks this proves that reflexol- umn. What is reflexology? It is the art of ' •^SvC--^:: ogy flourished in ancient Egypt. relieving pain and other symptoms of Evidence for all these theories is nonex- every ailment know to humanity by the world. Ten entries for the United istent. What is known is that reflexology rubbing and massaging "reflex points" States range from the Foot Relief was a spinoff from a more general ther- on the feet. I decided to write about it Awareness Association, in Mission Hills, apy called zone therapy that became after I picked up a glossy, oversize vol- California, to the Pennsylvania Reflex- popular in Europe, Russia, and America ume on reflexology in a mall bookstore. ology Association, in Quakertown. in the late nineteenth century. It was hard to believe that this book had According to the bookjackct and an Zone Therapy (1917), by two physi- found a reputable American publisher. inside page, Inge Dougans was born in cians, Dr. William Fitzgerald, of St. The Complete Illustrated Guide to Denmark where she had her first train- Francis Hospital, in Hartford, Reflexology, by Inge Dougans, was pub- ing in reflexology. In 1983 she founded Connecticut, and his associate, Dr. lished simultaneously in 1996 by the International School of Reflexology Edwin Bowers, is the classic American Element Books in England and Barnes and Meridian Therapy, headquartered treatise on zone therapy. The authors and Noble in the United States. It is in Johannesburg, South Africa, where divide the body into ten vertical zones, richly illustrated with full color pictures she practices. Branches are listed in five on each side, that run like telephone on every page. The back of the book has Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, wires from the top of the head to the a glossary of technical terms, a bibliogra- Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, fingers and toes. Two years later another phy of earlier books on reflexology and England, and New Jersey. From these American, Dr. Joseph Shelby Riley, related topics, and two pages listing centers you can obtain reflexology liter- added two horizontal zones. Riley wrote schools and centers of reflexology around ature, posters, and a videotape giving a four books on the therapy, starting with

SKEPTICAL INQUIRER March/April 1999 15 Zone Therapy Simplified (1919). These joined by a zone to the area where there itary gland. The second and third toes zone lines are, of course, as imaginary as was pain or some other distress symp- connect to the eyes. The third and little the lines on acupuncture charts. tom. Zone therapy placed no special toes join the ear. However, the tips of all In acupuncture, needles are inserted emphasis on the feet. five toes are on meridians leading to the at specific spots on the body. In acupres- Modern reflexology is that aspect of sinus and teeth: "incisors on the big toe, sure, another ancient Chinese therapy— zone therapy which focuses on the feet. incisors and canine teeth on the second it's a mild form of acupuncture—only Eunice Ingham, an American who died toes; premolars on the third toes; molars pressure is applied at the reflex points. in 1974, is called by Dougans the on the fourth toe; wisdom teeth on the There is little agreement among various "Mother of Modern Reflexology" fifth toe." The shoulder, heart, and schools of over the precise because she was the first to realize that lungs have pressure points along the ball locations of these points. For a while, in the foot and its toes have especially sen- of the sole. A point on the heel is con- the mid and late 1970s, there was a sitive spots for applying pressure. Her nected to the sciatic nerve. And so on. flurry of interest in acupressure mainly research was privately published in two Dozens of pages display striking pic- because anyone could apply it to oneself. popular books, Stories the Feet Can Tell tures showing just how the thumb and In 1976 Lippincott published Thru Reflexology (revised, 1938), and its fingers apply pressure to reflex points to Yukiko Irwin's book Shiatzu, the sequel, Stories the Feet Have Told Thru relieve pain and other symptoms. Japanese term for acupressure. The book Reflexology (revised, 1951). Reflexology will not cure the causes of rated a full page ad in The New York Correlations of parts of the foot with such terminal ills as cancer and AIDS, Times Book Review (February 29, 1976). the rest of the body, Dougans writes, "are Dougans tells us, but it will case the Cosmopolitan (August 1975) ran a full- similar to correlations with spots on the pain associated with such ills. Moreover, page ad for an illustrated acupressure iris of the eye, the car, and the hands." reflexology, if regularly practiced, will course. "It works a lot like acupunc- However, "corresponding areas of the prevent the onslaught