Reflex Revival Technique

Could a reflex technique provide a helpful technique for one of the world's leading causes of death - sudden cardiac arrest? Worldwide, some three million people a year suffer a sudden cardiac arrest with a survival rate estimated to be less than 1%. Yet, by applying a reflex technique, reflexologists Kevin Kunz and Larry Clemmons have revived individuals who had, to all appearances, experienced sudden cardiac arrest. Given the serious nature of sudden cardiac arrest with slim chances of survival and the devastating impact on those left behind, the possibility that reflexology could make a difference is worth exploring - after all it made a difference for three individuals who encountered Kunz and Clemmons.

While representing a small population and an unscientific snapshot, the dramatic events are forever etched on the minds of those who witnessed the revivals. Kunz's experiences occurred once while on a professional house call and once while visiting a friend. Clemmons's encounter happened at his Chicago office. In all three instances, the individuals suddenly and unexpectedly lost consciousness and were unresponsive. For Kunz, the reflex revival technique was applied to an elderly woman prompting her to raise her head and begin kicking. She lived another two years. (See below.) Applied to a fifty-two year old male friend who had suddenly become unconscious and unresponsive, the technique induced in him an audible rattle in the throat followed by sitting up-right and speaking. (See below.) For Clemmons, the son of the elderly woman receiving reflexology work became alarmed when he saw that his mother had lost consciousness. Clemmons applied the technique and she regained consciousness. Kunz's and Clemmons's experiences raise the question: What could a reflex technique do to have such an impact?

First, understand that sudden cardiac arrest is not a heart attack. It "occurs when the heart's (built-in) electrical system malfunctions." (See below.) Standard treatment is the application of CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) until emergency response can arrive. A defibrillator is then utilized to apply an "electric charge (to) reboot the heart and bring its contractions back into sync." Brain death and permanent death start to occur in just four to six minutes after someone experiences sudden cardiac arrest. While this procedure sounds straight forward, the implementation and the results are problematic. So problematic, in fact, that the chances of survival outside of a hospital are 5% and in a hospital 15%. (See below.) Part of low revival rate statistics are due to the serious nature of some individuals' illnesses as well as their ages. Some, however, die too young after experiencing an electrical disruption of the heart. Such an example is the estimated 12% of those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest - those who inherit a condition called the Brugada Syndrome. (See below.)

The use of reflexology as a helpful technique to supplement conventional care for sudden cardiac arrest presents the potential for hope in a serious situation. The question remains, however, how and why would a reflex technique impact sudden cardiac arrest? The answer could lie in the body's nervous system and how it works.

As previously hypothesized by Kunz & Kunz (1987), the reflex revival technique creates a reflex response impacting the body's respiratory and cardiovascular systems. A stimulus to the nervous system results when the revival technique's heavy pressure is applied to the center of the big toe. This is the location of the receptor for the longest neuron in the body. These neurons, one in each big toe, span the distance between the big toes and the base of the brain, a distance of three to four feet. Unique to the neurons is the speed with which they transmit a message and where they synapse (connect). Since no other neuron is involved, such a message is conveyed all but instantaneously at 200 miles an hour, requiring a matter of three tenths of a second to communicate from big toe to brain's base. In addition, these neurons synapse (connect) for the first time in the brain stem, reflex center responsible for autonomic control of movement, respiration, and cardiac acceleration. The targeted sensory stimulation of the reflex technique creates a natural electrical charge, seemingly re-setting the heart's electrical system and bringing its contractions back into sync.

It is difficult to estimate the impact of such a technique, activating the heart to bring order from chaos and the stricken back to the living. Research is needed but the possibility that the reflex technique serves as a natural defibrillator has real potential for saving lives.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in Europe. There are approximately 100,000 sudden cardiac deaths each year in the UK and approximately 6,000 each year in Ireland. An estimated 40,000 incidents of cardiac arrests occur each year in Canada. For those experiencing cardiac arrest outside of a hospital, the survival rate is 5%. In the US, some 330,000 people a year (900 a day and one every two minutes) die from sudden cardiac arrest. It is the #1 cause of death in the American workplace.

CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is the standard response to sudden cardiac arrest. The goal is to utilize the technique, supplying oxygen to the brain until a rescue squad can arrive and revive the individual with a shock to the heart by using a defibrillator. One American study found the out-of hospital survival rate for the year following CPR to be 5%. In-hospital rates average 15% survival rates to hospital discharge with at least 44% experiencing significant decline at time of discharge. One study, however, showed 13 of 57 cardiac arrest patients (23%) who were given CPR by bystanders witnessing the incident survived to hospital discharge while only 4% who did not receive bystander CPR survived.

