The Rwo Shur Health Method or Foot Reflexology Therapy orginated from China some 5000 years ago. It is part of Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion where therapeutic effects by stimulating the acupuncture points according to the principle of reflexology are achieved.
During the Han Dynasty, a famous doctor investigated and systematised the ancient "Foot Examining Method" and termed it the "Tao of Foot Centre" in his thesis "Hua Tuo Mi Ji".
The earliest known documentation of Chinese reflexology dates back to the fourth century BC, when it was practiced in conjunction with acupuncture by a doctor name Wang Wei.
This technique spread to Japan during the Tang Dynasty where acupuncture, moxibustion, foot reflexology and the finger pressure massage became more popular. This therapy also spread to Europe at a time when Hu Tai Bi Lie who wrote "Jin Lan Xun Jing" and Hua Bo Ren who elaborated on the theory of massage with his Fourteen Meridians during the Tang Dynasty.
In 1913, US doctor William Fitzgerald investigated this "Zone Therapy" theory according to the scientific methods of modern western medicine. After the publishment of his scientific findings, this ancient art of healing gradually gained the respect and recognition of scholars from Britain, US, Switzerland, Austria and Germany who undertook in-depth research and analysis on this topic.
One of the earliest graphic documentations of reflexology can be found in Saqquara, Egypt, in the Tomb of Ankmakor, also known as the Physician's Tomb.
This pictograph, dating back to 2330 BC, is believed to depict an actual reflexology treatment in progress.
The Egyptians perceived the human body as a "symphony of vibrations," the internal organs making up an intricate orchestra. They maintained that these organs could be tuned or "played" by manipulating points on the feet.
Evidence of reflexology's existence can also be traced back over 5,000 years to India as well as China and Japan.
The symbol in the painting of the Hindu god Lord Vishnu's feet correspond to several major foot reflexology points.
In Buddhist tradition, Buddha's feet, or footprint is often times used to represent his entire being. This may be another allusion to the fact that the entire body is carried within the soles of our feet.
