Reflexology, also called zone therapy, is based on the notion that each body part is represented on the hands and feet and that pressing on specific areas on the hands or feet can have therapeutic effects in other parts of the body.

Many proponents claim that foot reflexology can cleanse the body of toxins, increase circulation, assist in weight loss, and improve the health of organs throughout the body. Others have reported success in treating earaches, anemia, bedwetting, bronchitis, convulsions in an infant, hemorrhoids, hiccups, deafness, hair loss, emphysema, prostate trouble, heart disease, overactive thyroid gland, kidney stones, liver trouble, rectal prolapse, undescended testicles, intestinal paralysis, cataracts, and hydrocephalus (a condition in which an excess of fluid surrounding the brain can cause pressure that damages the brain). Some claim to, "balance energy and enhance healing elsewhere in the body."

The body is divided into 10 longitudinal zones—five on each side of the body. Each organ or part of the body is represented on the hands and feet; The practitioner can diagnose abnormalities by feeling the hands or feet. Massaging or pressing each area can stimulate the flow of energy, blood, nutrients, and nerve impulses to the corresponding body zone and thereby relieve ailments in that zone.

Acupressure [from Latin acus "needle" (see acuity) + pressure (n.) [1] ] is an alternative medicine technique similar in principle to acupuncture. It is based on the concept of life energy which flows through meridians in the body. In treatment, physical pressure is applied to acupuncture points with the aim of clearing blockages in these meridians. Pressure may be applied by hand, by elbow, or with various devices.

Bodywork is any therapeutic or personal development technique that involves working with the human body in a form involving manipulative therapy, breath work, or energy medicine. Bodywork techniques also aim to assess and improve posture, promote awareness of the body-mind connection rather than the mind-body connection, or to manipulate a putative energy field surrounding the human body and affecting health.