Foot Reflex Analysis: Irritable Bowels Case Study

By Sam Belyea a.k.a. The Foot Whisperer

​This set of feet came into my office with one major complaint: irritable bowels and chronic diarrhea lasting over a month. Digestive issues and upsets are common as a part of life, but episodes lasting for prolonged periods should be seen by a physician. Upon inquiring about stress and lifestyle factors I learned of a recent financial hardship paired with feelings of being taken advantage of and a hyper-active personality that can’t seem to stop.
 
Upon looking at the feet, I ask myself “Where are the digestive issues?” In Reflexology, the digestive reflexes are in the arch (below the ball and above the heel) of each foot with the part closest to the toes representing the upper digestive reflexes and the part closest to the heel representing the lower digestive reflexes. You can see the severe wrinkling of this section on both feet, more in the lower digestive reflexes which makes sense based on what the client reported.

However, as I began to look deeper I saw two mental/emotional stress markers on the feet that trumped the direct digestive stress.

1) Right Foot: Plantar Wart on Heel
A darkened plantar wart is literally a ‘black spot’ and represents an emotional stressor that is eating away at someone; where a wart like this is placed becomes very significant. This wart happens to be placed in the right heel area which has two meanings: physical = dysfunction of the right sciatic/low body reflexes or mental/emotional = a detrimental issue relating to someone’s past (right foot) sense of security and how they have moved forward. Naturally, this physical marker is the Reflexology equivalent of their past financial hardship which compromised this client’s sense of security.

2) Left Foot: Vertical Line on Ball of Foot
When we see clearly defined and ‘cut’ lines over specific reflex areas we notice weakness/collapse in that corresponding reflex area along with the mental/emotional meaning of being cut or scarred. The left ball of the foot represents someone’s present (left foot) emotional state and there is a clear line dividing the 1st toe (thoughts) and 2nd toe (feelings) from each other. All together this marker means that the client has been emotional scarred causing them to feel (ball of the foot) like their thoughts and feelings are separated and not in synch. This is a common reaction to stress which puts the mind and heart in two separate corners to work out the respective left and right brain sides of the issue.

​The next part of this pair of feet that struck me was the difference between the toe nails on the right and left sides. The toe nails specifically represent the individual’s mental state and we can clearly see how the nails of the right foot (past thoughts) are very distressed while the left foot has relatively clear nails (besides the big toe on the left which is still struggling with some of the distress).

Interpreting this is simple because we have a clear cut differentiation between past and present and we know that the physical issues have been happening for over a month. So it seems the previous mental and financial stress affected this client strongly which caused the onset of the physical symptoms. However, although the present is clearing we still see a separation between the client’s mental and emotional state and residual mental agitation. This leaves me to believe that, based on Reflexology theory, the worst is over but the digestive problems are an echo of how their recent uptick in stress has left this pair of feet feeling separated.

After our session, this client reported that it was the most relaxed they have ever been and they would want to come back tomorrow if they could. Sometimes, in order to be truly impactful, we need to recognize at what stage that person’s healing process is in and allow them to come back to their center on their own timeline while supporting them through their process of returning to homeostasis.