Improving brain function through head self-massage practices, neck massage (the trapezius muscles), and medulla oblongata massage
Today we will consider an extremely important aspect of each of our health: the condition of the head and brain.
The distinctive feature of this topic is that we often fail to see the connection between the condition of the body—from its organs, systems, and tissues down to the last cell—and the condition of the brain, because it is precisely the brain that determines whether something in our body becomes ill or recovers. I want to emphasize this point. It is not the organ or the system that becomes ill. That is secondary.
The first problem arises at the level of the brain, which incorrectly or inadequately processes certain incoming and outgoing signals and issues erroneous commands; consequently, we develop an illness. Therefore, working with the brain is primary in any state of ill health. But it is most valuable to work not only when something has already arisen—when a problem or some trouble has appeared and we can no longer ignore it.
These practices, which we will discuss today, are much more effective when applied proactively. You are clearly able to independently assess the state of the brain’s blood supply, lymphatic drainage, and cerebrospinal fluid circulation of the brain, and based on the results obtained, independently draw conclusions about how appropriate it is for you to make efforts and to what extent those efforts should be made in order to maintain normal brain function.
Once again, pay attention to this: you will go to the doctor and say, “Doctor, it hurts here,” and the doctor will treat you here. Very few specialists pay attention to how the brain controls a particular organ, tissue, or cell in the body.
As an illustration of this, I will give
telling examples; this case stayed in my memory, and it will show you the essence of the problem.
A schoolgirl was brought to me for a consultation by her parents. She had serious vision problems: her eyesight was deteriorating, and no one could do anything. So they ran around looking for different options. Before coming to me for a consultation, they had visited some academician—they had reached the very top, gone through all the stages—and the academician did recommend something, but those recommendations boiled down to taking prescription medications, undergoing all kinds of tests, and scheduling follow-up consultations.
For my part, what I did was, naturally, to assess not so much the eyes themselves and how they function—yes, that is already the domain of eye specialists—as to understand how the brain,how well it processes, first, the visual signal, and second, how it controls the organ of vision as a whole. And the following became clear: (this can literally be determined within a few seconds) the child had impaired blood flow to the head, as indicated by corresponding problems in the neck, in the blood vessels of the neck. The child had severe pain in the back of the head, precisely where the areas of the brain that process visual signals are located and that are largely responsible for the condition of vision.
Unfortunately, this academician did not perform these simplest procedures. Regardless of what he prescribed, and no matter how correctly and effectively he selected certain medications and methods, he overlooks these two important points: the condition of the neck and the state of the skull’s surface. Accordingly, we can hope that the treatment will help, but it will be less effective than it could have been. Conversely, I am sure that this issue can largely be resolved naturally, or at least its severity could be alleviated through the simplest exercises and methods that we will consider today. So, let us discuss the following.
The surface of the skull, the surface of the head, the area covered with hair, the area covered by the hairline—yes, as well as the face and neck (the Zakharin–Head zones)—they are veryThey are informative in the sense that many organs and systems have their own representations in various locations on the head. It is quite a complex system with many subtle nuances; we will not dwell on them, as they fall within professional expertise.
We will take a different approach, whether or not we know exactly what lies behind this particular spot on the surface of the skull, and whether or not we know what a particular painful sensation that we will identify, if one is present, is responsible for.
We will simply work on them, eliminating this pain and discomfort in every area on the surface of the head, thereby automatically improving the health of the entire body.
Whether you know which specific organ you are affecting at a given moment or not is secondary. You know, it is like the military practice of carpet bombing: either they do not know exactly where to strike, or there are too many enemies, so they simply head in that direction.
We work in that way, and this carpet bombing covers the entire area, leaving no chance for those within it. Here, we work in exactly the same way: we work over the entire surface of the head, thereby activating all the organs and systems that have representations in the head.
