Reflexology to Stop Coughing

Coughing may be attributed to a range of illnesses and causes; just as Western medicine will treat you differently for a common cold or emphysema, reflexology doesn't have a single treatment for coughing. To determine the best care for your condition, first consult with your primary care provider. If you're interested in using reflexology to treat your cough, ask for a recommendation for a qualified practitioner in your area. Depending on your condition, the treatment may ease your cough symptoms or work on the underlying cause.

Causes of Coughing

Coughing itself is not a disease, but rather is a symptom connected with many diseases and conditions 1. In some cases, a cough indicates not illness, but your body's defense against an impure environment like a highly dusty room. Coughing is a reflex activity that clears your respiratory system of excess mucus or contagions including smoke. In some cases, coughing may signal a deeper illness 1. Coughs lasting up to three weeks are considered acute, those lasting up to eight weeks are sub-acute, and a cough that lasts more than eight weeks is considered a chronic condition.

How Reflexology Works

Reflexology takes a remarkably different approach to health than Western medicine. Instead of fighting a contagion that causes disease, reflexology aims to restore an energetic flow by restoring balance to 10 zones of the body. A reflexologist applies pressure to specific areas of the feet, hands or ears that correspond with the body's various zones and even to specific organs. By restoring balance, the reflexologist seeks to activate the body's potential for self-healing.

Foot Reflex Areas for Coughing

Your reflexologist's treatment of your cough will depend largely on your condition's specific details. However, reflexology for frequent coughing likely will involve stimulation of reflex areas on the foot that relate to the respiratory system. On the feet, the lungs, chest and upper back correspond with a large area of the instep, just before the toes, and to the area just beneath on the ball of the foot. In reflexology, sinuses relate to a slender ring around each of the toes, right at the upper joint.

Hand Reflex Areas for Coughing

The hands also have reflex areas that correspond with those organs directly used in coughing. For lungs and chest problems, your reflexology may stimulate points along your hands' uppermost edges, just beneath your knuckles. The lower boundary of this lung, chest and breast area is demarcated by a broad curving line that starts close to the first joint of the thumb, where it connects to the hand, and then arches upward, approaching the knuckles.