Letter to the Editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal, published January 27, 2006

          The Health & Fitness section usually give good science-based advice. So it was very disappointing to see the article (Jan. 5) promoting the pseudoscience of reflexology. This practice is based on the idea that the entire body is represented in distinct areas of a small part of the body (such as the foot), and that many illnesses and conditions throughout the body can be treated with massage at the appropriate points. However, while subjects may feel better due to the placebo effect or the nonspecific effects of a relaxing massage, the connections proposed by reflexology are contradicted by scientific knowledge of the structure and function of the body. The article also included preposterous claims that reflexology can “help detoxify the body” and “stimulate the whole energy flow through the nervous system.”

          Despite the utter lack of scientific support for reflexology, the only reservation expressed in the article was the statement that “There is a lack of large, rigorously controlled trials on reflexology in this country.” In fact, there are two controlled trials showing that reflexology does not work. For some scientific information on reflexology, see: http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/reflex.html

                                                                                      Thomas J. Wheeler