Reflexology is a type of therapy that uses gentle pressure on specific points on your feet (and possibly on your hands as well) which relate to different parts of your body to help stimulate your body process in healing itself. It’s also known as zone therapy. According to zone theory, a foot is divided into five zones that run from toe to heel:

The big toe is zone 1, and the pinky toe is zone 5. The body is divided into 10 zones that run from head to foot. Zone 1 aligns with the left and right center of the body, and zone 5 aligns with the left and right sides of the body. When you place pressure on zone 1 in the foot, it can relieve pain in the part of the body that’s linked to that area. A theory that dates back to the 19th century suggests that reflexology works by stimulating the nervous system.

Pressing on areas of the feet in a calming way stimulates the nerves there, which sends a message to the central nervous system. This helps to relax the body and has positive effects on your breathing, blood flow, immune response, and more. Another theory suggests that reflexology helps offset the way that your brain registers pain. When your feet are massaged, the relaxing sensations may help relieve stress and improve your mood, which may make you less inclined to perceive pain as deeply. Still another theory suggests that your body contains “vital energy” that is affected by stress.

If you don’t work to relieve the stress, your body may not work as well as it should, which may lead to aches or illness. Reflexology is thought to help you maintain the flow of vital energy through your body. The way reflexology connects spots on the outside of your body to the inside is a bit like acupuncture and acupressure. But those therapies use points all over your body, not just on your feet and hands.