Feeling tired, mentally fatigued, and irritable may all be symptoms of excessive dampness in the body. Scraping therapy, known as Gua Sha, is a traditional Chinese medical treatment. So, does scraping therapy work for excessive dampness?
Does Scraping Therapy Work for Excessive Dampness?
Scraping therapy has a certain effect on excessive dampness.
Scraping therapy is guided by the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine. It involves using specialized tools to scrape the skin and induce "Sha" (a reddish, raised skin reaction). According to traditional Chinese medicine, excessive dampness is caused by the stagnation of cold or hot dampness in the meridians. Scraping therapy on the spleen and bladder meridian acupoints can invigorate yang energy and eliminate damp pathogenic factors.
Benefits of Scraping Therapy for Excessive Dampness
1. Elimination of damp pathogenic factors: Scraping therapy can effectively eliminate damp pathogenic factors and alleviate symptoms of excessive dampness.
2. Safety and reliability: Scraping therapy is performed on the surface of the skin and is lubricated with scraping oil, helping to expel dampness. Compared to other treatment methods such as medication, it is safe and convenient.
3. Promotion of metabolism: During the process of scraping therapy for excessive dampness, patients can also benefit from improved skin metabolism. This can lead to smaller pores, reduced wrinkles, and a delay in the aging process.
4. Adjustment of overall body function: Scraping therapy can also have systemic effects on certain acupoints, in addition to expelling dampness. This can be beneficial for adjusting overall body function.
Where to Perform Scraping Therapy for Excessive Dampness
Spleen meridian
For individuals with excessive dampness, focusing on scraping the spleen meridian of the foot may be beneficial. The spleen meridian is responsible for digestion and transformation, helping to eliminate internal dampness. Scraping the spleen meridian not only removes dampness but also alleviates symptoms such as abdominal distension, loose stools, weakness, and edema.
Bladder meridian
Scraping the bladder meridian of the foot also has the effect of expelling dampness, but sensitive or thin-skinned areas should be avoided. In addition to removing dampness and alleviating symptoms of excessive dampness, scraping the bladder meridian can also serve as an adjuvant therapy for symptoms such as fever, headache, eye pain, lower back pain, abdominal fullness, and difficulty urinating.
Precautions for Scraping Therapy for Excessive Dampness
1. Pay attention to the use of scraping tools. Hold the thicker side of the scraping tool with your hand, and use the thinner side for scraping therapy. For children or individuals with a weak physique, the thicker side should be used for scraping therapy.
2. When scraping, it is important to scrape in a single downward direction. Do not scrape in an upward direction. Each scraping motion should be in a downward direction.
3. Do not scrape every day. It is necessary to wait until the marks from the previous scraping session have completely faded before proceeding with the next scraping therapy session.
4. After scraping therapy, it is important to drink a cup of hot water to enhance the effect of expelling dampness and detoxification.
Scraping Therapy Alone Is Not Enough to Completely Eliminate Dampness
Although scraping therapy has a certain effect in relieving symptoms of excessive dampness, it is not the primary method for eliminating dampness. The essence of "dampness" in traditional Chinese medicine is water, and excessive dampness is mainly expelled through urine, feces, and sweat. Scraping therapy has limited effect in expelling dampness, so the main treatment for eliminating dampness relies on internal treatment rather than external treatment.
For individuals with excessive dampness, the first step is to identify the type of dampness and use appropriate medications or ingredients to relieve surface symptoms. Since the root cause of excessive dampness lies in the insufficient function of the spleen and stomach, after expelling dampness, it is necessary to regulate the spleen and stomach to fundamentally improve the constitution.