First Practice—The Comb
So, we’ll begin with the first, very simple practice, one that has been known for centuries. The first time I learned about it and saw it was when I was a child, watching my grandmother comb her hair every morning. Of course, I thought at the time that she did it for beauty; perhaps that is what she thought too, I don’t know, but there is much more to it.
The point is that any kind of stimulation—right now I’m running my hand over my head, across the surface of my scalp. Why am I doing this? Because while explaining an idea, I started stumbling over my words, look, and I need additional support, an extra stimulus for the biological work of my brain, so that I can overcome this hesitation. Reflexively, unconsciously—in what is called subconsciously—I began running my hand over the surface of my head.
Why? How can this be explained? It’s simple: you take a comb and begin combing your hair, thereby stimulating the surface of the scalp. This automatically leads to increased blood flow in the areas you are working on. And, strange and paradoxical as it may seem,
these exercises improve blood flow not only in the scalp, not only in certain areas above the surface of the skull, but, paradoxically, they improve circulation on the surface of the brain.
Both blood and lymph circulate better, and cerebrospinal fluid on the surface of the brain.
So, when I said that I stumbled over my words and spontaneously started moving my hand over the surface of my head, you see, we primarily think with the prefrontal cortex of the brain, right?
And these movements, one way or another, activate the corresponding areas of the brain. In order to move from reasoning to practice, right? Why is that?
How did simply brushing your hair suddenly improve blood circulation in the brain?
And my answer is simple: as they say, practice is the criterion of truth. Take it and do this, either with this kind of comb, or this kind, or, yes, this kind, or it can be any device—for example, a Gua Sha scraper or some special massagers; that is secondary.
The most important thing is to work intensively on the scalp.
The easiest, most reliable, and even most effective way to do this is with your own hands, without any devices.
If you have real nails, not plastic ones, then, first of all, work thoroughly with your actual nails—massage your head—and understand that nails are no harder than hair, so you cannot damage your hair in any way with your nails. Therefore, brush your head as intensively as possible.
There So, just a few seconds—several seconds of intense, energetic movements—are enough to work over the entire surface of the head, and you immediately begin to feel the energy becoming denser in the head area. I can say for myself right now that there is a sensation of intense movement, movement not only on the surface of the skull but genuinely inside it as well.
And this is obvious—look, when you are asked a question that you find difficult to answer, we reflexively start making certain movements, scratching the back of our head, for example.
Why and what for? In order to improve blood flow to the head and brain—it is obvious.
So,
the first practice consists of vigorously and energetically combing ourselves either with our fingernails, or, if you have artificial nails, take a comb, which is less effective, or use the second option: the phalanges of your fingers, approximately like this.
Ideally, this practice should be performed in the morning after drinking a glass of water, because in the morning we are somewhat dehydrated from the night. The blood becomes thicker by morning, which is not good, so drink one or two glasses of warm water—hot water—and improve blood circulation to the brain. Before that, after drinking the water, it would be good to perform several simple manipulations with the neck in order to improve blood flow to and from the head,The movements can be any, arbitrary—act as you wish.
You can work with your hands, or turn your head up, down, left, and right. Here at the bottom, make a semicircle; at the top, make a semicircle. Tilt a little, stretch this way, then stretch a little this way. A few seconds are enough for the neck to become invigorated and the blood vessels to be brought into proper tone. And then there is this very practice, the comb.
It would be very good to achieve the following: during these few seconds of practice, you work through the entire scalp, the area around the neck, the forehead, and even the face. This is the first, simplest, and most straightforward exercise. Do it every day—do it in the morning, do it in the evening before bed, and do it during the day—and you will, as they say, find happiness in the renewal, the energetic renewal, of the brain, along with stimulating the movement of all the fluids in the head.
On the Mobility of the Tendinous Helmet The Second Practice—Locating and Eliminating Painful Points
The next exercise is extremely useful. Here is the thing: we have the skin, and beneath the skin is the so-called
tendinous helmet, which covers most of the head.
