History of Reflexology

The origins of reflexology reach back to Egypt as evidenced by inspirations found in the physician’s tomb.

in Saqqara, Egypt. After all, they built the pyramids. Different forms of working the feet to effect health have been used all over the ancient world. This form of healing spread from Egypt via the Roman empire.

“Zone therapy” was the precursor to modern Reflexology which began with Dr. William H. Fitzgerald, M.D. He was encouraged to publish the many articles he had written on the subject of Zone Analgesia. In the forward to his book, “Relieving Pain at Home” published in 1917, he wrote, “Humanity is awakening to the fact that sickness, in a large percentage of cases, is an error- of body and mind”. He discovered a very interesting fact. The application of pressure on the zones not only relieved pain but in the majority of cases also relieved the underlying cause as well.

The same result is experienced through reflexology today, which is based partially on the Zone Theory. Dr. Shelby Riley, M.D. worked with Dr. Fitzgerald and they developed Zone Therapy further.
Eunice Ingham, a physical therapist worked closely with Dr. Riley and was fascinated with the concept of zone therapy and began developing her foot reflex theory in the 1930’s. She treated hundreds of patients and was able to determine that the reflexes on the feet were an exact mirror image of the organs of the body.

In 1938 her book was published “Stories That The Feet Can Tell”. She began to travel around the country giving book reviews. Only sick people would attend these reviews/workshops and she would work on them and talk about their health issues. As these sick people, whom everyone else had given up on, started getting better the work spread and Reflexology became better known among the medical community and lay people.

Dwight Byers, her nephew joined Eunice teaching at workshops on a full time basis. Eunice Ingham died in 1974, at the age of 85. Dwight continued to travel and spread the good news about Reflexology. He established the International Institute of Reflexology in the mid 1970’s. He continued to promote Reflexology and as taught in all the states of the U.S. and many other countries.

There are over 25,000 certified Ingham reflexologists in the world.