Meet The Gallbladder Channel

Last week I indulged in a much needed bodywork session (oh yes, it was good). My twice weekly dance classes and daily meditation practice landed me and my tight low back right on the massage table.

While my amazing therapist, Brian, was digging into all the hot spots, I began to feel a throbbing pain right under my occiput (the bone at the base of the skull) at the acupuncture point GB20 (Gallbladder 20).

I was pretty relaxed at this point, so I was able to move into a place of witnessing the pain rather than being overtaken by it. And there it occurred to me! I was feeling the connection between my low back and neck along my gallbladder channel!

What is the gallbladder channel? Out of twelve primary and eight secondary channels in acupuncture, the gallbladder channel is one of the most unique. In fact it could be called the wonkiest of the bunch. Instead of being a somewhat straight line like the other channels, the gallbladder channel zig zags all over the place beginning at the 4th toe and ending just lateral to the eye. See what I mean?

gallbladder-meridian

The Gallbladder and Stress

Interestingly enough, the neck, shoulders, low back and hips all fall on the gallbladder channel. What else do these areas have in common? Stress. Think about the places that get tight when you feel stressed. How about right now…Do you have a tight neck and shoulders? Achy low back? You get my drift. It turns out the gallbladder channel is a major landing zone for stress.

This is no coincidence. Chinese medicine says that the gallbladder* is affected by anger, frustration, irritability and bottled up emotions of any kind. Bottled up emotions causing tight muscles? Now it makes perfect sense.

DIY Healing
for Neck and Low Back Pain**


Become conscious of where you hold your stress.

Watch your physical and emotional patterns throughout the day. Are your shoulders tense and raised up to your ears while having an emotional conversation on the phone? Does your head jut out like a turtle while you’re working away at your computer to meet a deadline? What does it feel like in your body when you get frustrated or stressed?

When you feel that you’re holding tension, take 3 deep breaths and relax.

Most of us breathe shallowly when we feel stress or pain. It’s not your fault; it’s an automatic function of the sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system. Unfortunately this further perpetuates tight muscles. Do the opposite. Take 3 deep, slow belly breaths and feel for letting go of any tense spots.

Get on the good ergonomics train.

If you sit at desk or in the car for a large portion of your day, be sure your seat is working for you rather than against you. Keep your shoulders relaxed away from your ears, your head facing forward without protruding, and your hips at level with or higher than your knees. Many cars are now made with optional low back support while desk chairs come in a wide variety of ergonomic options. If you’re in a standing position during the day, keep your knees slightly bent (not locked), your feet about hip width apart with one foot slightly in front of the other.

Start a daily routine of stretching and/or self-massage.

In a perfect world you would be able to get an acupuncture treatment every day (like the ancient chinese did a few thousand years back). To compensate for modern life restrictions and keep muscles relaxed between treatments, develop a daily stretching and self-massage routine. I love the foam and wooden back rollers, as well as the s-shaped massager. They enable you to access all of my favorite gallbladder points.

Try relaxing a corresponding area of the gallbladder channel while releasing your tight spot.

This is a bit advanced. Since every part of the body is connected, relaxing one area helps to relax another. While breathing deeply and slowly, feel for relaxing an alternate area of your body. For example if you’re working on your neck, trying relaxing your low back and shoulders. If your hips are tight, try relaxing your neck. You can use the gallbladder channel as a reference.

My Top 3 Favorite Gallbladder Points


Note about point locations- Unless you’re an anatomy geek like me, this will probably sound like a bunch of mumbo jumbo. Use the diagrams to help locate points, and when in doubt, feel for the most tender spot. If it’s not the acupuncture point you were going for, at least you’re working another spot that was calling for attention.

GB20

Location: Below the occiput, at the base of the skull in a hollow between the origin of the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles.

GB21

Location: At the crest of the trapezius muscle, midway between the tip of the acromion and 7th cervical vertebrae.

GB30

Location: On the posterior lateral aspect of the hip joint, one third of the distance between the prominence of the greater trochanter and the sacro-coccygeal hiatus.

*The gallbladder in chinese medicine is different from the physical organ the gallbladder. It represents both the gallbladder channel as well as the energetic aspect of the gallbladder organ.

** Consult your acupuncturist or doctor before beginning any new exercise routine.