[Correlation study between conventional medical diagnosis and the diagnosis by reflexology (non conventional)].
BACKGROUND
Reflexology is a non-conventional method for diagnosis and treatment of physical and medical problems by touching or applying pressure on certain areas on the foot surface. The reflexology method is based on the presumption that all body organs and various systems are represented on the foot surface.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the reflexological diagnosis method.


METHODS
Eighty patients from various clinics and departments in the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, Hadera, were examined twice by two different reflexologists. The diagnostics that resulted from these examinations were compared with the conventional medical diagnostics of the same patients. In addition, the level of correlation between the two reflexological examinations was tested.


RESULTS
Out of 18 body systems in 6 a statistically significant correlation was found between the conventional medical diagnosis and the two reflexological examinations. In 4 body systems, there was a statistically significant correlation between the conventional medical diagnosis and one out of the two reflexological examinations. The systems in which correlation was found are characterized by having a defined anatomic region. The examination of the significance of the diagnoses regarding the components of the body systems resulted in statistical significance in only 4 out of the 32 components. Between the two reflexological examinations, a statistically significant correlation was found in 14 out of the 18 body systems, and in only 15 out of the 32 system components.


CONCLUSIONS
The reflexology method has the ability to diagnose (reliable and valid) at a systematic level only, and this is applicable only to those body systems that represent organs and regions with an exact anatomic location.
D003933:Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008405:Massage; D015203:Reproducibility of Results