Dr. J. Manzanares from Barcelona, Spain is a rare gift to the reflexology world. He is an M.D, surgeon and a teacher of reflexology. He has researched reflexology for the past 27 years with more than 70,000 clinical cases. His contribution and advancement to the science of reflexology is groundbreaking and is expanding as he travels to share his research and teach classes in the U.S.
Licensed in medicine and surgery by the Autonomous University of Barcelona in 1982, Dr. Manzanares has taught his reflexology methods to physicians in Europe. He says his first contact with reflexology occurred the year before he entered medical school in 1975. As is the case with many people who become passionate about reflexology, he had a personal experience that was the catalyst for his involvement and pursuit into reflexology research!
His grandmother, who suffered from rheumatism, had grown worse developing a gastro-duodenal ulcer from the anti-inflammatory medications. After receiving a few sessions of reflexology, she noted a clinical improvement and dramatic decrease in the rheumatic bouts. Dr. Manzanares’ attention was aroused and he asked the reflexologist for a chart of the reflex points. He says that many of the points struck him as questionable, many undefined and seemed to contradict human anatomy. Still, he could not deny the improvement in his grandmother’s condition.
So began his investigation into the science of reflexology. He focused his research in 3 ways: how to work reflexology from a neuro-physiolocial basis, to create a precise map of locations and to establish a protocol for each pathology. After 27 years of medical experience, he has developed concrete map locations and a scientific explanation of the structures involved in the process of reflexology.
BIOPSIES OF FOOT DEPOSITS
When he started this research, Dr. Manzanares did biopsies of feet on what he refers to as ‘deposits’. He says when a reflexologist explores a foot, they can feel a swollen part that can be named, a deposit. These deposits are located in the hypodermis, where the subcutaneous cellular tissue is located. If we observe a section of the skin we can differentiate the layers being the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis. This explains why the sole of the foot is so rich in reflex areas (subcutaneous tissue) compared to the other areas of the foot. This tissue layer thickness in the plantar surface is 20-30 times thicker than the subcutaneous tissue in the dorsal area. The deposits reflect the imbalance of the organ represented in that area, however he says this presence is not enough in itself to indicate the condition, but that it is important to find out more clinical history, physical exam and other complementary methods of exploration if needed. Always there are deposits if an organ is imbalanced. By balance, he says that the organ does not present any anatomical or functional problems.
Organ imbalance (indicated via deposits in the feet) could be found in two forms: 1. A deposit that can be felt in the tissue of the feet and is painful (found in subacute and chronic pathologies); 2. Deposits that are minimal, not easy to feel and not necessarily painful (found in acute pathologies). In the acute case, there has not been enough time to form a deposit that we can ‘feel’ or locate. In this case, one would reflex to find the sensitivity more than the detection of the deposit.
Dr. Manzanares’ findings from the biopsies revealed that ‘deposits’ are formed by a net of hypodermic connective tissue with abundant neuro-vascular elements. In other words, it is a mixture of different tissues that reveal a proportionate amount of nerve fibers, vascular elements and the rest is connective tissue. And there is a fundamental difference in the amount of nerve fibers found in a deposit area of tissue compared to the low % of nerve fibers found in the non-deposit biopsy.
Specific characteristics and the feel of the deposits are based on the organ imbalance and the pathology (condition or illness). In his course, he teaches the specifics of exploring the deposits, such as size, mobility and attachment to tissue. Deposits are not attached to tendons or muscles in the deeper levels.
EEG STUDIES OF THE REFLEXOLOGY IMPULSE
To validate the central nervous system’s involvement in the reflexology impulse, Dr. Manzanares conducted EEG (electroencephalogram) studies, comparing the changes in wave amplitudes with those patients receiving reflexology. In one research point, the EEG presented waves that changed from alpha to theta and delta with the application of the reflexologic techniques.
Dr. Manzanares has established reflexology technique protocols for most conditions. Included in the protocols that he teaches is the prognosis, the reflexology techniques on corresponding reflex areas of the feet as well as the duration and frequency of application for that specific pathology. After years of medical compilation and treatment of pathologies with relexology, Dr. Manzanares created various reflex point location maps. He has authored numerous books, including Principles of Reflexology I and II and created the first scientific-based reflexology maps of reflexology.
Research at Michigan State University by Dr. Gwen Wyatt showed reflexology to be the first choice of several interventions and she was granted a $3 million grant to do a 5 year study on the benefits of reflexology for pain in breast cancer
Musculoskeletal chronic pain is not the expertise of traditional medicine. The use of pharmaceuticals and side effects are rampant and so is chronic pain. The message is being heard from others like myself - reflexology works as a natural and non-invasive pain reliever. Professionals trained in reflexology are merging into integrative medicine and working as pain management practitioners in wellness centers, hospitals and private clinics.
Recently, I wrote several articles about my success with using reflexology to help my fibromyalgia clients. These articles were published by the American Holistic Health Assn., the National Fibromyalgia Assn., FM-related websites, and my personal blog that popped up on Google. Requests flooded in from everywhere asking about reflexology for fibromyalgia and how to find a trained reflexologist. The response validated public interest and the need for access to complementary and alternative medicine practices. The opportunity for reflexology to impact a society in pain has never been greater!
