Try mentioning the word migraine to sufferers and most of them will reflexively cringe due to recollected pain. This is because they associate the word migraine to the last headache they had and that’s still vivid in their memory. Then try mentioning the word reflexology to the same persons and you will most likely get blank stares. Last 2006, a study in Denmark indicated that migraineurs who underwent reflexology are less likely to cringe at the mention of the word migraine.
Reflexology is a massage technique that is based on the principle that every part of the human body has a matching point on the sole of the foot. To be specific, the thumb and fingers are used to put pressure on the reflex points. It is believed that these points on your foot will relieve tension, pain, and stress on the corresponding parts of your body. When massage and stimulation are applied, blood circulation is improved. The person who learns and performs this massage is called a reflexologist.
The Danish study on reflexology involved a mix of patients who are migraineurs and patients who experience chronic tension headaches. About 90% of these people admitted to taking prescribed medications in the month prior to the study. All these patients underwent a series of reflexology sessions and the end result was promising.
The sessions were a course of 6 to 8 treatments with monthly follow-up checkups and treatments thereafter for a period of 6 months. At the end of 6 months, 23% of the participants reported that they were completely cured and no longer experienced severe headaches. Another 55% of the participants showed marked improvement in their condition. A total of 78% of the study participants noted improvement in their condition.
Three months after the study was concluded, a follow-up checkup was made and about 23% of the migraineurs stated that they were cured. Approximately 41% said that their lives were improved. Since then, other sufferers started to try and experience the benefits of reflexology.
Part of the conclusion made was that the treatments were most effective on younger patients and on those who had been suffering from migraines for a shorter period of time. Further studies are still being done today.
Although reflexology is yet to be accepted by many health providers, it continues to thrive as an alternative treatment and an adjunct to the traditional ones.
Reflexology does not encourage sufferers to completely depend on it; it only aims to offer relief to the sufferer.
If you are suffering from recurring migraine and you just want to feel relaxed, it wouldn’t hurt to try reflexology since it won’t affect your medications. Anything that could possibly alleviate pain is worth trying. It is also worth noting that reflexologists do not and should not assess your condition. Reflexology merely encourages the balance of your body hormones, thus heightening the effect of your medications.
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