In the world of functional neurology and clinical acupuncture, we often talk about hemisphericity—the idea that one side of the brain may be underactive or “firing” at a lower frequency than the other. When we identify a Right Hemisphericity, our clinical goal is to provide the specific sensory “fuel” needed to wake up that right side. But how do we choose which side of the body to needle? If you’ve heard of the “cross-diagonal” approach—needling the Left muscle belly and the Right tendon—you might wonder why we don’t just stick to one side. The answer lies in the unique “wiring” of our nervous system. 1. The Left Muscle Belly: The Direct Highway to the Right Brain The cerebral cortex (the “thinking” part of the brain) is contralateral, meaning the right side of the brain controls and feels the left side of the body. When we needle a muscle belly on the left side, we are targeting muscle spindles. These […]