What is Gua Sha?

Gua Sha

 

Gua sha is a manual technique which uses a smooth sided instrument made from jade, quartz or metal along with a lubricant such as massage oil to stimulate specific areas of the body. Gua sha can be used on the face, but also on other parts of the body such as the back, neck, scalp and limbs.

Gua sha promotes the smooth movement of Qi throughout the body. By using long strokes with the appropriate amount of pressure gua sha, aims to break-up and loosen tight fascia and connective tissues improving movement, circulation and reducing pain. 

The Benefits of Gua Sha

Known as a traditional folk medicine, gua sha has been used for centuries to help ease pain but also reduce fevers, chills, coughs and even nausea. It can be used for both chronic and acute conditions because of its effectiveness at breaking up adhesions and bringing Qi and blood to our meridians (the energy pathways on the body). 

Gua sha has been known to:

  • Promote the circulation of Qi and blood, which translates into a fresher complexion or relief from digestive complaints

  • Improve fine lines and wrinkles by directly treating the skin's surface

  • Promote lymphatic drainage, reducing puffiness, swelling and inflammation

  • Relieve tension from muscles improving range of motion in the joints while easing pain

  • Boost immunity by directly stimulating the meridians responsible for this response

What to Expect from a Gua Sha Treatment

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Versatility of Gua sha

Gua sha is a versatile and useful modality that I like to add to my acupuncture treatments. Because the gua sha tool itself is able to be used on various parts of the body, its applications are vast.

  • Face to reduce puffiness, improve complexion but also to reduce sinus pressure and relieve jaw tension 

  • Neck & Traps to directly relieve pain and ease stiffness improving movement while increasing circulation to the head

  • Scalp to indirectly ease neck, trap and jaw tension by treating their muscles that attach to the skull while providing a sedating, relaxing effect

  • Back to break-up adhesions or knots that cause pain, especially in difficult to needle areas like the rib muscles while also invigorating the meridians

  • Limbs to ease pain, inflammation and stiffness for acute or chronic pain to increase mobility and flexibility

After a gua sha session it is normal for patients to experience redness or tenderness. Just like the marks in cupping, the redness produced from a gua sha treatment is a diagnostic tool to let me wholly understand the nature of your issue. These effects typically subside within 24 to 48 hours after.

Whether it is being used to reduce pain or to improve our appearance, Gua sha is gaining a huge following in the west. I have had many many requests and questions from my patients on how gua sha works and how to perform it on themselves. 

Gua sha is a great DIY practice to adopt into your self-care routine. All you need to know is proper technique and to have the right tools to do it. 

Gua sha is powerful not only because it can directly treat the area which you wish to see improvement, it's also stimulating your meridians to have far reaching and deeper physiological effects. 

The meridians can be thought of as energy super highways that lay along your body’s surface like rivers; we always want the Qi within them to be flowing uninhibited. When we use gua sha on our faces, we are also telling these meridians that this area needs more blood and Qi. When Qi and blood are flowing smoothly, we are healthy. 

Blood and fluid can get stuck, just like debris blocking the flow of a stream.  Using long, methodical and firm strokes with gua sha it can break-up this stagnation, meaning it relieves pain, untangles knots, reduces swelling and puffiness while improving our overall well being because of how relaxed my patients feel after