Reflexology Becoming Mainstream


Signs are everywhere that reflexology is becoming mainstream.

Signs are everywhere that reflexology is becoming mainstream. But this is not without its bumps.

We are still being attacked by quack busters who refuse to review the research. Their whole game seems to be repeating the same mantra which is that here is no research. They give opinions as though they are fact. And they seem to delight in name calling.

But they are losing both here and abroad. Their world view has been challenged and they are fighting fiercely.

There are generally favorable studies being done but some are just meant to discredit. I am not afraid of negative studies. After all reflexology is not a panacea. What I fear is poorly done protocols which close off avenues of exploration. Often studies lack the input from reflexologists so they lack the necessary elements to give reflexology a fair trial.

The third bump is a lack of an agreed upon standard. This is one of the hardest things to do. But it is important in many ways. We now hear of all kinds of things being called reflexology. It is confusing to the public and practitioner alike.

It also means it will difficult to train practitioners to a certain level. Wildly varying practices can be devastating to the field. An example is research. Who is supplying the reflexology for the research study? Is it mainstream reflexology or is some offshoot?

Forming a standard is tough but necessary. Even if there are variation with a simple standard variations can be identified.

Standardization is often put down as a threat to creativity. I think it is quite the opposite. Creativity is often enhanced with some structure.

What do you think?

Posted: Sat - October 4, 2003 at 11:09 AM        

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