Various authors of scientific publications agree that
in various types of neurodegenerative diseases, poor mobility of the epicranial aponeurosis is detected.
Place your fingers (fingertips) on your head and try to move the skin and the tendons beneath it relative to the surface of the skull. This should be easy for you at any point on your head. If, wherever it may be, you feel that this easy movement does not occur, that is a bad sign. You need to work on this area regularly and deliberately, developing it until, wherever on your head you touch, the skin moves easily under your fingers together with whatever you grasp—whether tendons or muscles—and this entire structure moves easily over the surface of the skull.
Effect of the Exercise On Painful Areas on the Surface of the Head
This is prevention against neurodegenerative diseases of the brain.
You may discover painful areas.
I can say that over several years of working in this field, I have not met a single person who came to me for a consultation and did not have unpleasant areas on their head—areas that were unpleasant to touch, move, rub, or subject to some other mechanical action.
Yes, you need to understand that there are very sensitive areas on the head, but you need to see the difference between touchingsensitive area and the corresponding healthy response to that touch. And when we touch it, the response is strong, but it is not healthy; it is painful, it is painful. Each person finds this boundary for themselves, but
the idea of the practice we are talking about now is that with your fingertips you examine the entire surface of the head. I emphasize that this means the entire surface, not only the part covered with hair, or once covered with hair;
you examine whether the skin and subcutaneous structures move easily relative to the skull, first, and second, you press on every point of the head, trying to identify painful areas.
On the importance of checking and correcting the condition of the skull bone sutures
And I assure you, you will find them. First and foremost, you will find them
along the lines where the skull bones join one another. Search Yandex Images for “skull bone junctions” and look at the diagrams. Diagrams showing exactly where the bones join, and examine these lines especially thoroughly with your fingers, pressing firmly on these areas.
You will not cause yourself any problems. After all, the skull is bone and reliably protects the brain, so you can work fairly forcefully, using various pressing techniques, rotating, shifting, and any other movements.
The massage movements are up to you; it doesn’t matter. You can even press on painful points not only with your hands or fingertips, but, for example, with the knuckles of your finger joints or other tools at hand.
When you find a painful point, start working on it: rotate it, shift it, and rub it
Before moving on to the next practice concerning the state of the brain, let me suggest another method that I use to identify painful points on the head. The thing is that when pressing, applying pressure, pushing, or shifting, it is not always possible to clearly understand whether this is how it should feel or whether something hurts there. But to answer this question unequivocally, try tapping the surface of your head with your fingertips. Tap everywhere: where you feel bone under your fingers, beneath the skin, and also tap the soft tissues, especially the soft tissues of the face. You may find that there are very painful areas somewhere around the zygomatic muscles, or somewhere behind or in front of the ears. These may be the zygomatic bones, and it may hurt here.
When I first started doing this, I decided to work thoroughly on the sinuses of the skull. And I can say that, probably on the second or third day of tapping, one of my nostrilsit began to leak out—well, liquid started flowing directly—and it flowed continuously for three or four days, constantly leaking out. Then, just as suddenly, it stopped.
An Example of Resolving an Injury
To conclude this topic, I’ll give my own example from when I began practicing this technique several years ago. Naturally, you always start with yourself.
To my great surprise, I discovered a painful area—an extremely unpleasantly painful area.
I began analyzing the cause, trying to find it by recalling what could have happened to me, where, when, and how, and why it was specifically in that place. Then I remembered that in the first or second grade, we played hockey, and I was playing goalie. I blocked one of the shots on goal with my head, precisely with this spot. The puck hit me here; yes, there was a small wound, but the impact was quite strong. Of course, I cried and went home. The next day, nothing hurt anymore, as if nothing had happened, though there was a bump—but it no longer hurt, and that was it. Now consider how long ago that was. More than 40 years have passed since then, yet the consequences remained. I eliminated them in approximately a month and a half of daily practice, for a few seconds each morning and evening. And sometimes, when I remembered it during the day, I used simple massage movements—twisting, shifting, rubbing, and so on—applying pressure, pressure being essential. I eliminated this painful area, and yes, it was tender, but this area no longer hurts, and that is good. And you know, I also noted an amazing fact: when examining this spot, the painful spot, after discovering it in the mirror, I saw the effects of an old scar.
