Gua Sha
What Is Gua Sha?
Gua Sha is a healing technique used throughout Asia, not only by Chinese medical practitioners, but also as in-home health care. Gua means to scrape, friction or rub. Sha (pronounced "sah") is the term used to describe congestion of blood at the surface of the body. When friction is applied in repeated even strokes, the sha surface as small red petechiae (red blotches). Within minutes, the petechiae fade into echymotic patches, usually darker red or brownish in color. The sha appear where there is underlying stasis or stagnation. The skin is not actually broken or injured in any way. Rather the patches are caused by the bursting of the capillary beds just beneath the surface of the skin. As there is no break in the skin, there is no scabbing, lingering discomfort or skin sensitivity. The sha disappear totally in two to four days.
When Is Gua Sha Used?
Gua Sha is typically considered for cases of pain, stiffness or discomfort, so long as it is on an area of the body appropriate for the technique. Common areas for use are those that are more fleshy, such as the back, hips, shoulders, arms or legs. Highly bony areas such as knees, elbows, wrists, ankles, hands, and feet are largely impracticable for the technique. (Other therapies are available for treatment in these locations.)
Where a large or generalized area of the body is involved, gua sha is a well chosen strategy. It is enormously effective in speeding healing and relieving the pain from soft tissue injuries, such as muscle strains or tears. Kay's most common clinical successes with gua sha include sciatic pain, back spasms, muscle strains, rotator cuff, and other soft tissue injuries. Gua Sha is also loved by many of her patients for chronically sore neck and shoulder muscles. It's like a massage with longer lasting benefits.
Gua sha also regulates temperature. It can therefore be a good modality to apply in cases of either excess heat or cold. This makes gua sha very effective in the treatment of acute infectious diseases, such as colds and flu, or any other respiratory distress, such as bronchitis. In this case, gua sha is applied to the surface of the upper and middle areas of the back.
Where a large or generalized area of the body is involved, gua sha is a well chosen strategy. It is enormously effective in speeding healing and relieving the pain from soft tissue injuries, such as muscle strains or tears. Kay's most common clinical successes with gua sha include sciatic pain, back spasms, muscle strains, rotator cuff, and other soft tissue injuries. Gua Sha is also loved by many of her patients for chronically sore neck and shoulder muscles. It's like a massage with longer lasting benefits.
Gua sha also regulates temperature. It can therefore be a good modality to apply in cases of either excess heat or cold. This makes gua sha very effective in the treatment of acute infectious diseases, such as colds and flu, or any other respiratory distress, such as bronchitis. In this case, gua sha is applied to the surface of the upper and middle areas of the back.
Why Does Gua Sha Work?
Gua Sha seems like a pretty bizarre thing to do, and it can be odd to explain why your acupuncturist left red marks on your body. The general idea behind gua sha is that it acts as a counter irritation healing technique. By creating a crisis at the skin, we draw the body's healing forces from deeper levels out to the surface. The movement of Qi and blood outward from the interior clears any stagnation along the way. From a Chinese medical perspective, stagnation of Qi and blood create pain and impede healing. When you clear the stagnation, the pain is relieved. This process also helps speed the healing of any injured underlying tissue.
With respect to clearing viral infections, the principle still works around summoning the movement of Qi from the interior to the exterior of the body in combination with the idea of "opening the surface." Diseases like colds and flu are depicted as external invading forces. How sick we get depends on how deeply the invader penetrates our defenses. When we apply gua sha, we arouse the Qi to the outermost part of our bodies and literally push the illness out. Sounds improbable to a Western mind, but it really works, often astonishingly fast!
Kay's Personal Gua Sha Story
"I learned about gua sha several years ago at a seminar from Arya Nielsen. (See the Resources page for more information.) After we listened to her lecture, she gave us a demo and then taught us the technique in small groups. We partnered up to both give and receive gua sha under Arya's supervision. About a week prior to attending the seminar, I had been on vacation in British Columbia, where we had to slowly drive through an area that was still smoldering from an immense forest fire. It was the worst smoke I had ever seen and I breathed it for an hour or more. I came back from vacation sounding like I had a life long Camel unfiltered cigarette addiction. My lungs felt horrible, as they struggled to clear themselves with a nagging cough. About 30 minutes after receiving the gua sha, all at once I coughed up something - well - pretty gross. But it was the last cough and my breathing instantly felt totally clear and free again. Right then, I became a believer in gua sha and its healing properties."