Reflexology is based on the theory that the body is divided into 10 zones called longitudinal zones. Imagine a line through the centre of the body. There are 5 longitudinal zones on each side of that midline. Think of the zones as segments through the body front and back that are an equal width at any point. For example, zone 1 runs from the big toe, up the leg, the body, the brain and down the arm to the thumb. Whichever parts of the body are found within a certain zone, it is believed that these parts will be linked to one another by the energy flow within the zone. The feet are believed to correspond to the whole body.
Some form of foot therapy has been known for many thousands of years. The earliest example is depicted on tomb drawings of around 2500 BC and maps of the feet have been found that are thousands of years old.
It is thought that reflexology is an offshoot of acupressure, the traditional Chinese medicine based on the energy systems. Longitudinal Zones were first described by Dr William Fitzgerald, an American Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist, in the early 1900s. Dr Fitzgerald's work was further developed by other American Doctors. Eunice Ingham developed modern day reflexology and described the map of the feet. Doreen Bayly, a student of Eunice Ingham, brought reflexology to Great Britain in the 1960s and founded the Bayly School of Reflexology.