Well, the presence of an old scar.
And when the pain went away, the scar went away too. It is amazing, but that is how it works. So this practice really deserves attention; work with it.
The third practice is compressing the skull with the palms.
While the first two are
combing and shifting, and now also tapping the surface of the head, primarily focus on the superficial areas of the brain, that is, the cerebral cortex that makes us human. These are the areas, yes, the areas with which we think and make decisions. These are the areas with which we remember and, ultimately, refine and process signals from the sensory organs, and so on and so forth. In other words, this is
higher nervous activity, which, I repeat, is what makes us human.
But there are also deeper areas of the brain that you cannot reach with your fingers like this. Here, we work differently.
Look, here is the rationale.
All the bones of the skull, in anyat that age, they should be mobile relative to one another. And the range of movement—1–2–3 mm—is quite easily felt with the hands and should, I repeat, should be present if the skull is healthy; it should be there. This movement should be present.
You can feel it as follows.
When you place the centers of your palms on your head, begin squeezing your head for several seconds.
The important point is that the force vector is directed precisely toward the geometric center of the brain.
In other words, your hands should act strictly toward each other.
There should be no tilting, rotation, or other complicated movements until you know what you are doing.
We squeeze the skull with our hands toward its center.
The exercise is safe; you can apply as much pressure as your hands can exert.
But even with fairly gentle pressure, you will feel the skull bones moving.
They compress and release, compress and separate.
You need to achieve this state of mobility in the skull bones and perform this kind of massage in all possible positions and directions.
The main rule is that your hands must move precisely toward each other.
Movement in the forehead-to-occiput direction is especially useful for many people. There is nothing to discuss here, nothing to dwell on at length.
You need to try it; you need to do it, and you will understand. The effect is usually immediate. In a stressful situation, a person instinctively squeezes their head. You are tired, youAre you tired of thinking, do you need to take a break, or is it some kind of mental, physical, or energetic fatigue? It doesn’t matter—the fact is that something is wrong with your head; your head feels heavy. You need to simplify things and ease your condition. Try it, give it a try.
So, the result of this practice will be that after some time, you will no longer have any painful areas on the surface of your head.
From my own experience, I can say that with daily practice—at least once a day—for one or two months, you will generally, I would say, mostly achieve the result that the sensitive areas, as they should be on the head, remain normal and present, while the painful ones disappear.
Whether you notice an improvement in your well-being as a result or not is a rhetorical question; it depends on how attentively you observe your body’s manifestations.
But I can state unequivocally that the absence of painful areas on the head definitely strengthens health and is beneficial for your well-being. This pain-free state is worth maintaining throughout your life.
Moreover, this practice is beneficial for children from the first days of life through the final days of life. And just as with the first exercise we considered—combing—the practice of pressing, kneading, and shifting the superficial structures relative to the skull has a similar effect, a similar one.
This practice will improve blood circulation, lymphatic circulation, and cerebrospinal fluid circulation not only in the superficial structures, above the surface of the skull, but also beneath its surface.
Here is the logic behind it—look, this logic may seem paradoxical to you, and you may not believe it, but it really is true, and it works.
It works as follows: I touch the forehead, for example, and suppose that somewhere here—here, it doesn’t hurt, here it doesn’t hurt, here either—but here I find a painful area and feel that, for no apparent reason, it hurts precisely here. But why does it hurt exactly here?
The causes may vary. It could be some old injuries that occurred many years ago, which you may no longer even remember—especially if the injuries occurred during infancy. You might have fallen out of a stroller, for example.
