The basic principle of hand reflexology can be understood via the so-called ‘reflex-arc’ – a phenomenon in the central nervous system where a body reflex response is induced by a stimulous without getting the brain involved.

For example: if a finger gets burned by a candle, the painful stimulus will induce a rapid response: the finger is instantly removed from the flame with the jerking motion. At the same time the brain is receiving indicating that a painful event occured in the hand. It is important to understand that although the brain may perceive the painful stimulus (at the level of the skin), the ‘reflex arc’ acts to retract the hand without direct imput from the brain (see video above).

Hand reflexology is based on a likewise reflex-principle affecting the inner organs (instead of muscle action); this is also known as an ‘autonomic reflex arc’.

Hand reflexology is similar foot reflexology. Reflexologists believe there are pressure points in the hands, feet & ears that correspond with certain organs of the body. While foot reflexology is much more well-known foot reflexology is about 5x more popular, the benefits of hand reflexology are obvious: the hands are far more easy accessible for a massage!

Because the fundamentals in hand reflexology and foot reflexology are similar, one can find stricking parallels between hand charts & foot charts.