Reflexology areas on the foot correspond to areas of the body, and that by manipulating these one can improve health through one's qi. Reflexologists divide the body into ten equal vertical zones, five on the right and five on the left. Concerns have been raised by medical professionals that treating potentially serious illnesses with reflexology, which has no proven efficacy, could delay the seeking of appropriate medical treatment. Reflexologists posit that the blockage of an energy field, invisible life force, or Qi, can prevent healing. Another tenet of reflexology is the belief that practitioners can relieve stress and pain in other
The Berlin Patient body. The first Berlin patient was a German man in his mid-twenties. He was a patient of Dr. Heiko Jessen in Berlin, Germany. He was diagnosed with acute HIV infection in 1995. He was prescribed an unusual combination therapy: didanosine, indinavir and hydroxyurea. Hydroxyurea was the most unusual of the three, as it is a cancer drug not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for HIV treatment. The combination was part of a small trial Dr. Jessen was testing in patients during acute HIV infection. After several treatment interruptions, the patient went off the prescribed therapy completely.