How to Lose Weight With Reflexology

Co-authored by Karina Menali, L.Ac., DACM, Dipl. OM

Last Updated: November 23, 2024 Approved

Weight loss through reflexology is a popular and pleasurable way to lose weight. Different pressure points on your feet can be used to trigger a variety of responses within your body that may be conducive to weight loss, although current research does not offer any support for this idea.^{[1]
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PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health

Go to source} While a moderate diet and exercise regimen are the best and most reliable way to lose weight,^{[2]
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services

Go to source} you can supplement your weight loss program with reflexology. For reflexology weight loss, you need to find the pressure points that correspond to your spleen and digestive organs. Work your weight loss reflex points for at least 5 minutes every day.

How to Use Reflexology for Weight Loss

Rub spleen reflex along the outside edge of your left foot.
Press in on your stomach point on your left foot's arch just below the ball of your sole.
Work the pancreas point in the center of your left foot's arch.
Massage the gall bladder point on the outside of your right foot below the ball.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using Foot Reflex Points for Weight Loss

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1
Find a reflexology chart. The American Reflexology Certification Board produces reflexology charts. You can also find charts online, although you should try to make sure they are from a reputable source.^{[3]
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- Reflexology deals with activating the bottom of the feet to produce a response in a different body part, such as a limb or the muscular system.^{[4]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Karina Menali, L.Ac., DACM, Dipl. OM
  Licensed Acupuncturist & Diplomate of Oriental Medicine
  
  Expert Interview. 25 August 2021.}
- You have to apply pressure to different parts of the body that stimulate a response in another part of the body.^{[5]
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  Expert Source
  
  Karina Menali, L.Ac., DACM, Dipl. OM
  Licensed Acupuncturist & Diplomate of Oriental Medicine
  
  Expert Interview. 25 August 2021.}
- When you press certain parts, there is an activation in the brain.^{[6]
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  Expert Source
  
  Karina Menali, L.Ac., DACM, Dipl. OM
  Licensed Acupuncturist & Diplomate of Oriental Medicine
  
  Expert Interview. 25 August 2021.}
(On the chart it is the oblong area indicated on the outside edge of your foot between your diaphragm line and your waistline.) Stimulation of the spleen reduces hunger.

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Work your stomach and pancreas reflex points. Cradle your left foot with your right hand and press each point with your left thumb. When you reach the outside limit of the reflex area, switch hands and work the reflex points back in the opposite direction. Stimulating these points improves your digestion.^{[7]
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- Your stomach point is on the inside arch of your foot, just under the ball of your sole.^{[8]
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- Your pancreas point is in the center of the inside arch of your foot.^{[9]
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Work the reflex point for your gall bladder. Your gall bladder stores bile, the digestive liquid continually secreted by your liver. The bile emulsifies fats in partly digested food, which is conducive to weight loss. Stimulating the gallbladder can also improve digestion.^{[10]
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- Your gall bladder point is a small point in the larger liver reflex area on your right foot. This is just below the ball of your sole, toward the outside of your foot.^{[11]
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Energize your key endocrine glands. This will promote balanced hormone secretion and appropriate appetite. Your endocrine glands are responsible for your response to stress, so applying pressure to the reflex points for your thyroid (at the base of your big toe), pituitary gland (in the center of the bottom of your big toe) and your adrenals (between your waistline and your diaphragm line) will help balance your emotional and physiological stress. The less stress you have, the better chance you have to stay on your diet.^{[12]
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- While many weight loss functions of reflexology are not supported by clinical research, reflexology has an excellent track record at reducing stress.^{[13]
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- Stimulating your adrenals can help you feel motivated to exercise as well.^{[15]
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Get a good night’s sleep every night by working on your relaxation responses. Studies suggest that reflexology can be very helpful for improving your sleep quality.^{[16]
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Expert Source

Karina Menali, L.Ac., DACM, Dipl. OM
Licensed Acupuncturist & Diplomate of Oriental Medicine

Expert Interview. 25 August 2021.}^{[17]
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- Work your right thumb across the diaphragm line, from the inside to the outside edge of your left foot.
- While you are doing this, rock your toes back and forth across your left thumb.
- Edge your right thumb along your diaphragm line each time you bend your toes over.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using Hand Reflex Points for Weight Loss

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Use hand reflexology on the go. Hand reflexology for weight loss is ideal for people on the go or for those times when it is not possible for you to remove your shoes and socks to give yourself foot reflexology. Refer to the hand chart to locate the key reflex points on your hands that help facilitate weight loss.
Locate the exact pressure points on the hand chart for your: spleen (below your little finger on your left hand), digestive organs (below the lung and breast area on both hands), gall bladder (the pad under the little finger on your right hand) and key endocrine glands (middle and base of your thumbs on both hands).^{[18]
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Apply a firmer pressure to the reflex points on your hands. Press deeply, but not so deeply that you feel pain. You will also need to hold the pressure for longer than you would on your foot.
- Use a single finger or your thumb to apply pressure.
Move as if you are pressing pins into a pincushion, and maintain permanent contact with your skin. The reflexes in your hands are located in a much smaller area than on your feet, so work slowly and methodically over all the appropriate areas.

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Tips

It is advisable to devise a diet and exercise program to help you achieve your weight loss goals through reflexology.

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Using reflexology to lose weight shouldn’t be a total replacement for other weight loss initiatives; it should be used as a complement to them.

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You can also consult an ear reflexology chart to find the same reflex points that correspond to your body’s systems that will help you lose weight.

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Warnings

Reflexology therapy is not advisable for people who have the following conditions: deep vein thrombosis, thrombophlebitis, osteoarthritis, cellulitis on the feet or legs, acute infection with a high fever, strokes and unstable pregnancy.^{[19]
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If you have a foot fracture, unhealed foot wound, or active gout in the foot, do not have reflexology.^{[20]
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