And the consequences of these injuries persist for decades, throughout your entire life, producing a negative effect. This is not good; it is not good.
So, these could have been mechanical injuries to the brain, resulting in excess connective tissue forming in this particular spot, only there, deep inside, beneath the skull, somewhere at the level of either the meninges or the surface of the brain, as a result of the injury. Or it could have been some kind of infectious inflammatory process,
an astonishing process, as a result of which in thisblood circulation in areas of the brain was disrupted, as was the movement of other fluids, and so the problem itself may have disappeared long ago, without leaving any consequences.
Remarkably, but
by working with the surface of the skull, you eliminate the problem beneath the surface of the skull.
I repeat, it may be a problem with either the meninges or, directly, something may be wrong with the surface of the brain in this area, something is wrong.
The rest is simple.
Examine, apply воздействие, and achieve results.
Applying pressure to the trapezius muscles
The following techniques are used for self-massage of the trapezius muscle:
a) stroking;
b) squeezing;
c) kneading;
d) rubbing.
Working with the trapezius muscles is very important. The effect will not be long in coming; relaxing the muscles will help relieve chronic spasms in the shoulders and cervical region, as well as spasms of the cerebral blood vessels. Because of the spasmed muscles, circulation was poor, and various ailments were observed: headaches, poor memory, high or low blood pressure, and poor vascular tone.
Massage technique
The neck muscles are massaged while sitting or standing. The massage begins with its lower part, using the following techniques:
1) stroking with one or both hands. With the palms pressed firmly together, move them downward from the hairline toward the back and shoulder joint.
2) Squeezing with the edge of the palm on the side of the neck corresponding to the massaging hand; with the ball of the thumb on the opposite side.
3) Kneading with the fingertips of the corresponding hand by pressing the muscle against the bony bed while simultaneously shifting it toward the little finger. Begin kneading from the occipital bone downward toward the shoulder blades (4–5 times on one side and 4–5 times on the other). Then stroke (3–4 times) and repeat the kneading. Pinching kneading: grasping the muscle with the pads of all the fingers, knead it while shifting it toward the little finger (with the right hand on the left side of the neck and vice versa).
4) Rubbing in circular movements with four fingers from one ear to the other along the occipital bone, i.e. at the points where the neck is attached. The same can be done with both hands, moving them toward each other. Rubbing is performed along the cervical vertebrae from the hairline toward the back:
a) circular — with the pads of four fingers;
b) dotted — from the spinal column outward (both of these variations are performed with the right hand on the left side of the neck and vice versa);
c) circular — simultaneously with the fingertips of both hands;
d) dotted — each hand on its own side; the fingers of both hands are placed along the spinal column and simultaneously shift the skin over the vertebrae in opposite directions — upward and downward —approximately one centimeter.
Try this method as well: tapping the head, neck, and shoulders with the tips of relaxed fingers. This massage technique is widely used in Japan to relieve headaches.
Self-massage of the back of the neck is completed with stroking. Then proceed to self-massage of the front of the neck. Here, stroking is performed alternately with the hands, from the jaw down toward the chest (fig.). The movements of the hands should be gentle so that the skin beneath them is neither compressed nor stretched.
Medulla Oblongata Massage
The medulla oblongata is connected by nerve pathways to various parts of the body.
Living in the fast-paced modern world, it is not enough to be strong only mentally and physically; one must also be resilient. Alongside popular methods of developing endurance, this can also be achieved through shiatsu—a Japanese massage technique.
The medulla oblongata is 4 cm long and ends where the brain transitions into the spinal cord, at the level of the foramen magnum of the skull. The respiratory and vasomotor centers are located there.
Therapeutic pressure applied to the area of the medulla oblongata affects the diencephalon, relieves the effects of stress, and stimulates the development of endurance. The cluster of nerve endings located in the hollow at the back of the head corresponds to the medulla oblongata—the lowest part of the brain. The medulla oblongata controls such vital bodily functions as swallowing, breathing, and cardiac activity.
