How to relieve one-sided headaches with meridian massage
One-sided headaches are a sign that the Gallbladder Meridian is blocked.
The key to relieving one-sided headaches is to get the Qi (energy) moving in the Gallbladder meridian. Once the meridian is unblocked and the Qi is moving, the pain dissipates.
Five steps to opening the Gallbladder meridian:
- Massage the top of the shoulders focusing specifically on the point Gallbladder 21 (GB 21).
- Massage the sides of both legs and 4th toe on each foot.
- Massage the sides of the head, top of the shoulders, squeeze the arms and massage the 4th finger on each hand.
- Stretch the sides of the body by raising the arms up over head and leaning from side to side while breathing deeply.
- Shake the legs and arms, and go for a short walk.
Step 1:
Squeeze or knead the upper shoulders for 1-2 minutes.
Then, squeeze GB 21, specifically, for 10-20 seconds.
Located half way from the side of the neck to the edge of the shoulders toward the back. *Do not use on pregnant women.
Step 2:
Massage the sides of both legs and the 4th toe on each foot.
The Gallbladder meridian is located on the outer sides of both legs. Knead and lightly tap the meridian from the hip down to the outer ankle. The Gallbladder meridian ends on the 4th toe, so squeeze and rub the 4th toe.
Massage the meridian from the hip to the 4th toe.
Step 3:
Massage the sides of the head, top of the shoulders, squeeze the arms and massage the 4th finger on each hand.
The Gallbladder meridian begins at the outer corner of the eye and then covers the side of the head.
Notice in the picture above, the Gallbladder meridian zigs and zags over the sides of the head. Massage the sides of the head lightly, or more vigorously to get the Qi moving again.
The Gallbladder meridian is not located on the arms or hands.
However, there is another meridian (San Jiao or Triple Heater) that runs in a similar pathway on the arms as the Gallbladder runs on the legs. These two meridians are related to each other because of their location.
You can help open the Gallbladder meridian, and more specifically, help relieve headache pain by squeezing and tapping along the center of the outside of both arms and massaging the 4th finger.
Notice how the San Jiao Meridian is in the same location on the arm that the Gallbladder Meridian is on the leg.
Step 4:
Stretch the sides of the body by raising the arms up over head and leaning from side to side while breathing deeply. This will open up the Gallbladder meridian in the area of the ribs.
No need to go this far over!
Notice the pathway of the meridian in the picture in the picture below:
Gallbladder meridian
The meridian is located on both sides of the rib cage. Stretching the arms up helps to open the entire meridian.
Step 5:
Shake the legs and arms, and go for a short walk.
Wiggle your arms and legs, breath, bounce up and down a little, and take a walk – just 5 or 10 minutes is enough. Drink some water.
You should be feeling better by now!
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How to Relieve Sinus Pain and Congestion:
[…] Headache relief […]
Thank you, Cindy! Just purchased the book through Amazon! I appreciate your guidance. 🙂
Cindy, would you say it’s okay to do this massage every day? Is it possible to overdo it or to overstimulate the GB through a daily practice?
I’m also wondering if you have a post on a liver massage.
I think I read that you have a book–if that’s right, I’m going to purchase it! 🙂
Thanks again!
Hi Vanessa,
We can over-do anything 🙂 Pay attention to your experience and adjust more massage, less massage, maybe taking a few days off, based on your experience.
Here is another related post http://bigtreehealing.com/liver-qi-stagnation-what-is-it/
Yes, I have book – here is the link on amazon: http://amzn.to/1mY8wi8
Here is the link on Barnes&Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/meridian-massage-cindy-black/1123460732?ean=9780996971812
Enjoy!
Wow, this is a lifesaver! I have frequent 2 or 3 day headaches on the top right of my head and they’re incapacitating. I know it’s stomach/digestion related (also liver, I’m sure), and usually charcoal helps. Tonight, nothing was helping. At my wits end, I researched the meridians and found your site. I did the process on this page several times through and the headache is suddenly nearly completely gone. Such a huge relief! I am so incredibly grateful to you for posting this! Thank you so very much!
I am happy that you are feeling better! Acupoints are an incredible resource to know about.
Is this tecniques like reflexology?
Hi Amiera,
It is similar to reflexology in that we are working with energy, but different because we are utilizing meridians and points rather than reflexes on the feet or hands.