How to use gua sha
‘Gua sha’ translates as follows: ‘gua’ means ‘scraping’ and ‘sha’ means rash-like expression and the ‘sha’ syndrome.
There are actually three methods that can bring the ‘sha’ rash to the surface and elicit natural healing in the body— gua sha (scraping), pak sha (slapping), & tsien sha (pinching). The result of these three methods is what brings about the healing, but the way you get there can be done so easily from home, with or without a gua sha scraping tool! It is excellent for neck pain/stiffness, hip pain, and any other pain that often occurs as a result of sitting for many hours.
The purpose
Gua sha is used to treat external pathogenic invasions in the body and blockage of the channels. These two factors are what create the ‘sha syndrome’ in the body that needs to be released to the surface as a rash-like expression to promote qi and blood flow for healing. Gua sha should be used when someone feels pain/stiffness in an area (showing blockage/blood stasis) or when you experience chills or fever (showing an external pathogen has entered the body and needs to be released).
When there is pain or stiffness, it is best to apply gua sha locally to that area. When there is chills or fever, it is best to apply gua sha to the nape of the neck where external pathogens often enter into the body.
The how
Gua sha brings the sha syndrome already existing in your body to the surface. This allows old, stuck blood to be released so that the body can renew the blood and promote flow of qi to that area to promote natural healing. The reaction also tells your body to increase and renew qi and blood flow to help fight off whatever is lingering in the body that caused it (i.e. exposure to wind, damp, cold or heat).
Gua sha removes external pathogenic invasions by mimicking sweating in the body. It normalizes the pores on the skin and prevents further penetration of the external pathogenic factor.
External invasions cause the qi and blood to stagnate, which leads to blockage and stasis as pain and rigidity in the body. The resulting pain could have occurred long ago from an invasion that never fully left the body, and actually went deeper into the body, or it could be from an actual injury that left your body weakened and susceptible to invasion.
This is why gua sha is so effective and applicable to pain of many types. The resulting sha can help you determine whether the pain is from a chronic stasis or something more recent (as described below).
The area to treat
So you’re ready to try it — but where do you start?
A good way to test if an area has ‘sha’ that needs to be released is by pressing on an area of concern with your fingers and then quickly pulling the hand away. If you can still see the impression of your fingers on the area, there is sha present. If it disappears right away after pulling away, then there is healthy qi and blood flow.
Another indicator is if you apply about 20 strokes to an area and it only remains red without petechia/light bruising, then qi and blood are flowing good in that area!
It is best to consult an acupuncturist before trying gua sha to make sure it is right for you. Individuals with specific conditions and constitutions should be cautious with gua sha use.
The treatment & the ‘sha’
Here’s how it works:
Apply oil to areas of pain, the face, or the nape of the neck to avoid pain from scraping on dry skin.
Choose a tool with a side that matches the shape of the muscle you will be scraping. If you don’t have a gua sha tool, you can use a metal, rounded, smooth edged lid or bottle cap (like a Snapple bottle cap). You can also use the slapping or pinching method without a tool to induce similar effects and promote healing.
Apply strokes from the top of the muscle to the bottom of the muscle in consistent, slow strokes with moderate pressure to start.
Complete at least 20 strokes before checking to see the results (explained below).
The resulting ‘sha’ you see is your indicator of the source of your ailment (acute vs. chronic/invasion vs. blood stasis) and also tells you how often to treat the area. The area of the most sha concentration is usually at the specific site of pain.
What you see when you perform gua sha can be any of the following, each one indicating something different:
light red skin — this shows there is no blood stasis present in that area and you can stop performing gua sha
light red petechia-this shows there is mild blood stasis and indicates a more recent/acute invasion or blockage
dark red/purple petechia — this shows there is chronic blood stasis causing your pain. It is recommended to treat this area a few more times once the bruising completely disappears in about 5–10 days.
The actual treatment itself should not be painful. You will feel heat at the area you are scraping and should avoid any open wounds or pimples.
So next time you are relaxing watching tv or sitting at your desk and you have some pain, try some gua sha! Instant, easy pain relief is at your finger tips. ;)
