Gua Sha
A natural therapy in which Chinese medicine practitioners apply a tool to scrape a patients skin along selected meridians or muscles. Practitioners will use a tool to apply pressure and scrape over lubricated skin to alleviate pain or relieve tension. The unidirectional scraping and scratching of skin causes light bruising that often appears as purple or red spots, these are are known as petechiae or Sha. The “Sha-blemishes” can look frightful but they are mostly painless.
The tool used can be a smooth-edged plague made of Bian stone, jade, rose quartz, bull-horn, amber or medical grade stainless steel. Dr Eddie often combines cupping with Gua sha which can help resolve back pain, neck and shoulder pain, tendon strain, carpal tunnel syndrome, common cold and flu, asthma, migraine, perimenopause syndrome, anxiety, and any chronic disorder involving congestion of Qi and Blood.
What to expect
Besides improving overall health and radiance of the skin, Gua sha also has multiple benefits which include:
- Promotes lymphatic drainage
- Reduces puffiness and fluid buildup
- Relieves facial and jaw tension
- Aids in circulation to give skin a glow
- Firms and lifts the face over time
Gua sha is intended to address stagnant energy, called chi, in the body that practitioners believe may be responsible for inflammation. Inflammation is the underlying cause of several conditions associated with chronic pain. Rubbing the skin’s surface is to help break up this energy, reduce inflammation, and promote healing.