How to Lose Weight With Reflexology

Using Foot Reflex Points for Weight Loss

Find a reflexology chart. The American Reflexology Certification Board produces reflexology charts. You can also find charts online, although you should try to make sure they are from a reputable source. Reflexology deals with activating the bottom of the feet to produce a response in a different body part, such as a limb or the muscular system. You have to apply pressure to different parts of the body that stimulate a response in another part of the body. When you press certain parts, there is an activation in the brain.

Support your left foot with your right hand and use your left thumb to work the spleen reflex. (On the chart it is the oblong area indicated on the outside edge of your foot between your diaphragm line and your waistline.) Stimulation of the spleen reduces hunger.

Work your stomach and pancreas reflex points. Cradle your left foot with your right hand and press each point with your left thumb. When you reach the outside limit of the reflex area, switch hands and work the reflex points back in the opposite direction. Stimulating these points improves your digestion. Your stomach point is on the inside arch of your foot, just under the ball of your sole. Your pancreas point is in the center of the inside arch of your foot.

Work the reflex point for your gall bladder. Your gall bladder stores bile, the digestive liquid continually secreted by your liver. The bile emulsifies fats in partly digested food, which is conducive to weight loss. Stimulating the gallbladder can also improve digestion. Your gall bladder point is a small point in the larger liver reflex area on your right foot. This is just below the ball of your sole, toward the outside of your foot.

Energize your key endocrine glands. This will promote balanced hormone secretion and appropriate appetite. Your endocrine glands are responsible for your response to stress, so applying pressure to the reflex points for your thyroid (at the base of your big toe), pituitary gland (in the center of the bottom of your big toe) and your adrenals (between your waistline and your diaphragm line) will help balance your emotional and physiological stress. The less stress you have, the better chance you have to stay on your diet. While many weight loss functions of reflexology are not supported by clinical research, reflexology has an excellent track record at reducing stress. Stimulating your adrenals can help you feel motivated to exercise as well.

Get a good night’s sleep every night by working on your relaxation responses. Studies suggest that reflexology can be very helpful for improving your sleep quality. Work your right thumb across the diaphragm line, from the inside to the outside edge of your left foot. While you are doing this, rock your toes back and forth across your left thumb. Edge your right thumb along your diaphragm line each time you bend your toes over.

Using Hand Reflex Points for Weight Loss

Use hand reflexology on the go. Hand reflexology for weight loss is ideal for people on the go or for those times when it is not possible for you to remove your shoes and socks to give yourself foot reflexology. Refer to the hand chart to locate the key reflex points on your hands that help facilitate weight loss.

Work the same organ and gland reflex points in your hands as you do for your feet. Locate the exact pressure points on the hand chart for your: spleen (below your little finger on your left hand), digestive organs (below the lung and breast area on both hands), gall bladder (the pad under the little finger on your right hand) and key endocrine glands (middle and base of your thumbs on both hands).

Apply a firmer pressure to the reflex points on your hands. Press deeply, but not so deeply that you feel pain. You will also need to hold the pressure for longer than you would on your foot. Use a single finger or your thumb to apply pressure.

Edge or "creep" forward in minute stages. Move as if you are pressing pins into a pincushion, and maintain permanent contact with your skin. The reflexes in your hands are located in a much smaller area than on your feet, so work slowly and methodically over all the appropriate areas.