of such diseases. ture," the ad reads, "only it's so simple, feet arc easier to locate because they You can work on your own feet, as the safe, and easy. You learn within minutes cover a larger area and are more specific, book explains, but for best results, what can bring a lifetime of relief." Fifty rendering them easier to work on." Dougans insists, you must go to a illnesses are cited, including hemor- In today's reflexology the zones of trained reflexologist. Treatments may rhoids, prostate trouble, diabetes, high zone therapy are replaced by twelve take weeks or even months, and some blood pressure, and constipation—all of "meridians" along which a mysterious patients respond better than others. Do which acupressure offers "serious help in form of energy the Chinese call ch'i the officials of Barnes and Noble buy all healing." If you arc seasick, all you need flows. Dougans, following the acupunc- this balderdash? Of course not! T h e only do to make it go away is press a spot on turists, likes to call it "'.in and yang thing they believe in is profitology. your wrist that the Chinese call the nei energy." She relates it to energy from I own a rare little book titled Zone guan or P6. sunspots, which she maintains have a Therapy, or Relieving Pain and Sickness By In the early 1980s a New York acu- strong influence on health. Peaks of Nerve Pressure (1928). The author, pressurist named D. S. J. Choy thought sunspot activity, she says, correlate with , is a prolific writer who is of using a strap to apply pressure on P6. epidemics such as Europe's Black Death considered the father of American natur- It was only a short time until a British and major flu outbreaks. opathy. One of his many books is a pro- firm was selling what it called "sea Dougans also discusses the influence fusely illustrated Universal Naturopathic bands." A plastic button on each band of Earth's magnetic field on the mentally Encyclopedia. It has 1,416 pages. Lust ran applied pressure to the wrist. In the ill. Because the Moon affects tides, and the American School of United States, similar "seasickness the human body is 75 percent water, and , at 236 East 35th bracelets" came on the market, distrib- Dougans reasons that it is easy to under- Street, New York City. The school pub- uted by a firm in Palm Beach, Florida. stand why a full moon affects "arson, lished a periodical, Nature's Path, devoted Tests of these devices were inconclusive. kleptomania, destructive driving, homi- to ways of healing without having to see About half of ship passengers said they cidal alcoholism," and other forms of a physician. In later years Bernarr seemed to diminish their sickness. The psychotic behavior. As readers of the McFadden, with his Physical Culture other half reported no effects. know, numerous magazine and his many books, including Zone therapy was an American ver- careful studies have shown that full a five-volume Encyclopedia of Physical sion of acupressure, although its pres- moons have no such effects, in spite of Culture, became the nation's top pro- sure points bear little resemblance to the contrary opinions of many nurses. moter of naturopathy. those in Chinese and Japanese acupres- Colorful charts in Dougans big book Lust follows Dr. Fitzgerald in using sure. Instead of using needles, or pres- identify scores of pressure points along elastic bands and spring clothespins to sure with fingers and thumb, zone ther- the toes, and on the sole and sides of the apply pressure on fingers and toes. To apy used tight rubber bands and spring feet. The big toe, for example, has spots prevent falling hair he recommends "rub- clothespins to apply pressure. They were that lie on meridians to the hypothala- bing the fingernails of both hands briskly fastened on the finger or toe that was mus, brain, mastoid, spine, and pitu- one against the other in a lateral motion,

1 6 March/April 1999 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER for three or four minutes at a time, at The ads were headed in large type: shows a man stopping his falling hair by intervals throughout the day. This stimu- "Now! Let me show you how hand rubbing his fingernails together in pre- lates nutrition in all the zones, and brings reflexology can bring you instant relief cisely the manner prescribed by Lust. about a better circulation of the entire from pains all over the body. . . . Cure On October 26, 1980, the prestigious body, which naturally is reflected in the specific ailments! Simple method New York Times Book Review ran a full- circulation of the scalp itself." requires no expense ... no special page ad for a new variant of acupressure Amazingly, reflexology is enjoying a equipment (just your hands) . . . Can be called "myotherapy." This unusual ther- mild revival. In my small home town of used by anyone in perfect safery!" apy was discovered