WHAT IS GUA SHA ?
BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO GUA SHA THERAPY
With ancient origins and extensive development, gua sha therapy has been practiced consistently for thousands of years. ” Gua” means to scrape or rub, while “sha” is a reddish, elevated patch of skin. Sha is the term used to describe blood in the subcutaneous tissue that raises into a small red bump during gua sha therapy. It works well for seasonal disease in summer or autumn such as sunstrole, external contraction, and gastrointestinal disorders.
The records of using gua sha in treatment of sunstroke with Ramie (Boehmeria Nivea Gaud) can be traced back to the flourishing Tang dynasty in China. Some scholars believe that Gua sha derives from Tuina manipulations. “The Tuina manipulations for Raising and Protecting Children” by Xia Yun-ji in the Qing dynasty states that ,”gua means applying a slightly heavier pressure with the physicians’ fingers to the child’s skin.
The records of the use of gua sha therapy are also available from the Yuan and Ming dynasties, referred to as summer therapy. After this time, the records of gua sha are preserved throughout the dynasties. For example, a systemic monograph on Gua sha therapy called the ” Guide to the Differential Diagnosis and Treatment of Exanthema and Filthy Diseases” ,by guo Zhi-sui in the Qing dynasty, records that ” Gua Sha Therapy involves the layering of sesame oil on the skin and scraping the neck and back along the spine or chest area, bilateral hypochondriac area, shoulders, and arms with a copper coins; and the “Rhymed Discourses on External Therapy” by Wu Shang-Xian in the Qing dynasty, records that, ” For abdominal pain due to yang Sha, a miraculous treatment method is to scrape the back with a porcelain spoon dipped in sesame oil, since the back-Shu points connect with all the five-zang organs. Scraping these points can remove pathogenic qi and thus benifit the patients”.
The advantages of gua sha include simple tools, easy operation, low cost, extensive indications and efficacy for prevention and treatment. For these reasons, Gua sha therapy has been practiced for thousands of years as a key part of of TCM and other therapies. It has become especiaslly popular among medical workers and the general public in recent years, partly as this age-enduring natural therapy adheres to the call for biomedicine to return to nature.
Gua sha is one of the external therapies of traditional Chinese medicine. It’s definition is both broad and far reaching,and detailed. It is mainly indicated for disorders of ” Sha symptoms”. The broader use of Gua sha includes scraping, twisting, pricking, blood-letting, and tendon relaxations, however, it is often used to refer to scraping alone: exertion of physical stimulations to specific body parts by scraping, squeezing, grasping, pinching and pricking with smooth, hard tools, fingers or metal needles. This causes spots,patches or punctuate bleeding on the body surface. Gua sha therapy maybe combined with a single recipe or common herbal formula to stimulate the cutaneous region and coolaterals in order to activate internal organs through the meridian system. The result of Gua sha therapy is to improve the qi flow and blood circulation,balance yin and yang, strengthen the anti-pathogenic qi, remove pathogenic factors, discharge or drain stagnant toxins, clear heat, open the orifices, and refresh the mind.
The indications of Gua sha therapy are generalized as Sha syndrome. TCM asserts that Sha sysdrome occurs as as a result of internal obstruction of yang-qi from a decrease in the body’s anti-pathogenic qi, coupled with external contraction of wind,dampness, and fire. It mainly manifests as acute conditions in summer and autumn, but may be present in other seasons. Sha syndrome is clinically characterized by Sha Spots (exanthema), occurring immediately after treatment, purple, red and sand granule-sized petechia, or soreness and distension either local or generalized. It may involve a variety of clinical subspecialties such as internal medicine, external medicine, gynecology, pediatrics and ophthalmology & otorhinolaryngology. Mild conditions may affect the patients’ health, life, and work, whereas a severe condition may cause chest tightness, vexations, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, cyanosis of lips, or even life-threatening fainting. There is Chinese saying that “distension always accompanies Sha syndrome”. This is seen in clinic as patients with Sha sysdrome always present with symptoms such as dizziness, head distension, chest oppression and distension, abdominal distension and pain, and general soreness or distension. Examples of this include “summer-heat Sha” or “muscle spasm Sha ” due to sunstroke; “cramp in cholera morbus” involving calf cramp due to vomiting and diarrhea; “inverted menstruation” involving hematemesis, nosebleed, restlessness, and insomnia due to amenorrhea; infantile “eruptive ascarides” characterized by intestinal parasitosis and abdominal pain or distension; and “eruptive lumbago” characterized by lumbar soreness, pain, and weakness of the lower legs.
Gua sha therapy is a special physical therapy. the Gua sha practitioner exerts force on specific body parts or points with tools or hand manipulation to treat disorders and strengthen the body. Biomedical studies show that Gua sha therapy can directly stimulate subcutaneous peripheral nerves, improve local circulation of blood and lymph fluid, speed up the metabolism, promote nutritional supply, regulate immune function through the nerve-endocrine-immunoregulation network and facilitate the body’s defensive abilities. This, thereby, improves the pathological state and suppresses the pathological process. Gua sha,therefore, constitutes an important part of the study and applications of Chinese medicine.