Johnnie Brymer

Created by Kyu-kichi Yamanashi in Japan in the 1960's in order to try to heal a number of health problems he was suffering from, Kenkoh sandals were originally constructed of wood. They featured little nodules all over the sole to stimulate what we would now refer to as 'reflexology' points on the sole of the feet. Sokushindo was the name of the philosophy concerning these pressure points, as the term 'reflexology' hadn't been invented.

The results on his health were positive, so Mr Yamanashi began to manufacture the sandals and offer them for sale. Since those initial wooden sandals weren't conducive to comfort, the construction was soon changed over to rubber, and these days, the nodules on Kenkoh sandals are made of natural latex.

What is Foot Reflexology?

Foot reflexology claims that certain areas of our feet are reflex zones that correspond to other parts of the body, including the organs and glands. The idea behind Kenkoh footwear is that the nodules stimulate these reflex zones, therefore influencing the correlated areas of the body in a good way. Quite possibly, in the past these pressure points were regularly triggered merely by the act of walking barefoot over the natural ground surface, but since we now wear shoes and walk mainly on pavement, we largely fail to receive this benefit.

Health Benefits From Kenkoh Sandals

It's entirely possible that you're familiar with massage sandals, but doubt that they can be effective, especially since conventional doctors tend to be unconvinced of their effectiveness. But conventional medicine has also pooh-poohed chiropractic and acupuncture, which research has shown to have real, significant benefits in many cases. Do we have any of that research concerning the benefits of Kenkohs? As a matter of fact there is.

There were some very good results shown in a study perforned in 2006 at Kyoto University in Japan, headed up by N. Kondo. The people taking part showed less tiredness, lower pulse rate, reduction of swelling in the feet and legs, less foot pain, and a more positive state of mind.

And informal reports of relief of conditions like back pain, headaches including migraine, arthritis, muscle soreness, foot calluses and hammer toes, bone spurs, varicose veins and others have been received.

While some people wear their Kenkohs all day, usually that's not the case. Normally, the sandals would be worn around the house for a few hours. It's advocated that new Kenkoh wearers start with ten or fifteen minutes of wear and build up gradually, even though the present footbed construction is considered pretty comfortable by most. If you find that your feet are very sensitive, then wearing socks with the sandals is advised at first, with the expectation that the wearing period can be built up slowly and the socks eventually eliminated.

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