Introduction: The purpose of "Less-pain Taiwanese method" and the "two onyx massage method" used as tools for feet massaging are to largely reduce the level of pain during therapy, specific to the Taiwanese method and also to enhance the effect of stimulation in reflex zones.

Methods: There are two reasons for the cause of pain during a therapy. Firstly, muscle contraction caused by poor blood flow, which results in blood vessels being compressed that leads to blood flow disturbance. This is why pain-producing substances such as bradykinin are produced by the cells of the affected nerve endings. Secondly, the more stimulation of the muscles containing pain-producing substances, the greater the response of these substances becomes. In this case, you are exposed to increasing pain.

Ways to minimize pain are to improve blood flow around the reflex zones in the feet and to lessen the effect of stimulation to the massaged muscle areas. It is of vital importance to work on the areas of thighs, lower legs and knees located close to the heart. That is to say, opening up the "main cock for blood flow" is a key to trigger better blood flow in the reflex zones around the peripheral feet areas. Through observing Japanese people working in rice plantation, we had the idea that tense muscles might be made flexible naturally by improved blood flow. In winter, soil becomes hard in rice paddies that have not been planted. In spring the first order of business is to flow water into paddies and as a result the soil, in the rice paddies, becomes soft which makes planting of rice seedlings possible. They require a constant flow of water to grow and in autumn we welcome the time to harvest.
The similar principle also works in a human body in which constant blood flow is required for its maintenance. If you can improve the blood flow in all parts of legs prior to therapy that subjects the muscles to stimulation, you can be free from excessive pain.

Natural onyx stones have been traditionally handed down from generation to generation in households in Southeast Asia and have been used as effective tools for massaging. As blood is pushed out of the heart, in flows into vessels in the form of a whirlpool. If blood vessels shrink or get blocked, the force of the whirlpool is weakened and poor blood flow ensues. Natural onyx stones have a vibration degree of +16. When applied to the muscles areas, where blood flow is poor, the blood vessels start to resonate harmoniously with the waves of the onyx stones. As a result, the force of the whirlpool flow recovers its strength to the point that it enhances blood flow. Concurrently, improvement can be detected in the flows both in the lymphatic system and the nerve tissues system that run parallel to the arteries and veins and in chi (energy). The "two onyx method" is so called, as it uses two stones. . They are applied simultaneously to the inside and outside of leg muscles and also to the front-side and back-side. Opposing muscles exist in a human body. When one side of the muscles shrinks, the other side expands. If applied simultaneously to both muscles, it is possible to flex both sides of the muscles and to improve blood flow in a relatively short time. This method is very effective for dealing with thighs, lower legs and popliteus areas covered by thick developed muscles, which are hard to reach with massage.

Effects: Improvement in blood flow can be achieved by the applications of the "Less-pain Taiwanese method" and the "two onyx method". It can be confirmed by measuring the rate of blood flow around the posterior tibial artery and the porsalis pedis artery by use of a Doppler velocimeter. These methods offer more effects. They are effective for restoring disused reflex zones in the feet. I have come to notice significant change that has taken place in the feet of the Japanese people. It has also come to my attention that some of the reflex zones appear to be gone. This is more apparent in the sole areas. The longitudinal arches have become so high that I now find it difficult to feel the reflex areas corresponding to stomach, pancreas, duodenum and small intestines and other reflex zones corresponding to thoracic vertebrae, lumber vertebrae and sacrum. This unfortunate phenomenon is borne out of the fact that when we walk we fail to apply enough weight on some parts of the feet, leaving them disused. Here the principle of "use and disuse theory" by Chevalier de Lamarck comes into play, in that disused parts deteriorate. Our daily use of hard-sole leather shoes may be responsible for this.

Conclusion: It is possible to restore reflex zones even on the brink of disappearance. Improving walking style to activate disused muscles in the feet as well as increasing blood flow by feet massage are helpful for restoring reflex zones in the feet. The reason why reflex zones in the feet exist can be explained in this way. Our ancestors used to spend the major part of a day walking far and wide, in constant search for food. In due course, the reflex zones in the feet came into existence in a natural way to enable our ancestors to live a healthy life. It is now up to us to take care not to lose these reflex zones in the feet, with natural healing power, acquired by our ancestors in a span of tens of millions of years. With that in mind, let us try reflexology and enjoy walking, always conscious of indispensable reflex zones in the feet.