most recent 30 from http://www.skepticexchange.org 2010-09-05T23:14:43Z http://www.skepticexchange.org/feeds/question/14 http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/rdf http://www.skepticexchange.org/questions/14/reflexology-is-there-any-science-involved-at-all Marko 2009-10-15T14:38:15Z 2009-10-19T13:55:16Z

<p>A good friend of mine is convinced of the medical value involved in Reflexology, namely the branch of alternative medicine which believes that the soles of the feet are a kind of 'task manager' for the human body, and that pressure and manipulation of the area can diagnose and heal ailments in other areas. Her faith is such that she's said she'd visit a Reflexologist above a traditional (read: actual) doctor should she discover a tumour or something potentially terminal. This terrifies me as I can see nothing to it other than the placebo effect. Is there any actual, medical weight to reflexology which might complement traditional medicine?</p>

http://www.skepticexchange.org/questions/14/reflexology-is-there-any-science-involved-at-all/20#20 rjstelling 2009-10-16T10:18:24Z 2009-10-16T10:18:24Z

<p>Reflexology is the manipulation of Qi. There is <strong>no</strong> scientific evidence for the existence of Qi.</p> <p>In addition, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi#Scientific%5Finvestigation" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia article on Qi</a> is very biased.</p>

http://www.skepticexchange.org/questions/14/reflexology-is-there-any-science-involved-at-all/40#40 Richard Craig 2009-10-19T13:55:16Z 2009-10-19T13:55:16Z

<p>links</p> <p><a href="http://www.library.nhs.uk/cam/ViewResource.aspx?resID=241229" rel="nofollow">NHS Evidence - complementary and alternative medicine : An overview of reflexology</a></p> <p><strong>Author's conclusions</strong></p> <p>There are few controlled trials on reflexology. Of those that have been published, all are methodologically flawed and their results are non-uniform. The effectiveness of reflexology is not supported by controlled clinical trials.</p> <p><strong>Other positive stories</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.soothes.co.uk/USERIMAGES/reflexology%5Fpublished%5Fresearch.pdf" rel="nofollow">An abridged collection of published research from Denmark, Germany,Britain, China, Switzerland and the USA by Sue Bennett MICHT IIHHT Advanced Reflexologist (!)</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.internethealthlibrary.com/Health-problems/Asthma%20-%20researchAltTherapies.htm#Reflexology" rel="nofollow">Recent research has revealed that asthmatic children have benefited from reflexology treatment.</a></p>