Reflexology News from Canada and ….

Australia, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland and Spain:

The Reflexology Association of Canada’s conference in Winnipeg has just ended. A survey circulated to reflexology associations worldwide was printed in our conference program and it revealed some interesting similarities and big discrepancies in how reflexology is viewed and practiced in the above listed countries. (The United States and the United Kingdom did not respond.)

The survey clearly indicated the need for:

1. Increased respect for the associations and its members.

2. Regulation of standards of care and education.

3. Research to document reflexology’s efficacy.

4. Recognition of the modality by the public, governments and insurance companies.

Reading the survey responses helped me to see how much reflexologists around the world have in common when it comes to convincing people that reflexology works. Although some practitioners think that just telling folks that it works should be enough, sadly it’s not. Convincing the world one satisfied client at a time is too long a haul. The public and certainly the medical profession and insurance companies want to see scientific evidence.

The need for more research on reflexology is why I decided to add in a case study as part of the completion requirements for the Therapeutic Hand & Foot Reflexology Professional Certification program. Individuals who have opted to design and implement a study in the past have all stated how rewarding the experience was for them. In addition to posting the case study results on the Academy’s website, I arrange to have all the studies released in reflexology journals in the United States and internationally. Case studies help to raise both awareness and monies to conduct full-fledged random research projects, and support practitioners’ efforts to target certain demographic populations to receive reflexology.

The Reflexology Association of Canada plans to post the entire survey and its results on its website in the near future. I’ll announce when it’s been published. It is quite enlightening.