Bright, clear eyes with a clear sclera or outer coating indicate good oxygenation to the eye and general good health. Lacklustre eyes indicate an indisposition. Dry eyes may be due to a nutritional imbalance. Yellow discoloration is symptomatic of a toxic system.
All the above observations should be taken together and are useful in assessing the overall well-being of the body. For instance, four of the senses are used throughout the analysis of the feet: hearing, sight, smell and touch.
• Hearing – this is used during the initial consultation and assessment process. If the breathing is laboured it could mean a respiratory problem. If the breathing or speech is too fast this could indicate the person is stressed. If a patient sighs this could be indicative of depression.
• Sight – observations are utilized throughout an assessment session, particularly noting behaviour patterns and imperfections.
• Smell – this is a vital factor that is often overlooked and should be used throughout the assessment session.
• Touch – this is an essential factor to help assess the client’s vitality and to note whether there are any imbalances.
Observation of the feet
By looking at the body and comparing it with the feet or hands we get a complete picture of the size and shape of the person. The term ‘mirror image’ when applied to the feet or hands is misleading as this implies that the representation is seen with the right side of the body appearing on the left foot or hand and the left side of the body on the right foot or hand. The term ‘microcosm’ fits the description much better, as the feet and hands represent all the characteristics and attributes of the body. Each organ or part has its corresponding area on the feet, hands or ears.
If the person is short and rotund the feet will show these characteristics also, while if the person is tall and thin this will also be seen in the feet. Even the length of the toes are exactly like the proportions of the neck. If there is an imbalance on one side of the body this is immediately duplicated in the foot.
The longitudinal arch of the foot parallels the shape of the adult spine. The vertebral column also has four natural curves when it is viewed from the side, and the foot has four natural curves almost imitating the line of the spine (see chapter 2 for more details). So if the person had a flat foot (pes planus) this would indicate a bad spine, which would interfere with the flow of nerve energy and the circulation.
The foot areas are represented in figures 2.21, 2.22a and 3.1 and plates 1 and 2. The phalanges (toes and fingers) correspond to the cranial cavity, which houses the brain and all its principal parts. Each toe or finger should be in the same plane when you look at the person, if one toe or finger is higher than its opposite partner, that corresponding eye is also set higher on the face. If the little toe or finger curves in towards the fourth toe and third finger respectively is somewhat tucked under, it invariably reflects an imbalance in the shoulder area.
The metatarsals in front of the ball of the foot correspond to the thoracic cavity, the upper trunk between the neck and the diaphragm, housing the lungs, heart, oesophagus and their associated structures.
The abdominopelvic cavity is represented by the foot between the ball and the heel. It is divided into two parts: the first, between the ball and the midfoot, signifies the diaphragm down to the umbilical area, containing the organs of digestion: the stomach, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, spleen and a small portion of the small intestine. The second, from the midfoot to the heel, represents the central and the lower portion of the abdominal cavity to the pelvic cavity containing the small intestine and most of the large intestine. (There is a slight overlap of the three cuneiform bones into the abdominal cavity.)
Figure 3.1 The lines of the foot
The tarsals (the seven bones of the ankle) correspond to the pelvic cavity, which contains the genitourinary tract and the last portion of the large intestine.
So there are four natural divisions of the foot and we can also divide the hand into four parts. In addition, specific lines on the foot are believed to represent lines on the body. These are as follows (figure 3.1):
• Shoulder or neck line – this divides off the phalanges, and the head-related and neck muscle areas.
• Diaphragm line – this includes the distal point of the metatarsals and metacarpals, covering the upper part of the body: the chest, lung and breast, also heart and upper back muscles. (See plates 1 and 3.)
• Waist line – the waist line is measured on the foot from the fifth metatarsal tuberosity (the protuberance at the proximal base) on the lateral aspect. On the hand it is measured from just below the fifth metacarpal on the ulnar side (see plate 4). This is found when the fist is clenched to form a transverse crease. The area between the waist line and the diaphragm line covers the middle section of the body: the liver, gall bladder, kidney, adrenals, stomach, pancreas, spleen and solar plexus.
• Heel line – the waist line down to the heel line covers the intestinal areas, also the bladder, pelvic and buttock areas. It is found in line with the medial malleolus encircling the heel to the lateral malleolus. On the hand, it is taken from the trapezium bone and the proximal point of the first metacarpal where the muscles bulge at the base of the thumb (thenar eminence), to the middle of the hypothenar eminence on the ulnar side.
• Ligament line (on the foot) – this is a guide line. First work either side of it; at the end of the treatment session you should be able to work on it.
As an example for diagnosis, you can examine the fifth metatarsal notch to assess the waist line. If there is a greater proportion of the foot in front of this imaginary line it denotes that the person is long waisted, but short in the leg; if the reverse is true, this denotes that the person has very long legs. If the medial malleoli at the lower end of the tibia are not level it indicates a low lumbar problem.
This aspect of diagnosis, whether using a Western or an Eastern system, can be summed up by an old Chinese quotation called the ‘ten askings’:
• One, ask chill or fever
• Two, ask perspiration
• Three, ask head or trunk
• Four, ask stool or urine
• Five, ask food intake
• Six, ask respiratory
• Seven,