A search for a qualified practitioner should start with the industry's professional organizations, where certified reflexologists are listed by state. Search for a state association of reflexogists or go to the website of the American Reflexology Certification Board.
Reflexology's Impact on a Future Doctor
I recently met a young medical student named Sarah, as a result of a lecture I gave to a class at the Keck School of Medicine on the benefits of reflexology for fibromyalgia. Sarah was motivated to do research on FM and I invited her to participate in a small study of my FM clients to show the effects of reflexology on pain. She recorded the effects on stress and pain levels as each person received a specific reflexology session for FM. Each one experienced 100% relief from their pain and each reported feeling calmer and a sense of overall well-being. This was a new experience for Sarah to observe alternative medicine in action and she shared that it shifted her vision for her medical career.
She later prepared a paper for a clinical study review board and she gave me permission to print it. My thanks to Sarah for her contribution to this article. Sarah is a reflection of the new era of medicine.
I am a unique medical student in that I have a degree in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and I came into medical school with very little experience in biological research. I love studying medicine, but most research seemed too esoteric and removed from actual patients to warrant expenditure of my precious free time.
After a conversation with Dr. T, however, my attitude about research dramatically changed. He had just given a lecture about catecholamines, and during the lecture he mentioned, in passing, a comment about fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Intrigued, I asked him to expand on his comment after class.
The conversation that transpired was certainly the beginning of a life-changing experience for me. My mother was diagnosed with FMS about seven years ago, and watching her and my father (who is a family practitioner) struggle with understanding her diagnosis and exploring treatment options was extremely difficult for me. Despite its widespread prevalence in the population, most people know very little about FMS. My conversation with Dr. T was the first time in my (admittedly short) medical career that I had spoken with someone who shared in my frustration and really understood how ineffective the current standard of care is for FMS patients.
During our conversation, Dr. T told me about Linda Chollar, a reflexologist who has had great success treating FMS sufferers. He told me about his understanding of the pathology of FMS, which was very different from what I later learned in my classes, but much more consistent with the symptoms I had observed in my mother. My conversation with Dr. T filled me with hope, and I was ready to help him and Linda in any way that I possibly could.
Since becoming involved with their research, I have gained a considerable amount of knowledge about FMS. I have performed literature searches and read countless articles about theories of the pathogenesis of FMS and imaging studies that have been performed on FMS patients. I’ve read most of a very thorough textbook by Daniel S. Clauw, entitled Fibromyalgia and Other Central Pain Syndromes, and I am now familiar with most of the research that has been done in the past on FMS.
I have also been extremely fortunate to shadow and learn from Linda Chollar. She is a healer in every sense of the word, and spending just a few hours with her introduced me to a holistic perspective of treatment that I will take with me in my own practice. Until that time with Linda, I was very unfamiliar with alternative health care, but watching her treat patients opened my eyes to the possibilities of noninvasive, holistic treatment that is much more effective than pharmaceuticals.
In addition to my own personal interest in helping my mother, I’ve become intensely interested in FMS from a public health and medical philosophical perspective. Most doctors don’t like to treat FMS patients because their disease is so holistic: they have symptoms in multiple organ systems, and they are often sufferers of physical or emotional trauma. FMS is a syndrome, not a disease, and there is no one pill or surgery that will fix all of the aspects of the syndrome. I think that this is very hard for most doctors to understand, and many of them feel powerless by their inability to “cure” FMS. I think that in order to effectively treat FMS, doctors have to change their perspective and really look at the whole of the patient’s dysfunction instead of trying to individually treat all of their symptoms. In my opinion, this paradigm is much better than the traditional approach of medicine for any disease, and my hope is that as more research is done on FMS, doctors will be given the tools to more effectively treat all of their patients.
As we move into another phase of our research, I look forward to being involved in and learning about the logistical processes necessary for performing an interventional study on human subjects, such as drafting an IRB proposal. Being a part of this study has been an unexpectedly rewarding experience for me both personally and professionally, and even at this early point Dr. T and Linda have made a small success by changing my attitude about FMS and medicine as a whole.
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© Copyright Linda Chollar (www.PainFreePath.com).
This article may not be reproduced, in part or full, without the express written permission of author. Please contact us for usage requests.
About the Author:
Linda Chollar is a Reflexology Instructor at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Torrance, CA and serves as vice-president of ACARET, the national accreditation board for reflexology educators.
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RADIANT WELLNESS = THRIVING NOT JUST SURVIVING
Where do you rate on a continuum of 1 to 5 with # 5 indicating
RADIANT WELLNESS?
© Copyright Linda Chollar (www.PainFreePath.com). This article may not be reproduced, in part or full, without the express written permission of author. Please contact us for usage requests.
About the Author:
Linda Chollar, educator, speaker and author is a Holistic Health Practitioner. She is the founder of Pain Free Pathtm Wellness, a resource for conscious living and natural approaches to wellness.
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© Copyright Linda Chollar (www.PainFreePath.com).
This article may not be reproduced, in part or full, without the express written permission of author. Please contact us for usage requests.
About the Author:
Linda Chollar, educator, speaker and author is a Certified Reflexologist and Holistic Health Practitioner. She is the reflexology instructor at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Torrance, CA, and is a contributing writer for the National Fibroymalgia Association.