According to "Alternative Therapies" on BBC television recently, reflexology cannot possibly work. But how accurate is this?

The findings that reflexology increases a sense of wellbeing and fulfilment, and this allows us to cope better with incidents in life are certainly true. However, looking from a strictly scientific viewpoint, there was no satisfying explanation as to how reflexology could anecdotally provide so much benefit to so many people.

Kathy Sykes looked at reflexology from various angles - she spoke to an anatomist who told her that there is no part of the nervous system that connects the soles of the feet with various organs of the body. Fair enough.

She spoke to a gout specialist who told her that breaking down of crystalline deposits was not possible. Okay.

And she spoke to a leading scientist who told her that science cannot account for reflexology - it can't possibly work. Here's where the problem lies in science. This eminent scientist should have said "science cannot currently account for reflexology". I'm going to skip to plate tectonic theory in geology for a second (yes, bear with me!) to explain myself more fully.

Plate tectonic theory basically states that Earth's surface is made of large sliding plates which move in relation to each other and at the boundaries of these plates earthquakes, volcanic and mountain-building occur. This theory supersedes previous ideas of continental drift and sea-floor spreading and is based on our most current knowledge. As short a time ago as 1988, some very prominent scientists in positions of influence and authority ridiculed the whole plate tectonic theory, yet it is now commonly accepted. Scientific knowledge changes - there are trends in science just as there are trends in fashion. And new discoveries are being made all the time.

The programme didn't investigate energy meridians any further, which seemed an omission - particularly as the previous series looked at the effects of acupuncture, another therapy involving energy meridians. The conclusion from this programme was that acupuncture was a powerful healing therapy.

So, to bring back to my thoughts on reflexology, just because science cannot currently account for a particular idea, doesn't invalidate it entirely.

Further information: reflexology | acupuncture

The beneficial effects of acupuncture on treating asthma are long known, but a new clinical study has backed this up.

The University Hospital of Vienna carried out a study of long-standing asthma patients, by giving them acupuncture treatment over a period of ten weeks. After this time, over 70 percent of the patients agreed that they felt "significant improvement in their symptoms."

Sarah Ray, a qualified acupuncturist is the newest member to join the Aqua Viva team and will be starting mid-March. She offers acupuncture as well as acupressure massage and other non-invasive acupuncture related therapies for those with a fear of needles.

Acupuncture Grimsby.