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Fiction: A really fancy foot massage.

Fact: Since there are so many nerve endings in your feet, your whole body feels the treatment.

Dating back to 2330 B.C. Egypt, a pictograph on pharaoh Ankhamahor’s tomb depicts work on hands and feet that strongly suggest an early form of reflexology. Much later, in 1917, Boston-based physician Dr. William H. Fitzgerald publishes a book explaining that placing devices on various points on the hands can relieve pain. In the 1930s, Dr. Joe Shelby Riley and Eunice Ingham draw on this research and develop “zone therapy.” In the process, Ingham creates a map of the feet, connecting them to the body’s anatomy.

It’s discovered that over 7,200 nerve endings are located on the feet. The feet’s reflex zones correspond to all glands, organs and body parts.

In stimulating the hands and feet, reflexology can have a positive impact on the nervous system. It’s similar to acupressure in that practitioners use their thumbs and fingers to arouse the reflex zones.

Reflexology is a popular treatment for stress and tension. On top of its relaxing effect, it can relieve migraines, breathing problems, and digestive trouble, while restoring hormonal balance. Reflexology boosts the circulatory system and unblocks certain nerve impulses. Since these obstructions are sometimes caused by psychological strain, reflexology has physical and emotional benefits.