Using the middle fingers of both hands, press on the base of the occipital bone—the Fengfu point—and on the two points above it, counting to 10 seconds. Apply slightly more pressure each time. Use the middle, ring, and little fingers.
Then press with three fingers along the back of the neck, moving downward.
In Eastern medicine, reflexology—that is, stimulation of a biologically active point called Fengchi—is used to restore the body in such cases. This is a paired (symmetrical) point. Specifically, this point is located at the back of the head. To find it, reach your right hand behind your head and use your index or middle finger to locate a small hollow approximately along the hairline (where the head and neck meet, beneath the occipital bone).
Search for this point on the left side in the same way.
These points can be stimulated simultaneously or one at a time. Massage the points with the pad of the middle finger. Using circular clockwise movements with gentle pressure, massage the points for 1 minute.
Massage helps cope with the effects of stressful situations. It also Massage of the Fengchi point (also called the Confucius point) is very beneficial for gallbladder problems (cholecystitis, colitis), as this point is located on the gallbladder meridian.
Massaging this point helps with neurasthenia, mental fatigue, headaches, dizziness, eye diseases, tearing, reduced hearing, and normalizing blood pressure.
This exercise is useful for improving blood circulation in the medulla oblongata area.
Massage of the Jianjing points
They are located in the middle of the trapezius muscles, in a depression.
Effect:
Relieves spasms in the trapezius muscles and normalizes cerebral blood circulation by relaxing the trapezius muscles, which in turn spasm the neck muscles and impede blood flow through the arteries supplying blood to the brain.
Effect: improving all body functions, relieving heaviness in the shoulder area, and relieving spasms in the cerebral blood vessels.
Sit up straight. Using three fingers of your right hand, find the depression on the upper surface of the trapezius muscles at the shoulders (the hollow is right in the middle) and begin massaging.
Traditional Chinese acupressure involves three consecutive massages of the points, performed one after another.
1. Using three fingers of your right hand, find the depression in the middle of the trapezius muscles, and begin gently massaging the Jianjing point with penetrating movements, 21 times clockwise. First, massage the left muscle with the right hand, then the right muscle with the left hand, at the midpoint of the trapezius muscle in the hollow.
2. After the circular massage, proceed to the second part of the massage: pressing the Jianjing point. Press the left shoulder with three fingers of the right hand, in the middle of the trapezius muscle, 21 times, then do the same on the right side.
3. The third massage technique is rubbing. In the same sequence as in the previous recommendations for massaging the Jianjing point, use the “rubbing” technique—that is, alternately rub the points on the left and right forearms with some pressure, until a slight soreness is felt—21 times.
Perform this series of massages three times a day until the body feels light. If the massage area becomes sore, take a short break and massage, press, and rub the Jianjing point once a day.
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, Thank you for your kind and heartfelt words and wishes. I’m glad if the materials prove useful to you. Of course, as it says on one of the posters with Ancient Egypt from “Your Yoga”: Everything is possible, and anything can happen. Once you overcome yourself in a situation where it seemed there was an impenetrable wall, faith and enthusiasm will emerge, and you can continue working on yourself, achieve what you desire, and improve your health and destiny. It seems to me that the most difficult thing is making the decision and allowing yourself to believe that this is possible (healing, for example).
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, Thank you for such a comprehensive overview with examples and pictures. I periodically remember self-massage; I once even bought a Chinese wooden comb with rounded tips, but I don’t do it regularly. Using your hands is still easier, and it’s easier to control the pressure. Now I’m more motivated—the main thing is to do it!
Dear, golden-hearted person, thank you for your wonderful reminders and recommendations that anything is possible and that not everything is lost. I adore and love you for your care and kind heart. May you enjoy good health for many years 
