Guasha is a commonly used method in traditional Chinese medicine for disease prevention and treatment. It is simple and safe to perform, and has become popular among many people. But why does guasha sometimes cause diarrhea?
Why Does Guasha Cause Diarrhea?
1. Stimulation of gastrointestinal meridians and acupoints
Diarrhea after guasha may be caused by the stimulation of gastrointestinal meridians and acupoints.
Guasha therapy involves using a guasha board to scrape along specific meridians and acupoints on the body according to certain rules. By stimulating the meridians and acupoints, guasha can prevent and treat diseases. Guasha has a bidirectional regulatory effect, as it can tonify qi and blood in people with deficient constitution, and expel external pathogens in people with excessive constitution. Different acupoints and techniques are used for different parts of the body, leading to different effects.
Therefore, if guasha is performed by someone who is not familiar with meridians and acupoints, and if the technique is incorrect, it may stimulate the acupoints of the intestines and accelerate gastrointestinal peristalsis, leading to diarrhea.
2. Existing gastrointestinal diseases
Some people may experience diarrhea after guasha, but it may not be directly related to guasha. It could be due to pre-existing conditions such as enteritis, indigestion, gastrointestinal flu, or heat stroke.
3. Exposure to cold during guasha
People with weak constitution who expose their abdomen to cold during guasha are more prone to experiencing diarrhea afterwards.
Since guasha requires the removal of clothing, it is easy to feel cold. Therefore, it is important to close doors and windows, avoid cold drafts, or place a towel on the abdomen for warmth during guasha.
What to Do for Abdominal Pain After Guasha
1. Bed rest
If the abdominal pain after guasha is mild, it is recommended to rest in bed to restore energy and physical strength. During this time, it is important to keep the abdomen warm and avoid staying in noisy environments.
2. Drink hot water
If the abdominal pain after guasha is mild, drinking plenty of hot water is recommended. Avoid cold drinks and foods like ice water and ice cream, as they can stimulate the intestines and worsen abdominal pain. Hot water can reduce the cold stimulus to the gastrointestinal tract, relieve gastrointestinal spasms, and alleviate abdominal pain. Additionally, if there is frequent abdominal pain and diarrhea, adding some salt to the water can help replenish electrolytes and prevent dehydration.
3. Apply heat to the abdomen
To relieve abdominal pain after guasha, applying heat can be helpful.
Abdominal pain after guasha is often caused by cold stimulation leading to gastrointestinal spasms. In such cases, applying heat to the abdomen can effectively relieve gastrointestinal spasms and alleviate abdominal pain. This can be done by using a simple electric heating pad or a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel placed on the abdomen. This simple method can provide comfort and is easy to implement.
4. Pay attention to diet
After experiencing abdominal pain after guasha, it is important to pay attention to diet. Avoid consuming cold and raw foods such as ice soda, cold drinks, and ice cream. Also, avoid spicy, greasy, fried, and heavy foods as much as possible. Instead, opt for light and easily digestible foods such as congee and noodles. This can help make the gastrointestinal tract more comfortable and alleviate abdominal pain.
5. Eat steamed apples to stop diarrhea
If you experience abdominal pain and even diarrhea after guasha, you can steam apples and consume them. Steamed apples have a certain astringent and anti-diarrheal effect.
6. Seek medical treatment for severe cases
If the abdominal pain after guasha is severe and does not improve, it is important to seek timely medical attention. Under the guidance of a doctor, appropriate medication can be taken to relieve the symptoms. Additionally, if it is a condition such as gastroenteritis, intravenous therapy may be required.
Where to Perform Guasha for Diarrhea
I. Guasha sites
1. For chronic diarrhea, the Zhongwan acupoint on the Ren meridian can be selected. Zhongwan is the meeting point of the stomach meridian and is used to treat various digestive system diseases.
2. The Shenshu, Pishu, and Dachangshu acupoints on the Bladder meridian of the Foot-Taiyang can be selected. Shenshu tonifies the kidney yang, while the latter two regulate the spleen and stomach and tonify the middle and benefit qi.
3. The Tianshu and Zusanli acupoints on the Stomach meridian of the Foot-Yangming can be selected to invigorate the middle and stop diarrhea.
II. Guasha techniques
1. Abdominal guasha
Scrape from the xiphoid process along the midline of the abdomen to the area around the navel, with a focus on scraping the Zhongwan and Tianshu acupoints.