"Sudden cardiac death occurs when the heart's (built-in) electrical system malfunctions. It is not a heart attack (also known as a myocardial iinfarction). Š In a healthy heart, a "pace- maker" triggers the heartbeat, then electrical impulses run along pathways in the heart, causing it to contract in a regular, rhythmic way. When a contraction happens, blood is pumped. But in ventricular fibrillation, the electrical signals that control the pumping of the heart suddenly become rapid and chaotic. As a result, the lower chambers of the heart, the ventricles, begin to quiver (fibrillate) instead of contract, and they can no longer pump blood from the heart to the rest of the body. If blood cannot flow to the brain, it becomes starved of oxygen, and the person loses consciousness in seconds. Unless an emergency shock is delivered to the heart to restore its regular rhythm, using a machine called a defibrillator, death can occur within minutes. It's estimated that more than 70% of ventricular fibrillation victims die before reaching the hospital." Heart Rhythm Society http://www.hrspatients.org/patients/heart_disorders/cardiac_arrest/default.asp

Case Studies

Mrs. W

We were making a house call and Kevin was working on the feet of the husband of the house. Suddenly from the bedroom came the cry, "She's quit breathing!" The lady of the house, a seventy-two-year-old invalid who had been diagnosed with multiple strokes and senile dementia, was being cared for by her attendants when she had stopped breathing. They called for help and left the room.

Barbara called the rescue unit. As it would turn out, more time than usual would passed before they arrived. The house had recently been repainted, the house numbers had not been replaced and the emergency squad could not find the house. When we entered the room, we found Mrs. Wallace seated in her wheel chair with her head resting to the side. Kevin attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation with no results. He commented, "I don't know CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation]. What should I do?'( We had seen a program about CPR which ended with the comment, And next week we'll show you how to do it.) Barbara replied, "Do what you know. Go for the feet." Kevin applied pressure to the adrenal reflex area and then the pituitary reflex area. At that point, the woman sat upright in the wheelchair and began swinging her feet. As Kevin attempted to get the foot pedals out of the way so she would not injure herself, he asked, "Mrs. W., Mrs. W., do you know who I am?' She replied, "Yes, you're a jackass." The others started laughing. They knew she was back; she always talked like that. (Mrs. W. lived another two years.)

Michael

Michael was resuscitated by reflexology work the night of November 28, 2006. While the absence or presence of a heart beat was not confirmed at the time, he had become suddenly unconscious and did not respond to shouts and gentle slaps to the face. Heavy pressure was applied ten times to the left big toe. As pressure was then applied to the right big toe, a faint sound of inhalation was heard and, at the seventh contact, Michael sat upright and asked, "Barbara, Kevin, Deborah, why are you all standing over me?" The application of a reflexology revival technique brought him back to an alert consciousness. As we were to discover, Brugada Syndrome runs in Michael's family and his incident may have been the result of this disorder.

Heredity and the possibility of sudden cardiac death

For some the threat of sudden cardiac death is more real. The hereditary Brugada syndrome is characterized by sudden unexplained death among apparently healthy young individuals. It is the second leading cause of death, after car accidents, for men under forty in many Far Eastern countries. It is so widely known, taking the lives of young men in their sleep, that those who die from the syndrome are known as "lat tai" in Singapore, "bangungut" in the Philippines and "pokkuri" in Japan. The condition is brought about by the inability of the heart to appropriately continue its electrical activity. Low heart rate variability at night is thought to contribute to its onset.

Family members of the difficult-to-diagnosis disease are caught in a medical dilemma: deciding whether or not to undergo treatment or the possibility of being stricken. The standard treatment is surgery and placement of an Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator in the chest. Michael's family is typical of the dilemma facing relatives of Brugada suspects. We were aware that his twenty-five year old nephew had collapsed the previous month with a suspected heart attack. He had undergone testing following the sudden cardiac arrest of his 25 year-old nephew. For Michael, an irregular ECG pattern characteristic of Brugada (long Q-T wave) prompted the scheduling of a follow-up test. The re-test followed the revival incident and 10 days of reflexology work. Michael's test subsequently did not show the irregular ECG or elevated heart rate and blood pressure. Medical personnel commented that it was as if two different people had walked in for testing, one showing Brugada signs and one not.

Whether from Brugada or some other type of electrical disturbance of the heart, could reflexology provide a helpful technique to improve the odds of surviving sudden cardiac death? Current research shows that the heart's activities can be impacted by reflexology work. (See Frankel; Coronary heart disease.) Only further testing will demonstrate the possibilities.

Technique

Reflex Revival Technique

To practice the reflexology revival technique, begin by placing the foot in an upright position. Hold the big toe in place with the holding hand as shown. Rest the fingers of the working hand on those of the holding hand. Apply a hook and back up technique, by first placing the working thumb just beyond the center of the toe. To best exert the necessary deep pressure to this point, create leverage by lowering the wrist of the working hand. Maintain this position, hook in with the thumb, bending the first joint of the thumb and exerting pressure with the corner of the thumb. Now pull back across the point with the thumb. Apply pressure 7 to 10 times. Move on to the other big toe. Repeat.

Remember, in all emergency situations, standard first aid (CPR) must be applied. Call for the emergency squad.

If you are applying the reflex revival technique in an emergency situation and forget the above how-to, just remember where to apply the pressure: the center of the big toe. Apply deep pressure with the use of a knuckle or the eraser end of a pencil. Anything that works safely can be tried. While outside of professional standards, such technique application is permissible in an emergency. In addition, technique may be applied to the center of the balls of the thumbs if the feet are not easily accessible.