The Ileocecal/Appendix Reflex
You are beginning with the lower portion of the digestive tract, the reflexes that reflect the areas that deal with absorption and elimination in the body. Look at the feet for a moment, placing them together with the soles facing you. Let yourself imagine the entire body superimposed over the feet. Take a moment to picture the head at the toes and slowly move down, seeing the different parts of the body as your eyes travel down the feet.
Stop just below the waistline. Imagine the waistline going right across the two feet. Move down from the waistline and feel along the outside edge of the foot. Look at the tuberosity of the fifth metatarsal; this is the bump at the bottom outside edge of the long bone that follows after the little toe on both feet. This bony landmark will guide you to find certain points in this next segment. Cover the left foot, as you will deal with the right foot first.
Alert
The techniques in this chapter may seem confusing at first, but don't give up! Stick with it and the routine will become second nature with practice.
Hooking the Reflex
FIGURE 15-1 Pinpoint the ileocecal reflex with the hook in-and- backup technique.
Hold the right foot with the right hand; the left hand gently cups the foot, with the thumb resting on the sole surface. Find the bony protuberance of the fifth metatarsal. Place the left thumb at this tuberosity and turn the thumb slightly down and in, preparing to thumb walk. Only the first digit of the thumb is actually in use at this moment. The rounded beginning surface of the heel is touching the edge of this thumb. This section of the thumb is in between the outside edge of the foot and the rounded edge of the heel on the bottom of the foot. The tip of the thumb is dropping into the reflex for the ileocecal valve.
Once you have pinpointed this reflex, which represents the ileocecal valve and the appendix, push in and gently rotate. Continue to rotate as the thumb moves in deeper; then gently push and hold on the point. The fingers of your working hand are being used as levers, supporting the back of the foot as the thumb pushes in. The right hand continues as the holding hand.
With the thumb pushed in and holding, pull back a bit toward the edge of the foot in the hooking technique. Push in a little more if possible while hooking. (See FIGURE 15-1 on page 181.) This reflex is important as it represents the beginning of the large intestine. You work the large and small intestines together in much of this segment, as these areas of the body overlap.
Fact
The ileocecal valve is the gatekeeper between the small intestine and the large intestine. This valve lets material pass from the ileum of the small intestine into the ascending colon. Connected to this valve are two other regions, the cecum and the appendix. These structures are reflexed when the ileocecal reflex is worked. The cecum and the appendix filter undigested waste material, beginning the absorption process.
The Gatekeeper
This reflex may be reflexed a number of times, as it represents a structure that is a gatekeeper. Throughout the body, there are various small structures that hold positions of great functional importance.
In the digestive system alone, there are five such structures. In this system, these are valves that allow materials to pass along the roadway of digestion. Sphincters are generally tight rings of muscle that permit passage in only one direction. As gatekeepers, these valves do not encourage any materials to back up in the body; rather, the movement is a continuous flow in one direction.
