In the June 2012 edition of the Journal of Exercise Physiology there is an article that might be of interest for people who do the scalp exercise. One of the central ideas in this article by James Steel and others is that resistance training stimulates the formation of a network of capillaries in the part of the body where intense muscle contraction takes place. The authors of the article refer to this process of capillary proliferation as capillarization. It might also be referred to as angiogenesis. A dense network of healthy capillaries at the base of the hair follicles is the delivery system that brings nutrients to the quickly dividing cells of which the hair shaft is composed. The formation and development of this network is increased by exercise that involves intense muscular contraction.
The authors of this article indicate that there several vascular adaptations that occur with intense muscle activity:
Human blood vessels, when functioning properly, are able to widen in order to accommodate increases in blood flow. The key actor in this process is the endothelium, a layer of cells which serves as the inner lining of blood vessels. The endothelium produces nitric oxide, a substance that dilates, or expands, the blood vessels.
The authors also believe that exercise along with antioxidant vitamins combat the formation of free radicals:
Another age-related change that affects endothelium function is an increase in the number of free radicals in the bloodstream. Free radicals are highly unstable oxygen molecules that cause damage to various tissues. They also play a major role in the formation of artery-blocking fatty deposits when they come in contact with LDL (so-called "bad" cholesterol). It is believed that exercise and certain antioxidant vitamins can protect the body by blocking free radicals.
The remodeling of the blood vessels and the protection from free radical damage are just two of the benefits that come from regular scalp exercise. Another major benefit is the quickening of lymphatic drainage. The contraction of the scalp muscles speeds up the movement of lymph fluid thus clearing out some of the toxins in scalp tissue that might contribute to hair follicle inflammation.
In another paper by an Italian group of researchers led by Dr. Stefano Taddei is the following:
Long-term exercise protects the inner lining of the blood vessels from age-related changes and makes them behave more like those of a young person. Human blood vessels, when functioning properly, are able to widen in order to accommodate increases in blood flow. The key actor in this process is the endothelium, a layer of cells which serves as the inner lining of blood vessels. The endothelium produces nitric oxide, a substance that dilates, or expands, the blood vessels.
Much new research indicates that the benefits of exercise are multiple. Even the benefits of local exercise like the movement of the scalp are not just wishful thinking - they are real.
