Foot therapy applies different stimulations including massage, acupuncture, massage bar, and the local application of drugs to certain locations on the foot for the prevention and treatment of diseases and the preservation of health. This is accomplished by adjusting the functions of internal organs and promoting the circulation of qi and blood through the meridians.
As recorded in the history of Chinese medicine, foot therapy originated much earlier than other therapies. The ancients found that the pain and discomfort caused by external trauma or disease could be relieved by randomly or purposely applying some stimulation to certain areas of the foot with their hands or some instrument; and that fatigue could be relieved by washing the feet with hot water. They eventually discovered many useful methods of foot therapy, and following their investigations over a long historical period, modem foot massage, foot acupuncture, and the .local application of drugs and foot baths were gradually established as independent therapies.
Ancient Chinese physicians began to treat diseases with foot massage about 2000 years ago, and mention of foot therapy can be found in many medical books of the Jin, Ming and Qing dynasties. It spread to Japan during the Tang Dynasty and to European and American countries in the late Qing Dynasty. Now, foot therapy has been widely adopted and steadily developed through study and research done by more and more medical workers.