and named by Bonnie Hendersonville, North Carolina, a "Yes, Dear friend," the ad begins, "I Prudden, head of the Myotherapy woman reflexologist was favorably inter- want to tell you about a method that can Institute, in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. viewed recently by our local newspaper. stop pain in all parts of the body She is identified as a "world famous The March 29, 1998, issue of Parade, instandy.. . . No matter what sort of ail- physical fitness expert" who ran a televi- the Sunday newspaper supplement, ran ment you suffer, merely by pressing or sion exercise program. The ad says she a half-page ad for a video titled rubbing certain relief centers in your discovered myotherapy in 1976 while Reflexology: The Timeless Art of Self hands, you can absolutely relieve the working with a Dr. Desmond Tivy in the Healing. Your $22.96 also gets you a free pain, and in most cases, relieve a cause!" field of "trigger point injection therapy," wallet-size reflexology chart. A chart shows the hand's pressure points. whatever that is. "Pinch your toes to relieve your Testimonials of miraculous healing, Bonnie's ad has a long list of chronic sinuses?" the Parade ad asks. "Press your taken from Carter's book, are even more pains that are erased by pressure on what heel to case sciatica? Massage the sole of sensational than those at the back of she calls the body's "trigger points." your foot to quiet a nervous stomach?... Mary Baker Eddy's Science and Health. Unlike acupuncture, acupressure, zone According to those who practice reflex- A lady of forty-five, deaf since age therapy, and reflexology, each person has ology, the soles of your feet are maps of six, heard normally after twenty minutes a different "map" of trigger points. Her your entire body. They contain thou- of hand rubbing. A uterine fibroid van- book Pain Erasure: The Bonnie Prudden sands of tiny nerves called 'reflexes' ished instantly. Bronchial asthma and a Way (New York. N.Y., M. Evans and which correspond to every organ, gland, painful stomach ulcer were cured in five Company) explains how to locate your and bodily function. By pressing or minutes. Carter says she brought her trigger points by applying pressure on massaging these specific points .. . you senile mother, aged eighty-six, back to your body at various spots until you feel can revitalize and balance your body's normal by rubbing her hand. A gall a sharp pain. Apparently myotherapy energy, promote natural healing, and bladder pain instantly disappeared. never caught on. more. Now renowned Reflexologist Ann Carter claims instant healing of hang- A cartoon I clipped from Argosy Gillanders tells you just how beneficial overs, hemorrhoidal pain, toothaches, (June 1974) shows a doctor speaking it can be with this easy-to-follow video!" impaired vision, prostate trouble, and across his desk to a patient. "Orthodox A more recent ad in Parade (January multiple sclerosis. A cataract's growth medicine has no known cure for your 3. 1999) manages to combine reflexol- was halted. The list of such cures goes condition," he is saying. "Fortunately ogy, acupressure, and magnet therapy. on and on. A photograph in the ad for you, I'm a quack." For $12.90 you can buy a pair of "Therasoles." These are described as We invite you to become a "magnetic acupressure shoe insoles." Each Therasole has over 500 "acupres- CSICOP sure nubs" designed to "stimulate the By being a Skeptical Inquirer subscriber nerve endings in your feet that correlate ASSOCIATE you have the opportunity to become a to all parts of your body." As an extra CSICOP Associate Member. bonus, each Therasole contains five MEMBER "strategically placed" magnetic disks. Has Parade no shame? These ore some of the benefits you will receive as an Associate Member Although reflexology is usually con- • 10% discount on Skeptical Inquirer conference and seminar registration fined to working with pressure on the • 10% discount on CSICOP videotapes, audiotapes, T-shirts, and other merchandise feet, recent claims have been made for • 10% discount on selected Prometheus Books of special interest to skeptics healing by pressure and massage on the • Personalized membership cord hand. In the late 1970s and early 1980s • Four exciting issues a year of the Skeptical Briefs, the thought-provoking and informative CSICOP newsletter available exclusively to Associate Members. The National Enquirer and other tabloids ran full-page ads, even double For more information, contact Barry Karr at spreads (December 20, 1977, for exam- (716) 636-1425 ext. 217, email: [email protected] or write to: CSICOP Associate Members, P.O. Box 703, Amherst, NY 14226-0703 ple), for a book by Mildred Carter titled Credit card orders may call toll-free 1-800-634-1610 Hand Reflexology: Key To Perfect Health.

SKEPTICAL INQUIRER March/April 1999 17