Don't Rub, Chew. The 'Chewing and Temporalis Muscle Linked Pump' That Calms Chronic Scalp Inflammation (IL-6) and Halts the 'Catagen Phase' of the Hair Cycle

Going to AGA (Androgenetic Alopecia) clinics, rubbing expensive hair tonics (hair growth promoting ingredients) into the scalp every day, and desperately massaging with a shampoo brush. Many people suffering from thinning hair spend an enormous amount of cost and time on this “approach from the outside.”

However, why does hair become thin and fall out prematurely? The root cause lies in the insufficient blood flow in the “soil (scalp environment)” that nurtures the hair roots, and the resulting “chronic micro-inflammation (release of cytokines).”

Particularly terrifying is an inflammatory substance called “IL-6 (Interleukin-6).” When the scalp becomes hard and blood flow decreases, resulting in an oxygen-deprived state, a massive amount of this IL-6 is secreted as a defense mechanism. IL-6 is a signal from the grim reaper that forcibly switches off the “anagen phase,” which is supposed to let hair grow long, and immediately transitions hair matrix cells to the “catagen phase (a command to shrink the hair root and make it fall out)” (relationship between cytokines and the hair cycle in E12).

In order to extinguish this “desertification and flame of inflammation” on the scalp, before sprinkling water from the outside (hair tonic), you must repair the massive underground water vein (blood flow pump) flowing beneath the soil. The ultimate rehabilitation equipment for this is the giant engine attached to the side of your face, the “temporalis muscle (masticatory muscle group).”

The Giant Pump “Temporalis Muscle” That Holds the Fate of the Hair

The skin on the head (especially from the frontal area to the parietal area, where hair tends to thin) is very thin, and there are no muscles that can be moved voluntarily (galea aponeurotica). Therefore, it is extremely difficult to deliver a large amount of oxygen and nutrients to every corner of the hair roots against gravity solely with weak blood pressure from the heart (E13).

To compensate for this design flaw, the human body prepared the “temporalis muscle (a giant muscle that spreads like a fan from around the temples toward the top of the head).” Every time we powerfully bite down (chew) on something hard with a “crunch,” this temporalis muscle repeatedly undergoes fierce contraction and relaxation, generating a powerful pumping action.

• Why Fast Eating Accelerates Thinning Hair: Modern diets (curry, ramen, soft bread) do not require any strong chewing. As the number of chews decreases and you stop using the power of your jaw (masseter muscle), the linked temporalis muscle completely loses its job (pumping movement) and atrophies due to disuse, becoming stiff and hard. As a result, the blood flow route to the scalp is cut off, IL-6 (inflammation signal) spreads, and hair begins to fall out before it is fully grown.

The Hard Chewing Protocol to Reboot the “Temporalis Muscle Pump”

Superficial massages, like rubbing the scalp with fingers, cannot revive the massive blood flow of the head network. We will execute a “chewing hack” to dynamically make the temporalis muscle leap from the inside and blow away (wash away with blood flow) the IL-6 inflammatory parameters.

1. “Gum Training (Forced Hard Texture)”: Aiming for times during the day when the “brain is being used but the mouth is free,” such as during desk work or commuting, intentionally toss highly elastic gum (chewing multiple pieces simultaneously, or those with a hard base) into your mouth.
2. “Conscious Chewing” Focused on the Temporalis Muscle: Instead of just chewing, place your hand on your temples (around the top of your ears). While confirming that the temporalis muscle bulges and moves greatly with a “twitch, twitch” at the moment you crush the gum, repeat chewing at a constant tempo (rhythmic movement related to E11).
3. “Texture (Hardness) Replacement” of Meal Menus: Replace a lunch of “rice balls and smoothies” with menus that have strong cell walls and demand the full power of the temporalis muscle, such as “nuts and whole grain bread” or “thickly sliced meat dishes and root vegetables.”

The first step in countermeasures against thinning hair is not to start using minoxidil, but to abolish the “overly soft diet (soft diet)” that you consume unconsciously every day. The master switch to save your hair from the catagen phase is not on the surface of your skin, but is directly linked to the “powerful opening and closing movements of the jaw.”