Abdominal pain is a common occurrence in daily life, and gua sha is a physical method used in traditional Chinese medicine for disease prevention and treatment. It is simple, convenient, and safe, and can also provide auxiliary treatment for abdominal pain. Let's take a look at the gua sha locations for abdominal pain!
Gua Sha Locations for Abdominal Pain
1. Gua sha locations on the back: Liver Shu, Gallbladder Shu, Spleen Shu, Stomach Shu, San Jiao Shu, Large Intestine Shu.
2. Gua sha locations on the abdomen: Zhong Wan, Tian Shu, Guan Yuan.
3. Gua sha locations on both lower limbs: Liang Qiu, Zu San Li.
2. Gua Sha Techniques
1. Apply a small amount of gua sha oil to the area, starting from the Liver Shu point and moving down to the Large Intestine Shu point. Focus on enhancing the gua sha on the Stomach Shu and Large Intestine Shu points.
2. Gua sha the abdominal acupoints in the direction of the arrows, and also stimulate the surrounding acupoints by pressing and rubbing.
3. Finally, use the rounded corner of the gua sha board to press or scrape the Liang Qiu and Zu San Li points.
Gua sha each of the above locations around 30 times, or until gua sha marks appear.
3. Indications
Relief of abdominal pain.
Note: Gua sha can only be used as a temporary emergency measure to alleviate abdominal pain, but it cannot be used as a treatment for organic abdominal pain (damage to abdominal organs). It is necessary to promptly visit a regular hospital for a clear diagnosis and combine gua sha with other treatments to achieve good results.
In addition, gua sha is generally not suitable during acute episodes of abdominal pain.
Gua Sha Mark Locations on the Back
1. Gua sha mark on the cervical vertebrae: Occurs in cases of stiff neck, pharyngitis, and cervical spine disorders.
2. Gua sha mark on Da Zhui: Indicates poor overall blood circulation.
3. Gua sha mark on the spine: Indicates poor sleep quality.
4. Gua sha mark on the right shoulder and neck: Indicates excessive fatigue.
5. Gua sha mark on the left shoulder and neck: Indicates excessive mental exertion.
6. Gua sha mark on the left Tian Cong: Indicates gallbladder disorders and sticky bile.
7. Gua sha mark on the right Tian Cong: Indicates endocrine disorders, gynecological diseases, and mild blockages in the meridians.
8. Purple or red gua sha mark in the shoulder area: Indicates shoulder periarthritis.
9. Gua sha mark in the shoulder gap: Indicates poor lymphatic drainage.
10. Gua sha mark in the back heart and lung area: Indicates chest tightness, improved chest congestion, and weak heart and lung function.
11. Gua sha mark in the liver wood area: Indicates long-term fatigue, lack of sleep, and may lead to liver cirrhosis.
12. Gua sha mark in the spleen and stomach area: Indicates indigestion, gastrointestinal bloating, excess stomach acid, and lower back pain.
13. Gua sha mark in the kidney water area: Indicates cystitis, strong taste preference, lower back pain, and edema.
14. Gua sha mark in the buttock area: Indicates menstrual disorders, weak uterine function, dysmenorrhea, gynecological diseases, menopausal disorders, and sciatica.
15. Gua sha mark in the scapula hand and foot area: Indicates numbness in the hands and feet, knee pain, poor ovarian function, and limb swelling.
Are Gua Sha Marks Good or Bad?
The appearance of gua sha marks cannot be simply categorized as good or bad.
In general, individuals with good health will have fewer and more evenly distributed gua sha marks, which are mostly red in color. The gua sha marks are usually found on the head, face, back, and outer sides of the limbs, while the chest, abdomen, and inner sides of the limbs are less likely to develop gua sha marks. If gua sha marks appear in these areas, it suggests that the technique was too forceful. Chronic patients often have purple marks or blisters, while acute patients may have pinhead-sized marks covering a large area. If there are blood spots or blisters, it indicates a more serious condition.
The gua sha marks can be used to assess health conditions: Gua sha marks are more likely to appear in the meridian lines and acupoints, indicating related internal organ dysfunction. For example, if gua sha is applied evenly along the bladder meridian on the back and purple marks or gua sha spots appear in the Heart Shu area, it indicates changes in heart function and preventive measures should be taken.
However, it is not true that the more gua sha marks, the better. The number of gua sha marks is influenced by various factors. In general, blood stasis conditions result in more gua sha marks, while conditions of excess heat also result in more gua sha marks. Conditions of deficiency and cold result in fewer gua sha marks. Individuals who take excessive medication, especially hormones, are less likely to develop gua sha marks. Overweight individuals or those with well-developed muscles also have fewer gua sha marks. Gua sha marks are less noticeable in low room temperatures. Therefore, if one blindly pursues gua sha marks and applies excessive force or extends the gua sha time, it may harm the body.
Does Gua Sha or Cupping Work Better for Severe Dampness and Heat?
Both gua sha and cupping do not have significant damp-eliminating effects. If there has to be a comparison, cupping is slightly better because it can remove some of the body's water vapor during the process.
