Disclaimer: Therapeutic reflexology is a complementary therapy and does not replace or interfere with other medical treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. The primary role of reflexology in oncology is to support the patient and improve their well-being by helping manage the difficult side effects of treatment.
The main benefit of therapeutic reflexology in an oncology setting is to promote deep relaxation and activate the body's self-regulatory systems, which helps manage the intense physical and emotional toll of cancer treatments.
A cancer diagnosis changes a person’s life and can be a very stressful time. It can be especially overwhelming in a time of information overload, where different treatment options and contradictory 'health' advice is demanding your attention on every screen.
Therapeutic Reflexology is a noninvasive supportive tool that focuses on improving quality of life and easing discomfort. It helps the body manage the intense side effects of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation by promoting deep relaxation, reducing pain-related symptoms, managing nausea and fatigue, and helping regulate sleep.
Reducing Anxiety, Stress, and Brain-fog
One of the most frequently reported benefits is reducing stress and anxiety. Cancer diagnosis and treatment can be emotionally exhausting and stressful. Reflexology stimulates the nervous system and encourages the body to switch from the sympathetic nervous system ("fight or flight") to the parasympathetic nervous system ("rest and digest"). This shift helps lower stress / cortisol levels, promoting a sense of calm, lowering stress and anxiety and helping with sleep.
Managing Pain and Peripheral Neuropathy
Many chemotherapy drugs can cause peripheral neuropathy, which is numbness, tingling, and pain, often in the hands and feet. By working the nerve reflexes in the feet, reflexology can help improve blood circulation and can alleviate some of the discomfort associated with neuropathy.
Studies often show that patients feel a general reduction in cancer-related pain following reflexology treatments, contributing to overall comfort[1].
Improving Sleep Quality
Insomnia and poor sleep are common issues for patients dealing with pain, anxiety, and chemotherapy-related fatigue. Deep relaxation is one of the main responses of a reflexology treatment. This helps regulate the body's natural rhythms, including the sleep-wake cycle. Reducing high cortisol levels and potentially increasing serotonin, oxytocin, dopamine and endorphins. Patients often report feeling more settled and experiencing deeper, more restorative sleep following a session and improved energy levels. Sometimes, if patients have been struggling for a long period of time, they can often feel exhausted the day after a reflexology treatment and then more energised afterwards.
Reducing Nausea
Nausea and other digestive related symptoms are common side effects of chemotherapy, significantly impacting a patient's appetite and quality of life. Reflexologists can focus on specific reflex points related to the digestive system and the vagus nerve to help calm the stomach and reduce the severity of nausea.
Fatigue Management
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is often overwhelming and distinct from ordinary tiredness. While reflexology doesn't instantly solve CRF, improving sleep and anxiety can lead to a sense of greater well-being and slightly higher energy levels, allowing the patient to cope better with their daily activities.
From my personal experience in treating patients in my practice with various forms of breast cancer, I have found that it helped ease their symptoms ranging from fatigue, poor quality of sleep, digestive issues, hormonal imbalance and nausea. Each patient experienced different side effects from their treatments. Some where undergoing radiation, some chemotherapy, other oral chemotherapy and some had completed their treatments and still experiencing some kind of side effects from the chemotherapy.
Sources:
- Health-Related Quality-of-Life Outcomes: A Reflexology Trial With Patients With Advanced-Stage Breast Cancer. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3576031/. Accessed 2025/10/05