Who is recognized as the founding father of zone therapy in the United States?

• A. Dr. William Fitzgerald
• B. Eunice Ingham
• C. Dwight Byers
• D. Dr. Shelby Riley

Answer: (A)

Zone therapy centers on the idea that the body is divided into longitudinal zones, and that stimulating points within a zone can influence organs and structures located in the same zone. This concept established the reflex relationships that later underlie reflexology. In the United States, Dr. William Fitzgerald is recognized as the founding father of zone therapy for formalizing this zone-based approach and demonstrating its therapeutic potential. Eunice Ingham later popularized the practice by mapping the zones to the feet and hands, giving rise to modern reflexology; Dwight Byers helped spread the method, while Dr. Shelby Riley is not a central figure in this developmental history. So the founding father is Dr. William Fitzgerald.