reflexology

noun

1. a system of massaging specific areas of the foot or sometimes the hand in order to promote healing, relieve stress, etc., in other parts of the body.
2. Medicine/Medical. the study of reflex movements and processes.

noun

1. a form of therapy practised as a treatment in alternative medicine in which the soles of the feet are massaged: designed to stimulate the blood supply and nerves and thus relieve tension
2. psychol the belief that behaviour can be understood in terms of combinations of reflexes

n.

1927, as a psychological theory, from German reflexologie (1912); see reflex + -ology. As a foot massage technique, first recorded 1976.

n.

1. The study of reflex responses, especially as they affect behavior.
2. A method of massage that relieves nervous tension through the application of finger pressure, especially to the feet.