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Fitzgerald never clarified where he became acquainted with the theory of zone therapy. He only spoke about how he stumbled upon the concept of zone therapy, and never ever mentioned whether there was any Oriental connection. Many of his reflex areas do correlate with acupuncture points, however.

For example, he spoke of Signor Umberto Sorrentino, a noted tenor, relieving his tight throat by squeezing the lateral aspect of the forefinger and thumb; these are acupoints governing the vocal chords. He also spoke of digging the fingernails into the inner side of the thumb. There is another well-known acupoint at the base of the thumbnail known as Lung 11 (abbreviated to LU-11) and it is effective for any throat problems or shortness of breath.

Fitzgerald also stated that scratching stimulates, deep pressure relaxes and that this knowledge should help many stomach problems. Morning sickness in pregnancy responded to deep pressure on backs of hands or the palmar surface of wrist and forearms. There is an acupoint on the inner forearm just below the wrist, Pericardium 6 (PE-6), used for nausea including motion sickness (utilized commercially in ‘Sea-Band’ wristbands).

In his chapter on painless childbirth, Fitzgerald spoke of pressures applied to the foot to alleviate pain and to enhance advancement of labour. He related how when contractions began and the mother started to feel discomfort, he would press on the foot with the thumbs of both hands at the metatarsal phalangeal joint for 3 minutes each time, and this greatly relieved the pain for the mother-to-be. On the great toe on the medial edge at the base of the nail bed there is a well-used acupoint, Spleen 1 (SP-1); this point relieves spasm in the uterus. On the lateral edge there are two points, Liver 1 (LIV-1) at the base of the nail bed and Liver 2 (LIV-2) on the metatarsal phalangeal joint; both points are helpful for problems of the genitourinary tract. (All of these points can be located by reference to figure 5.41 and 6.8a and b.)

For any pain in the head Fitzgerald suggested using pressure on the middle or tips of the fingers and toes, holding this pressure for up to 3 minutes. On the toes and fingers are several acupoints that help the head area. The tips of the toes are known as ‘Qiduan’; the tips of the fingers are known as ‘Shixuan’, and both benefit the whole nervous system. On the dorsal surface of the foot are the following acupoints: SP-1, the first point on the great toe, and LIV-1, on the lateral edge of the great toe, both help to calm the mind; Gall Bladder 44 (GB-44), on the lateral edge of the fourth toe, relieves headaches and also helps eyes and ears; Bladder 67 (BL-67) alleviates headaches. On the hands, starting from the index finger, all meridians arise on the dorsal surface at the base of the nail. First Large Intestine 1 (LI-1), on the medial edge of the index finger, calms the mind, is for any anxiety, and will also restore consciousness; Pericardium 9 (PE-9), on the medial edge of the middle finger, helps calm the mind when anxious; Triple Burner 1 (TB-1) on the lateral edge of the ring finger, aids all ear problems and painful stiff shoulders; Heart 9 (HE-9), on the medial edge of the little finger, is a marvellous point for headaches; the Small Intestine (SI-1) meridian also arises on the little finger, but on the lateral edge, and points on this benefit headaches and stiff neck. For detailed maps of the meridian pathways see figures 2.8–2.20.) Did Fitzgerald know of the existence of these acupoints, or was his knowledge obtained solely from observations? It is interesting that all the three Yang meridians of the upper body run to the face and pass their energy to the descending three Yang meridians of the lower body. These Yang meridians could be seen as three continuous channels, from hands to face, face to foot, or vice versa. The three Yin meridians could also be seen as three continuous channels from foot to breast, breast to hands or hands to breast, and breast to foot. According to the philosophy of the meridians, these are accessible on both sides of the body, so we would see six channels almost running longitudinally, being accessible on either the feet or the hands (figure 1.13). Fitzgerald possibly saw this connection as the meridians merging in the body, and this encouraged him to experiment with his zonal theory. (Remember his comment: ‘Five lines there marked out. I have designed these figures in this manner purposely to avoid making six lines, which would be confusing to the student.’) This seems to be a simplified version incorporating all the meridians. So regardless of how he gained his insight he did produce a simplified version of the meridian theory.

We can also compare the practices derived from the meridian theory with those of the reflexology theory. For instance, in the latter in many cases the feet are found to be far more energetic and forceful in the outcome of treatment, while the hands still being potent but with less chance of creating too much movement of energy within the body; hence they must always be the first area to work on in anyone who is seriously ill, or the very young or elderly. This is understandable by reference to the interchange of Yin and Yang energy believed to occur on the hands and feet.

Figure 1.13 Merging of the meridians, making six lines of energy either side of the medial line

The statements by Fitzgerald that all zones must be free from irritation and obstruction, and that pressure could be given with rubber bands, pegs or clamps on any bony prominence, are of interest. The meridians in TCM are believed to lie alongside the bones, often following neural pathways. Fitzgerald expounded that pressure stimulated certain control centres in the medulla oblongata, or even functions carried out by the pituitary body and its many nerve pathways. The connection between nerve function, reflexology and acupuncture is discussed in detail in chapter 2.