Top 10 Mostly Asked Questions About Gua Sha

Gua sha has actually ended up being increasingly more popular. It quickly takes its place in the beauty and wellness studios. Contents and reviews about gua sha on the Internet are overwhelming. However, many about what gua sha is, the benefits of gua sha, and how to gua sha are not detailed enough or even not professional enough. Shortage of adequate understanding and lack of chance to try it leads many people to stay on the sidelines, doubting about it, and even concerning Gua Sha treatment as a metaphysics out of control and useless. In fact, it is as risk-free, simple, and also effective as yoga and meditation. If you want to know more about gua sha before following the footsteps of beauty experts and influencers, here is the right place, just take some mins and dive into it. You will have all the answers and be rewarded with a proper skin-care method.

Let's pack a full list of mostly asked questions about Gua Sha for your convenience.

  1. What's Gua Sha
  2. The Originated Story
  3. Rooted in TCM Theory
  4. Is Gua Sha Safe?
  5. Is it Painful?
  6. Sha VS Bruises
  7. Benefits of Gua Sha
  8. Gua Sha vs Graston
  9. Gua Sha vs Facial Gua Sha
  10. How to Use Gua Sha on Face?

    1. What is Gua Sha?

    Gua sha is one of the earliest physiotherapy using to heal or prevent dieases, it passes through thousands of years in Ancient China, widely knowing as "scrape away illness", by using tools such as coin, spoon, bian stone, jade, or ox horn with lube lotion or oil to scrape and rub parts of the patient's skin layer repeatedly in one direction. The goal is to "stimulate blood circulation to dissipate blood stasis to finally let the body's self-healing ability and immunity passively improve.", based upon TCM theory.

    Literally speaking in Chinese, 'Gua' means to rub or scrape by an auxiliary tool with shield edge, ‘Sha' a kind of reddish colored millet-like petechiae which is the common symptom after gua sha treatment.

     

    2. The Originated Story

    Historical records on gua sha may go back to the Paleolithic Age. Whenever people fell sick or became unconscious, stones or hands were firstly used to scrape some specific parts of their body to assist lighten and reduce the symptoms of illness. This is the prototype of ''Gua Sha Treatment''.

    Gua sha has long been a folk therapy widely used by the ancient Chinese. Back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the treatment was methodically composed into major medical records.The use of stones to scrape the skin and deal with illness has actually been gradually improved throughout the ages, in line with TCM practices.

    In current days, Gua Sha has been continuously developed and improved in the practice process. It is playing a very important role in the treatment of some sub-health diseases. The others you may heard are fire cupping, acupuncture and moxibustion. They are all widely used in China. When wandering the streets in China, it's easy to find TCM physiotherapy studios, and Gua Sha treatment is supposed to be on the Service Sheet.

    With the maturity of Chinese Medicine Holographic Therapy, and combined with TCM Meridian Theory, gua sha has gradually developed from the folk therapy to a systematic and mature technique of ''meridian gua sha''. A professional Gua Sha physiotherapist can diagnose the causes of the disease, and the severity, thus to give a comprehensive treatment plan based on the symptoms of 'Sha'.

     

    3. Rooted in TCM Theory

    Gua sha treatment is closely related to the crucial TCM theory of meridians and collateral which is the one foundation of diagnosis used by the TCM Licensed Doctors.The TCM physiotherapist also use this theory to executive treatments such as acupuncture, cupping, massage and so on.

    The meridians and collaterals are like the paths in which the flow of qi and blood circulate. They form a particular network that communicates with the internal organs and limbs and connects the upper to the lower and the exterior to the interior organs of the physical body. Huangdi Neijing is the source of this theory. Neijing is an ancient Chinese medical literature that has been regarded as the significant doctrinal source for Chinese medicine for more than two centuries.

     

    4. Is Gua Sha Safe?

    Yes, it's definitely safe! Some experiencers and patients benefits from this treatment even executive the gua sha physiotherapy for their family and friends.

    In China, gua sha is a widely used natural therapy. It is easy and safe, no side effects caused by certain drugs. Gua sha, this health care method is as simple as diet therapy, we may have one or two of diet books at home for the purpose of flipping through when we want to tone ourself, right? For most people, the reason for keeping Gua Sha out is not knowing how to use it properly. After all, it's about physical health. Don't worry about this. We not only provide you the Step-by-Step Guide for gua sha but also list Guidelines to Make Gua Sha Safer. 

     

    5. Is Gua Sha Painful?

    The experiencer might really feel discomfort which differs from person to person.When undergoing the gua sha treatment, the discomfort may be appropriately alleviated by applying a mount of skin oil.

    The practitioners might can slow down the scraping speed and also lower the stress transferred to the muscular tissues through the gua sha tool if the discomfort is obvious or even unbearable.

