During the lactation period, mothers need to be very careful to avoid doing anything that may affect milk production. So, does scraping therapy during lactation cause a decrease in milk supply?
Does Scraping Therapy During Lactation Cause a Decrease in Milk Supply?
Scraping therapy during lactation usually does not cause a decrease in milk supply, as long as it is not directly applied on or around the breasts.
Milk supply is usually related to factors such as emotional state, breast diseases, and the frequency of baby's suckling. In addition, consuming excessively acidic, cold, or spicy foods may also result in a decrease in milk supply. As long as scraping therapy does not cause any harm to the breasts and is performed correctly, it will not cause a decrease in milk supply during lactation.
When Can Scraping Therapy Begin After Delivery?
It depends on the recovery time.
Scraping therapy involves stimulating specific acupoints on the body using a scraping tool. It requires a certain amount of pressure and different body positions. Therefore, scraping therapy can only begin after the wounds on the mother's body have completely healed.
If it was a vaginal delivery, scraping therapy can usually begin after 1 month postpartum. However, if it was a cesarean section, it may be necessary to wait for 2-3 months after the wound has been examined and confirmed to be completely healed before starting scraping therapy.
Precautions for Scraping Therapy During Lactation
1. Avoid frequent scraping
Due to the physical exhaustion caused by childbirth, breastfeeding, and taking care of the baby, lactating mothers should avoid frequent scraping. Frequent scraping may cause dizziness, cold limbs, and cold hands and feet. Scraping therapy can deplete the body's vitality, and excessive scraping can lead to further weakness of the body's Qi, which is not beneficial to overall health.
2. Pay attention to wind protection and keep warm
During scraping therapy, it is important to avoid wind and keep warm. When the room temperature is low, it is advisable to minimize exposed areas. During hot summers, scraping therapy should not be performed near fans or in drafts. Scraping therapy opens up the skin pores and increases sweating. If exposed to wind and cold, external pathogenic factors may enter through the open pores, which can not only affect the effectiveness of scraping therapy but also lead to new illnesses.
3. Drink hot water after scraping
Scraping therapy promotes sweating and the expulsion of pathogenic factors. It also consumes some of the body's fluid. After scraping therapy, it is recommended to drink a cup of hot water. This not only replenishes the lost fluids but also promotes metabolism and the elimination of waste products.
4. Pay attention to the duration of scraping
The scraping time for each area should be 3-5 minutes, while the scraping time using a tonifying technique should be 5-10 minutes. Generally, 3-5 areas should be selected for scraping. For patients who do not show any sha (redness), the appearance of sha dots or purple spots on the skin is sufficient, and it is not necessary to forcefully induce sha.
5. Pay attention to bathing time
After scraping therapy, to avoid being affected by wind and cold, the skin pores should be allowed to close and return to their original state before taking a bath. This usually takes about 3 hours.
What Are the Therapeutic Effects of Scraping Therapy?
1. Regulating yin and yang
Yin and yang are the fundamental concepts in traditional Chinese medicine. In a normal state, the human body maintains a relative balance between yin and yang. When this balance is disrupted due to factors such as emotions or injuries, pathological changes occur, leading to symptoms such as excessive heat when yang dominates or excessive cold when yin dominates. The key to scraping therapy lies in adjusting the excessive yin or yang imbalance according to the nature of the condition, restoring the relative balance of yin and yang, and restoring normal physiological functions to achieve the goal of curing diseases.
Scraping therapy has a two-way beneficial adjustment effect on yin and yang. This is achieved through scraping techniques and the selection of acupoints. For example, if the disease is located in the meridians or the superficial tissues, light scraping is appropriate; if the disease is located in the organs or the tendons and bones, heavy scraping is recommended. For patients with unstable blood pressure, scraping the trunk and limbs acupoints can increase low blood pressure and decrease high blood pressure.
2. Activating blood circulation and dispersing blood stasis
Scraping therapy has the effect of activating blood circulation and dispersing blood stasis. When muscles, tendons, or bones are injured, local blood stasis occurs, which hinders the circulation of qi and blood in the meridians. If the blood stasis is not eliminated, the pain will persist. Scraping therapy can eliminate blood stasis, promote the generation of fresh blood, and restore the smooth flow of meridians, thereby achieving the goal of pain relief.
3. Clearing heat and reducing swelling
In traditional Chinese medicine, there is a treatment principle that states "heat causes diseases." When treating heat-related diseases, heat-clearing methods are used. By stimulating the acupoints through scraping therapy, heat pathogens can be expelled, achieving the effect of clearing heat. This allows internal heat pathogens to be expelled to the surface of the body and eventually eliminated, clearing away stasis, swelling, and toxins.
4. Expelling phlegm, relieving spasms, and dispersing masses
Scraping therapy can relieve spasms and disperse masses caused by phlegm dampness. By promoting the unobstructed flow of the pores, phlegm heat and purulent toxins can be expelled, resulting in significant antispasmodic and mass-dispersing effects.
5. Supporting the body's vitality and expelling pathogenic factors
By scraping the corresponding acupoints on the skin, the skin will show redness and congestion, indicating the opening and unblocking of the pores. This allows various pathogenic factors such as wind, cold, phlegm, dampness, blood stasis, heat, and toxins to be expelled from the skin and reach the surface, unblocking the meridians.
In addition, when the body's vitality is weak, external pathogenic factors are more likely to invade. By scraping the relevant acupoints using tonifying techniques, the weakened organ functions can be enhanced, enabling the body to resist external pathogens and return to a normal state.
What Are the Contraindications for Scraping Therapy?
Although scraping therapy can be used to treat various conditions, it also has contraindications.
1. Patients with bleeding tendencies should not use or should use scraping therapy with caution. This includes conditions such as thrombocytopenia, allergic purpura, and leukemia. Instead of using purgative techniques, tonifying techniques or techniques with balanced purgation should be used.
2. For critically ill patients, such as those with acute infectious diseases or severe heart diseases, immediate hospitalization for observation and treatment is necessary. If no other options are available, scraping therapy can be temporarily used for emergency relief to buy time and treatment opportunities.
3. Newly occurred fractures should not be scraped until they have healed. Scraping therapy should also be avoided on surgical scars until at least two months after the surgery. Care should be taken when scraping scars of cancer patients after surgery.
4. Infectious skin diseases, such as furuncles, carbuncles, scars, ulcers, sexually transmitted skin diseases, and unknown skin lumps should not be directly scraped.
5. Elderly and weak individuals, fasting individuals, and women during menstruation should avoid extensive purgative scraping on the abdomen and the lower abdomen, as well as on acupoints such as Sanyinjiao, Hegu, and Zusanli on the face.
6. Individuals who are afraid of or allergic to scraping therapy should not use this therapy.
7. Pregnant and menstruating women should not have scraping therapy on the lower abdomen or on acupoints such as Sanyinjiao, Hegu, and Zusanli. Additionally, scraping techniques should be gentle and tonifying techniques should be used.
