What is Gua Sha Therapy?
Gua Sha therapy is an ancient tradition of Chinese medicine which uses unidirectional stroking with a flat tool resembling a porcelain spoon. In fact, in the video at right, fellow acupuncturist, Abigail Surasky, uses an actual porcelain soup spoon.
This muscle scraping therapy releases damaging elements and promotes circulation of fresh blood to stagnant or diseased areas. In Chinese, “gua” means scraping and “sha” means sand or fever. Gua Sha has been used by Chinese mothers on their sick children for centuries.
This painless process, also called scraping or coining, is akin in sensation to a deep tissue or myofascial massage. Gua Sha, like Chinese cupping, can cause the appearance of bruising lasting from a few hours up to a week. The marks are usually painless or slightly tender but do not cause any injury to the involved tissue. The red marks from Gua Sha are red blood cells entering into surface tissue, a technique used by Chinese Medicine to speed healing and reduce pain in the affected area.
What Conditions Does Gua Sha Treat?
Gua Sha is effective in treating many conditions such as acute and chronic muscular pain such as old back injuries or arthrtis as well as musculo-skeletal trauma such as whiplash. This muscle scraping therapy is also used to treat the common cold, fibromyalgia, nausea, and many other conditions.
Call for a free consultation to discover if gua sha is useful to bring relief and wellness to you.
