Principle of Gua Sha
Gua Sha is based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, focusing on the twelve meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians. By stimulating the meridians, it can cause local skin redness and congestion, thus providing the effects of awakening the mind, detoxification, dispelling evil, clearing heat, promoting qi circulation, relieving pain, and strengthening the spleen and stomach.
Areas for Gua Sha
There are many areas of the body where Gua Sha can be performed. Common areas include the seventh cervical vertebra in all directions, the sides of the larynx, the bends of the arms and legs, the sides of the spine, the spaces between the front and back ribs, the Achilles tendon behind the inner and outer ankles, the liver and spleen areas under the ribcage, and the upper and lower areas of the shoulder blades. The back should be in a prone position, while the shoulders should be in a sitting position. After Gua Sha, there may be purple-blue bleeding spots.
Tools for Gua Sha
Gua Sha is usually performed with a specially designed scraping board made of water buffalo horn. The shape of the board is rectangular with blunt and rounded edges.
Indications for Gua Sha
Common conditions that can be treated with Gua Sha include colds, fever, heat stroke, headache, gastrointestinal disorders, stiff neck, frozen shoulder, muscle strain, muscle spasms, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Process of Gua Sha
First, clean the area to be treated, then apply Gua Sha oil or massage oil to the edge of the scraping board. Scrape the area in one direction, avoiding back and forth scraping. Apply even and appropriate pressure, without being too light or too heavy. If there are indications of sha (redness), scrape the bends of both arms about a dozen times to produce dark purple stripes. For the mentioned areas, it is generally recommended to perform around 20 scrapes per area. If the patient has a headache or sore throat, they should be in a sitting position. If they feel dizzy, have blurred vision, or experience chest or abdominal pain, they should be in a supine position. If there is pain in the shoulders, back, waist, or sacrum, they should be in a prone position. After scraping the recommended areas, the patient will usually feel immediate relief. They can rest for a few minutes, then scrape the spaces between the front and back ribs, the upper and lower areas of the shoulder blades, or the upper and lower areas of the neck, about ten times per area. Finally, the patient can drink ginger water or plain water, and they will feel exceptionally comfortable.
Precautions for Gua Sha
1. Keep the room warm during Gua Sha treatment, especially in winter, to avoid cold and draft. In summer, avoid direct exposure to the fan on the scraped areas.
2. Avoid taking a cold shower within 30 minutes after Gua Sha.
3. Do not perform Gua Sha on the same area until the sha marks from the previous session have faded. The interval between sessions should be 3-6 days, based on the disappearance of the sha marks on the skin.
4. It is recommended to drink a cup of warm water (preferably with a pinch of salt and sugar) and rest for 15-20 minutes after Gua Sha.
