Foot reflexology · zone 1, 2

Thyroid and parathyroid — Right foot

Thyroid and parathyroid on the right foot · 32 areas · ringed markers are placed differently by different schools

Placement

Location: Over the ball of the right foot in zone 1, around and just below the joint at the base of the big toe, with the parathyroid points at the edges of that area.

Longitudinal zone(s): 1, 2 of 5

Side: right foot

Tradition: Ingham (Western)

How other schools place it

Chinese reflexology

Chinese charts draw the thyroid as a comma-shaped band curving around the base of the big toe and out along the first metatarsal into zone 2, with a single small parathyroid point on the medial border at the head of the first metatarsal.

The Chinese thyroid band is longer and reaches further laterally than the Ingham patch.

Ingham (Western)

Ingham-lineage charts show the thyroid as a patch over the ball of the foot in zone 1, with four small parathyroid points at the upper and lower edges of that patch.

Other Western charts move the parathyroid points onto the medial border, and a few onto the dorsum.

Traditional use

Traditionally included in endocrine sequences and worked with a small circling thumb.

Reflexology is a traditional practice, not an evidence-based medical treatment. Systematic reviews have not shown it to be effective for any medical condition. These maps document what practitioners traditionally use — they are not claims about how the body works.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the thyroid and parathyroid reflex area on the foot?

Over the ball of the right foot in zone 1, around and just below the joint at the base of the big toe, with the parathyroid points at the edges of that area.

Which tradition does this placement come from?

Ingham (Western). Other schools place this area differently; the variants are documented on this page.

Does pressing this area treat the organ it is named after?

No. Reflexology maps are traditional diagrams, not descriptions of anatomy or physiology. Systematic reviews have not found reflexology to be an effective treatment for any medical condition.

Sources

References displayed on this page were recorded with the point dataset.

  1. Dwight C. Byers, "Better Health with Foot Reflexology: The Original Ingham Method" International Institute of Reflexology foot charts
  2. Chinese foot reflex-zone charts (足部反射区) as taught in the Chinese foot-massage tradition Standard Chinese plantar and dorsal reflex-zone chart
  3. Wikipedia, "Reflexology" Zone-therapy framework; documents that published reflexology maps are not consistent with one another