The main cause of severe dampness and heat is spleen and stomach imbalance. When the digestive function of the spleen and stomach is disrupted, there will be obstacles in the body's water metabolism, leading to the accumulation of water dampness. For patients with severe dampness and heat, it is necessary to determine the type of dampness and use damp-eliminating medications or foods to alleviate superficial symptoms. Since the fundamental cause of severe dampness is insufficient spleen and stomach transformation function, after dampness elimination, it is necessary to adjust the spleen and stomach to fundamentally improve the constitution.
Precautions for Gua Sha Therapy
1. Precautions before Gua Sha
1. Gua sha therapy requires exposed skin, and the sweat pores will be open during the process. If exposed to wind or cold, external pathogenic factors may enter through the open pores, affecting the efficacy of gua sha and even causing new diseases. Therefore, it is important to choose a good treatment location with fresh air circulation and pay attention to keeping warm. Try to minimize skin exposure.
2. Choose a comfortable position for gua sha to facilitate scraping and prevent dizziness.
3. Strictly disinfect gua sha tools to prevent cross-infection. Carefully inspect the gua sha tools before scraping to avoid skin injuries.
4. The practitioner's hands should also be disinfected.
Before performing gua sha, explain the general knowledge of gua sha to the patient, eliminate their fear, and gain their cooperation to avoid dizziness.
6. Gua sha therapy should not be performed on patients who are overly hungry, full, or excessively tense.
2. Precautions during Gua Sha
1. The scraping technique should be evenly applied with appropriate force, based on the patient's tolerance level, until gua sha marks appear.
2. For infants, young children, and elderly patients, the scraping technique should be gentler.
3. Avoid pursuing excessive gua sha marks through excessive force or prolonged scraping time. The number of gua sha marks is influenced by various factors. In general, blood stasis conditions result in more gua sha marks, while excess heat conditions also result in more gua sha marks. Conditions of deficiency and cold result in fewer gua sha marks. Individuals who take excessive medication, especially hormones, are less likely to develop gua sha marks. Overweight individuals or those with well-developed muscles also have fewer gua sha marks. Yin meridians are less likely to develop gua sha marks compared to yang meridians. Gua sha marks are less noticeable in low room temperatures. Therefore, blindly pursuing gua sha marks and applying excessive force or extending the gua sha time will only harm the body.
4. During the scraping process, frequently inquire about the patient's sensations. If dizziness occurs, such as fatigue, dizziness, pale complexion, nausea, cold sweat, palpitations, cold limbs, or low blood pressure leading to loss of consciousness, stop gua sha immediately. Comfort the patient and help them lie down, keep them warm, and provide warm water or sweetened water. If symptoms persist, use the rounded corner of the gua sha board to press the water groove points with light force, to avoid swelling after applying too much pressure. Apply gua sha using the purgative technique to the Bai Hui and Yong Quan points. After the patient's condition improves, continue gua sha on the Nei Guan and Zu San Li points.
3. Precautions after Gua Sha
1. Gua sha treatment opens the sweat pores, expels external pathogenic factors, and consumes a portion of the body's fluid. Therefore, after gua sha treatment, the patient should drink a cup of warm water and rest for a while.
2. After gua sha treatment, to avoid the invasion of wind and cold, the skin pores should be allowed to close and return to their original state before taking a bath, which usually takes about 3 hours.
3. For patients with complex and critical conditions, gua sha treatment should be combined with other therapies, such as medication, to avoid delaying treatment.
Who Should Avoid Gua Sha Therapy
1. Individuals with bleeding tendencies should avoid or use caution with gua sha therapy. Conditions such as thrombocytopenia, allergic purpura, leukemia, etc., are not suitable for purgative gua sha therapy and should instead use tonifying gua sha therapy or balanced gua sha therapy.
2. For critical conditions, such as acute infectious diseases and severe heart diseases, immediate hospitalization for observation and treatment is necessary. If no other options are available, gua sha therapy can be temporarily used for emergency treatment to buy time and opportunities for further treatment.
3. Newly occurring fractures should not be gua sha treated and should only receive gua sha treatment after the fractures heal. Gua sha should also be avoided on surgical scars for at least two months. Gua sha treatment on scar sites after surgical treatment for malignant tumors should be done with caution.
4. Infectious skin diseases, such as abscesses, boils, scars, ulcers, sexually transmitted skin diseases, and lumps of unknown origin on the skin, should not be directly scraped.
5. Gua sha on the lower abdomen is not suitable for elderly individuals, individuals on an empty stomach, and women during menstruation. Gua sha on the face of women should be done with a gentler technique and using tonifying gua sha therapy.
6. Individuals who are afraid of or allergic to gua sha therapy should avoid it.
7. Pregnant women and women during menstruation should avoid gua sha therapy on the lower abdomen and acupoints such as San Yin Jiao, He Gu, and Zu San Li. The scraping technique should be lighter and use tonifying gua sha therapy.
