Reflexology, or zone therapy, is the practice of stimulating points on the feet and hands, in the belief it will have a beneficial effect on some other parts of the body, or will improve general health. Scientists and medical professionals consider reflexology to be a pseudoscience[1] , offering no more benefits than ordinary massage.
The most common form is foot reflexology. Practitioners believe the foot to be divided into a number of reflex zones corresponding to all parts of the body, and that applying pressure to tight or "gritty" areas of a person's foot will stimulate the corresponding body part and cause it to begin healing itself.
In reflexology, it is believed that there is a "vital energy" that is circulating between organs of the human body, that penetrates into every living cell. Whenever this energy is blocked, the zone of blockage will be affected, and the reflex zones can indicate the blockage of energy in different organs. Therefore, if someone has a problem in a particular organ, a reflexologist will press on the corresponding reflex zone or zones, and the person will experience pain. This pain is claimed to originate from the deposition of crystals in the reflex zone and, with massage, these crystalline structures can be broken down and the pain relieved. Simultaneously, the pressure applied to the reflex zones by the reflexologist is claimed to pass through the nerves to dissipate energy blocks.