Effect of reflexological stimulation on heart rate variability

Joseph, Paul K.; Acharya, U. Rajendra; Poo, Chua Kok; Chee, Johnny; Min, Lim Choo; Iyengar, S. Sitharama; Wei, Hock

doi:10.1016/j.rbmret.2004.02.002

Cited by 19 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] Five RCT studies using foot massage rather than reflexology therapy [27][28][29][30][31] were excluded even though they included hemodynamic outcomes. The 12 RCTs involving a reflexology intervention met with our inclusion criteria and contained sufficient and appropriate hemodynamic data.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Differentiating the studies by EPHPP quality score (Table 3), six had a global rating of ''weak,'' [20][21][22]24,33,34 four were rated as ''moderate'' 17,18,25,26 and two scored as ''strong''.…”

Section: Ephpp Scoresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Of the remaining articles, seven gave no indication of type of reflexology style or variation of foot map used. [19][20][21][22]25,26,34 Only one specified the exact anatomical location for both the intervention and control areas of the feet, 25 and only one provided a detailed protocol sequence for the reflexology intervention. 19 …”

Section: 23mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Is There a Specific Hemodynamic Effect in Reflexology? A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Jones

Thomson

Irvine

et al. 2013

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

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Objectives: Reflexology claims that the feet are representative of the body and that massage to specific points of the feet increases blood supply to ''mapped'' organs in the body. This review provides the first systematic evaluation of existing reflexology randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to determine whether there is any evidence to suggest the existence of a reflexology treatment-related hemodynamic effect; to examine whether reflexology researchers used study designs that systematically controlled for nonspecific effects in order to isolate this specific component; and to highlight some of the methodological challenges that need to be overcome to demonstrate specific and beneficial hemodynamic effects. Design: Fifty-two RCTs of reflexology published from 1990 to September 2011 were initially retrieved. Setting/Location: Cardiorespiratory Department, Highland Heartbeat Centre, Raigmore Hospital, Inverness. Subjects: Adult subjects. Interventions: Studies using reflexology foot massage techniques as the intervention versus sham reflexology treatment, simple foot massage, conventional treatment, or no treatment as the control were then selected. Outcome measures: Outcome measures included any hemodynamic parameter potentially involved in the regulation of circulating blood volume and flow, including heart rate and systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure. Results: Seven RCTs suggested that reflexology has an effect on selected cardiovascular parameters; however, five of these delivered the reflexology intervention as a whole complex treatment, with the data collector often delivering the intervention themselves. Conclusions: This systematic review found that although reflexology has been shown to have an effect on selected hemodynamic variables, the lack of methodological control for nonspecific general massage effects means that there is little convincing evidence at this time to suggest the existence of a specific treatment-related hemodynamic effect. Furthermore, the review found that few studies of reflexology controlled for nonspecific effects in order to isolate any specific active component, despite the hemodynamic claim being a key part of the therapeutic value of reflexology. Therefore, further research approaches using more innovative designs and robust methods that can allow a treatment-induced, therapeutically beneficial hemodynamic effect to reveal itself are needed to help reflexology purchasers make a more informed decision about the safety and product quality of the reflexology hemodynamic claim and for reflexologists to be able to guarantee minimum product quality, validity, and safety standards in their practice.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ephpp Scoresmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Is There a Specific Hemodynamic Effect in Reflexology? A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Jones

Thomson

Irvine

et al. 2013

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

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show abstract

“…The HRV is a measure of the beat-to-beat variations (R-R interval for the ECG signal). HRV is regarded as an activity indicator of autonomic regulation of circulatory function [18]. The extraction of the heartbeat rate requires the use of simple averaging over a specific window.…”

Section: Results: Hr and Hrvmentioning

confidence: 99%

ECG vs. single-antenna system for heartbeat activity detection

Obeid

Zaharia

Sadek

et al. 2011

Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Applied Sciences in Biomedical and Communication Technologies

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“…The researchers concluded that reflexology massage applied to the upper part of the left foot may have a modest specific effect on the cardiac index of healthy volunteers [5]. In a reflexology and heart rate variability (HRV) study, almost all HRV parameters increased and heart (pulse) rate and LF/HF ratio decreased by reflexological therapy in healthy persons.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential beneficial effects of foot bathing on cardiac rhythm

Aydın¹,

Hartiningsih²,

Izgi³

et al. 2016

CIM

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Purpose: Foot bathing therapy is a simple technique that induces sensations of comfort and relaxation. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of foot bathing therapy on heart rate variability (HRV) parameters in a healthy population.Methods: Participants were twenty healthy female subjects (median age=20.67 years, SD=1.04). The recording ECG was applied for 5 minutes before and for 5 minutes after foot bathing therapy of 10 minutes. Subjects rested for 10 minutes without recording ECG in order to stabilize autonomic parameters. The digital signals were then transferred to a laptop and analyzed using LabChart® software (MLS310/7 HRV Module).Results: Almost all HRV parameters increased and heart (pulse) rate and LF/HF ratio decreased after foot bathing therapy compared with before foot bathing therapy. Conclusions:These results indicate for the first time in humans that foot bathing might induce a state of balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic systems and might be helpful to prevent possible cardiac arrhythmias.SUPPLEMENT

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Effect of reflexological stimulation on heart rate variability

Cited by 19 publications

References 36 publications

Is There a Specific Hemodynamic Effect in Reflexology? A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Is There a Specific Hemodynamic Effect in Reflexology? A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

ECG vs. single-antenna system for heartbeat activity detection

Potential beneficial effects of foot bathing on cardiac rhythm

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