Mari ethnic medicine is one of the oldest authentic medical systems in Europe, which has survived to this day and continues to be actively used in folk practice. The Mari are a small ethnic group living in Russia, which has its own unique cultural heritage and traditions in the field of maintaining health, as well as a completely unique authentic natural religion - Chiyula. Mari ethnomedicine is a unique system of treatment and healthcare based on archaic healing methods. The methods of Mari ethnomedicine are aimed, first of all, at maintaining a kind of balance with nature, its natural rhythms and spirituality. This is part of the cultural heritage of the Mari people and allows them to maintain their health. At the same time, it does not contradict modern medicine, but complements it and helps people maintain their health.

This article will discuss the topic of Mari folk medicine and the results of its application from the point of view of modern medicine, using the example of the old Mari massage method. The Old Mari massage method was restored by a scientist and practitioner in the field of archaic methods of therapy, academician of the European Academy of Natural Sciences, Professor Vitaly Golovin. Our study will focus on archaic healing methods that are still used in Mari culture and contribute to the effectiveness of modern medicine. Examples of such methods will be given and how they interact with modern medicine will be described.

Today, when medicine becomes more and more high-tech and scientific, interest in ethnic medicine does not wane. This is due to the fact that people increasingly want to return to natural, time-tested methods of healing. Additionally, some archaic treatments are still used alongside modern medicine. Marie has always believed in the power of natural elements and energy flows that have a positive effect on human health. The desire for harmony with nature became the basis of Mari ethnomedicine. One of the key concepts of Mari ethnomedicine is the belief that diseases arise not only from physical causes, but also from mental imbalance. Therefore, treatment should be comprehensive and aimed not only at eliminating the symptoms of the disease, but also at restoring harmony between body and soul, between the inner and outer world. In Mari ethnomedicine, medicinal mushrooms, herbs, roots and other natural ingredients are widely used to treat various diseases. The Maries believe that each plant has its own unique energy potential and can help restore balance in the body. Interest in this type of alternative medicine is growing every year. Mari ethnic medicine can be an excellent additional help for anyone interested in their health or practicing traditional medicine. In this article we will look at the basic principles and methods of treatment used in Mari folk medicine, and also evaluate their effectiveness and prospects in modern healthcare.

Mari ethnic medicine developed in close interaction with traditional religious and spiritual culture and, above all, was based on the empirical experience of observing processes occurring in nature. In their practical activities, the Mari healers - yuzo, paid special attention to methods of accumulating and managing impersonal psychic energy - yu. Of course, being in constant and close interaction with the forces of nature, the Yuzo still use many methods of treatment and health management to this day. Both contact and non-contact methods. One of the unique methods in Mari ethnic medicine is the “Toshto Mari massage” method, which combines a fairly soft contact method of influence with internal meditative influence. Outwardly, it is very simple, and does not at all resemble a massage, in the usual sense of the word. Speaking very briefly about the essence of the method and its uniqueness, a person receives in a fairly short period the most harmonious psycho-emotional state, physical lightness and a highly resourceful state that lasts quite a long time. The method is scientific and highly repeatable, which has been proven on a fairly large number of students with very different degrees of preparedness. The method is recommended for home family use, and is also adapted for professional use in specialized treatment and health centers as an independent method or in combination with other methods of prevention and recovery.

The author's method of Professor Vitaly Golovin has two qualities: “authenticity” and “universality,” which allows a fairly wide range of people to master and practice it. The main mechanism of action of the Toshto-Mari massage method (Old Mari Massage) consists of selective contact physical impact with short impulses on the human body to correct muscle tone, significantly improve microcirculation of blood and lymph, and normalize metabolic processes and relieve static and dynamic tension of the autonomic nervous system, in order to harmonize psycho-emotional, mental and physical health, using authentic meditative techniques inherent in Mari ethnic medicine.

This type of therapy, as a type of ethnic massage, has been used for quite a long period in traditional Mari medicine, or rather, it has been used from time immemorial. It is popularly known as Old Mari massage. In modern times, there are very few specialists left who fully master this method, and so that this type of massage does not disappear into history, like many other methods, I have come a long way to literally collect all the remaining knowledge bit by bit and fully restore this unique massage.

