Smooth river stones is intended to offer more than relaxation

Everyone knows there's nothing like a good foot massage. But at Bastyr University, a new pathway studded with jutting, smooth river stones is intended to offer more than relaxation.

"It's preventive medicine", says Elizabeth Marazita, a licensed acupuncturist and a doctoral student in oriental medicine at Bastyr. Marazita designed the new path to mimic those found throughout China and Asia.

The path, one of the few in North America, is constructed based on the principles of reflexology, an ancient Asian therapy that links health and well-being to specific points on the feet, hands and ears.

Reflexologists use the foot as a guide to overall health, applying pressure to areas that correspond to vital organs, muscles, glands and nerves

"Just as we know what a football field is, everybody in China knows what a reflexology path is," Marazita said. Slowly traversing the winding trail of stones -- about 2 inches high -- kneads sore muscles, breaks down toxins and helps build immunities, says Marazita.

 Like a deep tissue massage, walking on the rocks is not always comfortable, but it can help identify tender areas of the foot that need attention.

"If I feel it in the foot, it's something that might show up later," Marazita said. "It's an area of imbalance."

Elizabeth Marazita, a licensed acupuncturist and a doctoral student in oriental medicine, designed the reflexology "Walk of Health." During her walk last week, Marazita said she could feel the effects of indulging in junk food at the Puyallup Fair in her heel, an area linked to digestion.

The better shape you're in, the less pain and wincing you'll experience along the way, Marazita said.

"My 2-year-old can run this thing," she said. Marazita, a former international banker who worked and lived in China for four years, first noticed reflexology paths in Taipei, Taiwan, during a break from a business meeting. An elderly man was walking a path the length of a football field constructed almost entirely of 3-inch-high stones -- a difficulty level comparable to black diamond ski runs, said Marazita. (Bastyr's path is considered moderately difficult).

Located at the edge of Bastyr's herb garden, the pathway mimics therapeutic walkways found in Asia.

Located at the edge of Bastyr's herb garden, the path is 3 feet wide and 64 feet long. The concrete at the entrance is carved to read "Walk of Health" in Chinese, with the symbols for the five Chinese elements -- earth, metal, fire, water and wood.
Benches are set up for those who need a break along the path.

"It's like walking in a riverbed," said Virgil Miller, an herbal sciences student at Bastyr earlier this week.

Marazita suggests drinking plenty of water throughout the day after finishing the walk.

Only North Dakota and Tennessee license reflexologists. Three years ago, Washington state added an exemption to the law for reflexologists, allowing them to practice without a massage therapy license, according to Lisa Dowling, president of the Washington Reflexology Association.

"The path is great because people can go and do reflexology on their own feet just by walking on it," Dowling said. "It's like a type of self-care."