2. Lumbar and back guasha
Scrape along the Bladder meridian of the Foot-Taiyang, scraping down both sides of the spine from top to bottom, with a focus on strengthening the scraping of the Pishu, Shenshu, and Dachangshu acupoints.
3. Outer side of the lower leg
Scrape along the Stomach meridian of the Foot-Yangming, scraping from the outer knee down, with a focus on scraping the Zusanli acupoint.
Contraindications of Guasha Therapy
Although guasha therapy can be used to treat various conditions, it also has precautions and contraindications.
1. It should not be used or used with caution in diseases with a tendency to bleed, such as thrombocytopenic disorders, allergic purpura, leukemia, etc. For such cases, tonifying or balanced tonifying and purging techniques should be used instead of purging techniques.
2. For critically ill conditions, such as acute infectious diseases and severe heart disease, immediate hospitalization for observation and treatment is necessary. If there are no other options, guasha can be used temporarily to provide emergency relief and buy time for further treatment.
3. Newly fractured areas should not be guasha-treated until the fractures have healed. Guasha treatment should also be avoided on surgical scars for at least two months. Guasha should be used with caution on scarred areas in patients with malignant tumors.
4. Infectious skin diseases, such as abscesses, furuncles, scars, ulcers, sexually transmitted skin diseases, and unexplained lumps on the skin, should not be directly scraped.
5. The lower abdomen of elderly and weak individuals, fasting individuals, and women during menstruation should not be extensively purged during guasha. Facial guasha in women should be done with lighter techniques.
6. Guasha should not be performed on individuals who have fear or allergies to guasha.
7. Pregnant women and women during menstruation should avoid guasha on the lower abdomen and acupoints such as Sanyinjiao, Hegu, and Zusanli. Additionally, the scraping technique should be gentle and tonifying.
Precautions for Guasha Therapy
I. Precautions before guasha
1. Guasha therapy requires exposed skin and open sweat pores. If exposed to cold wind, the pathogenic cold can directly enter through the open pores, affecting the effectiveness of guasha and potentially causing new diseases. Therefore, it is important to choose a good treatment location with good air circulation and avoid wind. Minimize the exposure of the skin.
2. Choose a comfortable position for guasha to facilitate scraping and prevent dizziness.
3. The guasha tool must be thoroughly disinfected to prevent cross-infection. Before guasha, carefully inspect the guasha tool to avoid scraping the skin.
4. The hands of the practitioner should also be disinfected.
5. Properly explain guasha to the patient before scraping to eliminate fear and gain their cooperation, to avoid dizziness during the procedure.
6. Avoid performing guasha on patients who are excessively hungry, full, or highly anxious.
II. Precautions during guasha
1. The scraping technique should be firm and even, applying enough pressure that can be tolerated until petechiae appear.
2. For infants, young children, and the elderly, the scraping technique should be lighter.
3. Do not excessively pursue the appearance of petechiae by using excessive force or extending the scraping time. The amount of petechiae is influenced by various factors. Generally, blood stasis conditions produce more petechiae. Excess and heat conditions produce more petechiae. Deficiency and cold conditions produce fewer petechiae. People who take a lot of medication, especially steroids, may not produce petechiae easily. Obese individuals and those with well-developed muscles may not produce petechiae easily. Yin meridians produce fewer petechiae compared to yang meridians. It is more difficult to produce petechiae in a low-temperature environment.
4. During scraping, frequently inquire about the patient's feelings. If dizziness occurs, such as fatigue, dizziness, pale complexion, nausea, cold sweats, palpitations, cold extremities, or decreased blood pressure leading to drowsiness, scraping should be immediately stopped. Comfort the patient, help them lie flat, keep them warm, and provide warm or sweetened water. If the symptoms persist, lightly press the Water Ditch acupoint with the corner of the guasha board, avoiding swelling after pressing. For Baihui and Yongquan acupoints, use purging techniques. After the patient's condition improves, continue scraping the Neiguan acupoint and Zusanli acupoint.
III. Precautions after guasha
1. Guasha treatment opens sweat pores and eliminates pathogenic factors, which also consumes a portion of the body's fluid. Therefore, after guasha, the patient should drink a cup of warm water and rest for a while.
2. After guasha treatment, in order to prevent the invasion of wind and cold, the skin pores must be closed and return to their original state before bathing. This usually takes about 3 hours.
3. For some complex and critically ill patients, guasha treatment should be combined with other therapies, such as medication, to avoid delaying treatment.