The initial idea of the Toshto-Mari massage method appeared in the process of long-term observation of how a draft affects human muscle structures. So, for example, when a strong cold wind blows, the body perceives this as a factor of obvious external influence and reacts accordingly. A person involuntarily contracts his muscles, instinctively preventing the cold from penetrating into the body. And when a light wind or a small draft blows, the body does not see the danger and practically does not react to it. Meanwhile, the draft penetrates deep inside and if, due to various circumstances, the microcirculation of blood in the capillary system is disrupted, then after a few hours the person gets muscle spasms. In such cases, they usually say: “there was a draft” and measures have to be taken for treatment. This begs the question: “what is the connection between the action of a draft and massage.” The connection is the most direct. In some cases, for example, with hypertension, oncology and in a number of other cases, traditional classical massage cannot be used, since increased blood flow can complicate the processes occurring in the body. There is a need for massage, for example, to relieve spasms in the shoulder muscles, but massage is contraindicated; in such cases, Toshto Marie massage comes to the rescue. The effect of Toshto-Mari massage extends only locally to the affected area, without increasing blood flow as a whole. With any active massage, the muscles still perceive it as an aggressive factor, even if it is a relaxing massage. Therefore, during ordinary massage actions, the entire body is included in the process. In Toshto-Mari massage, the impact is carried out in short and soft impulses only on the tension zone, so the body as a whole reacts quite inertly to this impact, that is, the “draft principle” is applied. The body does not perceive this as an aggressive factor and therefore the moment of relaxation penetrates quickly and deeply. Thanks to this, the speed of the general blood flow does not change, and locally the microcirculation of blood and lymph improves significantly, this allows you to remove fairly “ossified” old spasms in a short time of 20 – 40 seconds. For comparison, with a regular massage it takes at least half an hour. Toshto-Marie massage is done in contact with the entire surface of one palm, the second palm rests on top of the working hand to slightly dampen the amplitude of the massage impulse.

During this type of massage, high muscle tension - spasm - is removed not by warming up the muscle, but by removing the excess potential of electrical tension in the nerve endings of the parasympathetic nervous system. In this case, active synthesis of the neurotransmitter occurs - acetylcholine, which in turn binds another neurotransmitter - norepinephrine, formed as an internal reaction to stress. In fact, the technology that is used in Toshto Mari massage is the technology of a natural biological self-healing mechanism inherent in biologically living objects. When using Toshto-Mari massage, the basic parameters of homeostasis are restored.

I have been using this type of massage for quite a long time, more than 10 years. During the time I used Tosh-Mari massage, I was convinced of its effectiveness many times. From 2010 to 2022, the Toshto Mari massage method was used in several regions of European Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Cyprus. During this time, about 20,000 people came to our medical center, these are people of different ages, professions, and social status. Among people over 60 years of age, more men (64%) than women (36%) applied. In the category of working people, men and women applied approximately the same number. Among them, men (48%) and women (52%) most often applied at the age of 25-32 years and at the age of 35-52 years. More than 76% of patients were treated with chronic diseases of various origins. Of those who came for treatment, 56% suffered from chronic insomnia. 34% of patients suffered from joint diseases, and 68% of those who sought help from our center had problems with stress. After the examination, all patients were prescribed a period of main treatment - Old Mari massage and then, depending on the pathology and complexity, medicinal herbs were prescribed in the form of herbal infusions for internal and external use, as well as meditative therapy, breathing and physical exercises.

Considering the list of chronic diseases and the results of actual treatment, the following conclusions can be drawn. The Toshto-Mari massage method had a significant beneficial effect on the physical and mental health of patients.

Thanks to this technique, the highest sustainable results were obtained in the following areas:

In neurology - quick and effective relief of painful conditions in various muscle groups, by relieving muscle tension in smooth muscles, ligaments and fascia.

In urology – high-quality care for chronic pathologies, the condition of the prostate gland is significantly improved. In most cases, prostatitis stops bothering you for several years.

In reproductive medicine, most cases of female infertility are treated, while male infertility is less effective.

In gastroenterology, a wide range of diseases of the abdominal organs are very effectively treated.

In pediatrics, childhood neuroses, navel displacement, moodiness, and hyper reactivity are well treated.

In endocrinology - during the practice, consistently positive results were obtained in the treatment of thyroid diseases, type 2 diabetes, normalization of hormonal disorders in the treatment of women's health.

In addition, the use of the method allows you to quickly and effectively relieve chronic fatigue and the consequences of chronic “lack of sleep,” which makes it possible to qualitatively restore a highly resourceful working state. Mental balance is restored. Increases resistance to stress.

The use of the Toshto-Mari massage method in combination with herbal medicine gives consistently lasting results in the treatment of panic attacks. The Toshto Mari massage method increases the body's natural resistance to viruses, increases the body's immune activity, showing amazing results, for example, in the treatment of erysipelas. The swelling goes away in one day, and the redness within the next 7 days.

This technique is quite easy to learn and does not require the practitioner to have any special extraordinary, extrasensory or other supernatural abilities. During the learning process, it is important to follow all the recommendations in full and then the results will not keep you waiting. All my students who completed specialized training at our training center received similar, high-quality results.

The ease of use of this massage method and a wide range of positive effects allow us to recommend it for study and implementation in daily practice for health practitioners as an independent type of treatment or in combination with other methods of prevention and healing. The Old Mari massage method is approved by the European Medical Association for training and use in the European Union.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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