What is VRT?
VRT is a reflexology technique that works on the dorsal area of the hands and feet with the patient standing. The patient standing in a weight bearing position, is the key to this effective New Form Of Reflexology, Sometimes With Almost Immediate Results.
How Does Vrt Work ?
It allows deeper dorsal access to all known reflexes – possibly accessing new ones – and incorporates additional reflex points, such as Zonal Triggers on the ankle reflexes and a new ovary point for energising the reproductive system.
Benefits
Although it is an holistic treatment, VRT is claimed to be especially useful for orthopaedic problems, and effective with a range of other conditions, including oedema, asthma, arthritis, ME, digestive disorders and sports injuries. VRT has a major application for effectively treating more people in hospices, sports teams etc and is used extensively in Reflexology in the Workplace.
Treatment
Pressure applied to the tops of the feet can be momentarily painful, but is deemed bearable because the full treatment time is quick. VRT can be used as a five minute treatment, as part of a conventional reflexology session, or at the beginning and end of a specialised shortened VRT/ reflexology session of 20 minutes.
How Often Should You Use It ?
In acute cases VRT can be given daily and twice a week for chronic conditions but treatment is short. The technique is very powerful and VRT practitioners tend to use it briefly in every treatment.
Contra-Indications
None. However, a person who is unable to stand can be treated with some VRT techniques in the sitting position and several of the techniques in a gentler form can be used when the Patient Is Reclining. Vrt Is Suitable For Everyone.
History
Lynne Booth, is an English reflexologist, who discovered VRT while working in a nursing home with bedridden patients in wheelchairs. Booth began to work intuitively on the dorsal and lateral parts of the foot, when she noticed that patients who were in wheelchairs received more benefits with this way of working. This observation gave her the motivation to research and develop a new technique.
She created the theory that the body has more vitality when in an upright weight-bearing position because the muscles of the body are in tension and thus the reflex points are more sensitive. She noted that there was a profound change in the responsiveness to the healing powers when the body is in this position.
Following the chiropractic premise which says “structure governs function” she understood that when you work directly on the skeleton, you succeeded in relaxing the muscles and ligaments while stimulating the nerves connecting to organs and glands.
She also noted that working in this way, produced better skeletal function and improved skeletal health generally in the body.
Booth consolidated the technique when working with a 74 year old woman. This woman suffered from osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and had an accident that caused injury to her hip, she presented signs of very limited mobility. The medical prognosis was that the patient would be in a wheelchair for life in the next 18 months. Booth started treating weekly and in 10 weeks the patient could walk with a cane, climb stairs and catch the bus without problems. Five years later, the patient has maintained the same degree of mobility and has very little pain.
In 1997 Booth also conducted a small medically controlled trial incorporating chronic diseases of the back, knee and hip, in Santa Monica nursing home in Bristol.
The trial produced significant results, with more than 60% of the patients noting improvements in mobility after 7 treatments, some after 2. Six months after finishing the treatment, all patients maintained the improvements provided by the treatment.
A survey of reflexology/VRT in the workplace in 2002 resulted in 80% plus recorded improvement when daily self-help VRT on the hands was implemented. Other small studies are in process including Reflexology/VRT and the Study of Anxiety.