    As we mentioned above, the meridians and collaterals theory is the foundation of TCM, in the Huangdi Neijing there are total 12 meridians marked for each individuals, involving and connecting to the specific internal organs. The blockage of meridians may cause pain when gua sha, and the reason for blockage is complex which is supposed to be a comprehensive problem. The superficial caused issue may be tendon adhesions, and the deep-seated pathology may be lesions of the corresponding viscera.

     

    6. Sha VS Bruises 

    After the gua sha treatment, there might be some purplish or reddish spots that came into view on the area included. The spots in different colors or textures are called 'Sha'. 

    What's Sha means in TCM?
    "Sha" could refer to two different substances in our body; the first is bad blood, the second is "Sha Poison." The former refers to useless blood that cannot nourish the organs. The latter refers to human metabolites, necrotic cells, and various chemical toxins.

    The blockage is why 'Sha' appears—toxins cannot be flushed away as usual, and tissues as well as organs cannot be adequately nourished.

    So we could think of 'Gua Sha Treatment' as a cleaning job for the human body.

    Bruises may look like some kind of 'Sha,' but it is caused by muscle tissue injuries and become one of the reasons for bad blood and 'Sha Poison.'

     

    7. Benefits of Gua Sha

    Gua sha can stimulate blood circulation, wipe out coldness, negative energy, toxic heat and boost lymphatic fluid drainage. That finally achieves the goal of balancing the body's Yang Qi and Yin Qi. In other words, by scraping the sore, tired, stiff, or injured muscle areas, the unhealthy and useless bodily substances that are blocked now could be flushed away; thus, more oxygenated blood produced.

    Regularly having Gua Sha treatment might reinforce the cleansing capability of immune cells, enhancing the body's capability to clear harmful substances and improve immunity.

    Gua sha can treat, minimize and recover chronic degenerative health issues such as migraines, frozen shoulder and back pain, menstrual disorders, sleeping disorders, high blood pressure, vertigo, chronic infections, sciatica, rheumatoid arthritis, and so on.

    Gua sha is also used whenever a patient has likely discomfort related to a persistent or severe condition or a hurting or knotty sensation in the muscles. It can be utilized to likewise deal with and avoid acute rhinitis, influenza, bronchitis, asthma, and any persistent condition including discomfort, blockage of the circulation of qi, and blood.

    In most cases, the gua sha experiencers feel an instant shift in awareness during the treatment.

     

    8. Gua Sha vs Graston


    We could see the similarities between Gua Sha and Graston physiotherapy. Even the Graston Technique tools are similar to the gua sha tools, they both have shield edges. But we know they are totally different, just like the difference between Pumpkin and Pumpkin Pie.

    Gua Sha is a more extensive and profound comprehensive physiotherapy technique. Backed by the TCM theory, it is possible to diagnose each patient's health condition through the symptoms of ‘Sha’ to provide a comprehensive treatment plan for the patient. For example, the purplish spots on the waist indicate that the patient's kidney is in a weakened state, it is suffering from the Han Qi for a long time.

    In Traditional Chinese Medicine, when we talk about the kidney, we also indicate the functions of the kidney. This may be one of the differences between Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine. Chinese Medicine values the whole, that is, the organs themselves and their functions, and even the relationship between all organs in human body. while the kidneys mentioned in Western Medicine properly only refer to a tangible organ in the sense of anatomy.

    The practitioners can change the scraping gimmicks or add other auxiliary therapies, such as moxibustion and cupping, to improve the health of the kidney. 

    The Graston Technique is a form of manual therapy known as soft-tissue instrument-assisted mobilization. The goal is to care for muscle tissue injuries.

     

    9. Gua Sha vs Facial Gua Sha

    The two key differences are the goal of treatment and the scraping gimmick. Obviously, Facial gua sha is concerned as a skincare method, and Gua Sha is basically used to heal and prevent diseases. There is one easy way to distinguish them: adding a term of 'Body' in front of Gua Sha.

    Firstly, no reddish spots will appear for a Facial Gua Sha.
    Secondly, we will definitely feel no discomfort when undergoing a Facial Gua Sha SPA.
    Thirdly, the scraping gimmick of facial gua sha is different. We summarise three principles: Lighter Stress, Lower Speed, Smaller Angle.

     

    10. How to Use Gua Sha on Face

    So we know that the facial Gua Sha practice is less intense, but it has been proved for multiple anti-aging and health benefits. Using the SANUSCODE Facial Gua Sha Guide, you may find the right way to release the daily stresses of life and effectively complement your daily skincare routine to lessen fine lines, wrinkles, puffiness, acnes to have an appealing, healthier, and more natural radiance complexion.

     

     

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