Reflexology, hand and facial reflex massage are complementary or holistic therapies. Holistic means looking at the whole picture, as opposed to conventional allopathic medicine which views illness in terms of a collection of symptoms.
A holistic therapist will take more than your physical symptoms into account. Your lifestyle, emotional and spiritual wellbeing can all affect your health, and these will all be looked at by your therapist.
In any holistic treatment it is important that you, the client, take responsibility for your own health and happiness. The therapist and client should work together as a partnership; a holistic therapist will not cure you - they can simply help your body and soul back to a position where you can begin to heal yourself.
Reflexology, hand and facial reflex massage are gentle therapies and will be suitable for most people, including the very young and the elderly. They are primarily relaxing and will give you time out for yourself - something which is all too easily overlooked when you are busy looking after others.
As the name suggests, these therapies are complementary to conventional medicine - that is, they work together. You should NEVER stop any treatment your doctor has prescribed without consulting him or her, even if you feel that you no longer need it. If you are under a doctor's care and are in doubt about whether you should receive a complementary therapy treatment, please check with them before making an appointment.
Of course, aromatherapy, reflexology and reiki are very relaxing and a treat in themselves - you do not need to have a medical reason for having a treatment! However, many conditions may benefit from complementary therapies, in particular stress-related complaints such as headaches, sore muscles, sleep difficulties, irritable bowel syndrome and so on. Before commencing treatment for a particular condition you should be aware that it can take a number of sessions for improvements to begin to be noticed.