Wednesday, November 29, 2006 Foot reflexology eases post-surgical pain By Zosimo T. Literatus, R.M.T. Breakthroughs
“For there was never yet philosopher,” wrote William Shakespeare in his play Much Ado About Nothing (Act 5, Scene 1), “That could endure the toothache patiently.”
Pain is one proof that you can never be too holy to be totally unselfish. Pain always pulls us to think of ourselves. But neither does managing pain makes us less holy.
A recent study, led by Shweta Choundhary, shows that foot reflexology drops the need for pain relievers among patients after surgery. Choudhary is a professor of Biophysics at the All India Institute of Medical Science (New Delhi, India).
In the study, 60 patients on post-general surgery status were administered foot reflexology as pain reliever together with standard pain drugs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioids (opium-containing drugs) 20 minutes before the measurement time periods (0, 2, 6, and 24 hour).
Results, published in Reflexology Across America (Spring 2006), patients who received foot reflexology treatment requires 25 to 35 percent less standard pain medication compared to the control group.
In addition, the researchers observed a significant difference in the drop of pain levels among those under foot reflexology plus medication in the two- and 24-hour periods compared to those under pure pain medication.
Managing pain is an important human concern. It signals bodily distress and an impending danger even to life. “Seventy-five percent of diseases,” Shweta believes, “are due to stress and tension in the body, which create an imbalance of biochemical and endocrine functions.”
Effective management of pain and tensions in life cannot be overstated.
British psychologist Havelock Ellis, in his book The Dance of Life, observed: “The prevalence of suicide is a test of height in civilization; it means that the population is winding up its nervous and intellectual system to the utmost point of tension and that sometimes it snaps.”
Foot reflexology might just be the “handy hand” that can prevent the break. (For comments and suggestions, email to ztliteratus6046@lycos.com or text to 0927-979-3519.)
