Various 'Necks' and Pressure Points | A Fascinating Look at the Body Through Both Western and Eastern Medicine
Every Friday, it's time for Dr. Jariban's take on the body.
Everyone, it's already the latter half of May. While there are hints of summer during the day, the nights are still chilly. It's the season when the body feels most unsettled due to the temperature difference between air conditioning and the outside air.
Here is a sudden question for you.
How many things in the body can you name that include the word 'neck' (kubi)?
Yes, take 30 seconds to think about it.
Tick-tock, tick-tock...
[Table of Contents Insertion Point
🤔 Let's check the answers
It's not just that 'neck' that supports your head, is it?
Actually, internal organs also have narrow parts called 'necks'.
Neck (cervical region)
Wrist
Ankle
Cervix (of the uterus)
Bladder neck
Gallbladder neck
They all contain the word 'neck' (kei/kubi).
'Neck' isn't just a name for the part below the head. It is also a name given to 'narrow and important passageways' inside the body.
There are surprisingly many, aren't there?
What they have in common is that they are narrow, they are places where passageways are concentrated, and they are places that bend.
I think people in the past noticed these commonalities and gave them the same name.
🦴 The 'neck' from the perspective of Western medicine
Places named 'neck' have certain characteristics.
They have little muscle and thin bones. Yet, nerves and blood vessels are tightly packed together, running close to the surface.
It is a place where vital plumbing is concentrated, despite being structurally weak.
That is why, since ancient times, strong pressure there can be life-threatening, twisting it can stop movement, and getting cold can immediately lead to poor health.
When you open a medical textbook, a long list of 'syndromes' appears for places that include the word 'neck'.
Cervical spondylosis
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Tarsal tunnel syndrome
Gallbladder neck stone impaction
The parts of the body most prone to injury are usually concentrated in places that include the word 'neck'.
🌿 The 'Neck' from the Perspective of Eastern Medicine
In Eastern medicine, there is a concept called 'Genketsu' (Source Points).
There are 12 meridians, each with a representative pressure point. These are the places where vital energy (Genki) gathers most and where the pulse beats—these are the Source Points.
And these Source Points are all lined up around the wrists and ankles.
Source point of the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin, 'Taiyuan' → Wrist
Source point of the Heart Meridian of Hand-Shaoyin, 'Shenmen' → Wrist
Source point of the Kidney Meridian of Foot-Shaoyin, 'Taixi' → Ankle
Source point of the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang, 'Jinggu' → Outside of the ankle
Source point of the Liver Meridian of Foot-Jueyin, 'Taichong' → Instep of the foot
Wrists, ankles, and the insteps of the feet—the Source Points are concentrated in these thin, mobile extremities.
The places where nerves and blood vessels tend to gather in Western medicine, and the places where 'Qi' tends to gather in Eastern medicine.
These two point to very similar areas.
Two systems with different eras, cultures, and vocabularies are pointing to the same general vicinity.
🎯 Just one conclusion
Here, I will state today's conclusion first.
Do not let your neck, wrists, or ankles get cold.
That is all. Anyone can do it.
📜 People who have known this for a long time
By the way, when a mother picks up a baby, where does she support first?
The neck. Instinctively.
People know the structural weaknesses without needing logic.
In the world of martial arts, there is also a way of thinking that values the neck, waist, wrists, and ankles as 'pathways for power'.
Looking at kimono culture, the collar wraps around the neck, the sleeves cover the wrists, and the tabi socks wrap snugly up to the ankles.
It is a design that covers all the 'necks' of the body.
Long before medicine described the body.
The mother holding her baby and the craftsman who sewed the kimono both knew that 'the neck is something to be protected'.
🎀 The Amura Theory of Supremacy
Thinking about it this way, old fashion starts to look a little different.
The 'Amura' style (a fashion style influenced by Namie Amuro) that was popular in the late 90s.
Looking back at it now, I think it was actually quite excellent from the perspective of body temperature management.
Ankles: Covered thickly with loose socks
Neck: Wrapped tightly with a Burberry scarf
Wrists: ...Hmm, this one doesn't ring a bell
I feel like there was no definitive 'staple item for warming the wrists' in Amura fashion.
Everyone, was there any staple item for warming the wrists back then?
Wristbands? Bracelets? Or was there some trend I can no longer remember?
Even though the ankles and neck were perfectly covered, only the wrists were left exposed.It feels a bit unresolved.
Even so, two of the body's 'necks' were being properly protected—
Wait, I just realized something.
If you protect yourself from the cold, the areas around the source points are less likely to be disrupted, and your neurovascular system will also be supported.
In other words, my arbitrary hypothesis is that Amura fans were unconsciously practicing both Eastern and Western medicine two-thirds of the time.
—or so I hypothesize.
🔥 If you only do one thing today
For those who have read this far, here is a little gift.
The 'necks' of the body are less likely to have their condition disrupted if kept warm. If they get cold, pain and fatigue are likely to appear quickly.
You don't need to do anything special, so just choose one of these options once a day.
Wrists: Keep your sleeves pulled down properly. In air-conditioned rooms, wear a thin wrist warmer.
Ankles: Choose socks with a long length. Even in summer, wear thin leg warmers in air-conditioned environments.
Neck: Keep a thin stole on hand for places where the air conditioning hits directly.
You don't have to fix everything at once. Start with just one thing: wrists today, ankles tomorrow.
Just by doing that, your body will feel, 'Ah, I am being protected.'
🔭 Next Preview
Places with 'neck' in their name are key points, both physically and in terms of qi and blood.
Don't let them get cold. Don't twist them. Don't constrict them too tightly.
Just by doing this, your body will be greatly helped.
Next time, it's 'Blood Vessels × Pressure Points'.
Why are the places where we take a pulse and the pressure points located so close to each other?
Under your scarf, inside your loose socks, your source points are quietly warming up.
As long as the three 'necks' of your body are protected, your steps tomorrow will surely be light.
Well then, have a good weekend.
※ This article introduces the concepts of Western and Eastern medicine and is not intended for medical diagnosis or treatment. If pain or discomfort persists, please consult a medical institution.
📎 If you have time, please check out this article related to the body's 'necks'
This is the most direct follow-up to the story about how 'source points gather around the wrists.' People 1,300 years ago were placing their hands in the same spots.
For those who want to learn more about the pressure points around the ankles, I think the reason for not letting your ankles get cold will make more sense.
An article that talks about the very 'energy' (Genki) of the 'Yuan Source Points = places where energy gathers' that appeared in the main text, through the lens of Dragon Ball. It is the most relaxed way to enter the world of Eastern medicine.
🎬 A video created by an invisible video creator
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBCx1nsXxBI
This is a video based on a true story about a visually impaired father who supports his child on his shoulders, feeling their presence through body temperature and movement.
Just like the wisdom of the body mentioned in this article—that 'when holding a baby, a mother instinctively supports the neck'—you can experience the physical sensation of 'touching and supporting' through the video.
#VisualImpairment #TotallyBlindCreator #CreativeAward2026 #Essay #EasternMedicine #SelfCare #WarmthActivity