Can anyone site real personal experiences with reflexology? Is it effective?

[Kaye]

....because some people think reflexology is pseudo science.

 

[Tony I]

Yes, I have tried it and it worked - and I was skeptical that it would, so I would hardly attribute it to a placebo effect.

Reflexology is not understood, accepted or controlled by mainstream medicine so it is rejected as worthless by those who mistakenly believe that today's science has all or even most of the answers. I rather imagine that when mainstream medicine finally gets around to understanding how such things as health meridians work, there will be a great many naysayers dining on crow when it comes to healing therapies such as reflexology, accupuncture, Reiki, chi, etc.

You have seen some biased opinions from people with no experience in reflexology. For the other side of the argument, see:

http://www.focusonhealing.com/Overview.htm

Notably, many nurses are reported to use reflexology.

To me, if you observe something being done and observe that it works, that is not merely an anecdote, it is evidence. If it were not evidence, then a lot of prosecutors would surely be sh*t out of luck by trying to used all those anecdotal eye witnesses.

Science is based on observation and recording of results. Reflexology has been observed and recorded to work. The fact that science cannot understand how it works means there is a failure of science to understand or prove the mechanisms of how it works, but that is not at all the same as saying that it is not proven to work - a distinction that many people here seem to miss.

Calling something anecdotal or saying that it only works by placebo effect are just convenient excuses that are trotted out to downplay far too many things that are not accepted and controlled by mainstream medicine.

EDIT - I agree that anecdotes, or as Skep says human observation, is not proof positive. However, I also note that eye witness testimony is often more convincing than scientific evidence ("circumstantial evidence" it is called) in getting a jury to convict someone.

Let's suppose there had been no scientific studies on astronomy and I had many people tell me that the sun would come up in the east every morning and every morning when I looked myself, sure enough, there was the sun. After this happened over and over again, I would feel pretty confident that the next morning the sun was going to be there in the east.

Reflexology may not work for all things for all people, but I do know this: it absolutely provided noticeable relief of my back pain when nothing else had and when I fully expected it to not work. And to this day it still works. Nope, it does not make the pain disappear, but it makes it noticeably lesson. That is all the proof I need - my own anecdotal observation.

 

[skepticat]

I wouldn't waste my money on any therapy that is based on an idea that we know is not true.

 

[SkepDoc 3.0]

Lots of people can cite "real personal experience" with reflexology. That's called an anecdote.
As we like to say in the skeptical movement, the plural of anecdote is anecdotes, NOT evidence.

Reflexology is not even really a pseudo-science, it is more just pure vitalism and sympathetic magic. It has an interesting history which is nicely summarized here.
http://www.skepdic.com/reflex.html
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EDIT THere you go, Dave's anecdote cancels Tony's anecdote. That's why science doesn't rely on anecdotes. One need not be a true believer for the placebo response to work either, but it does enhance the effect.

 

[Flizbap]

Yes. It was a pleasant foot massage.

Didn't do much else for me.

 

[Dave]

I've tried it and it had no effect whatsoever.

Even worse, the method by which it is claimed to work is completely made up and not based on any real evidence whatsoever.

"To me, if you observe something being done and observe that it works, that is not merely an anecdote, it is evidence."

No Tony, it is just as easily a coincidence, just like crossing your fingers has nothing to do with a horse winning a race. In properly conducted trials, where medical interventions are tested many times against a control group, reflexology shows no benefit over what would be expected from a standard placebo.

Human observation is subject to misinterpretation and even observing things completely wrongly (as in optical illusions). Instrumental measurements and statistical analysis helps remove these inherent errors.