what is gua sha treatment

What is Gua Sha therapy and how does it work?

Feb 26, 2021 · Gua sha is a traditional Chinese healing method that uses a smooth-edged tool to press-stroke your skin. Learn more about the potential health benefits and risk of this beauty tool.

Does gua sha really ease muscle pain?

Gua sha is an effective treatment for musculoskeletal pain in the back, neck, and joints. Improve movement in the joints ...

Is Gua Sha better than botox?

Jun 16, 2017 · Gua sha may reduce inflammation, so it’s often used to treat ailments that cause chronic pain, such as arthritis and fibromyalgia, as well …

What are the health benefits of Gua Sha?

Feb 25, 2022 · Gua sha is a natural treatment from traditional Chinese medicine that means “to scrape away illness.”

What are the benefits of gua sha?

What does gua sha do for your face?

Why you should not use gua sha?

Can a gua sha slim your face?

Does gua sha tighten skin?

Does Gua age skin?

Is it OK to gua sha everyday?

Does gua sha have long term effects?

What is Gua Sha?

Gua sha is an effective treatment for musculoskeletal pain in the back, neck, and joints. Improve movement in the joints by increasing blood circulation and relieving aches and stiffness. Treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, such as back pain, tendon strain, carpal tunnel, and other conditions.

How to use gua sha?

What are the Benefits of Gua Sha Treatments? 1 Promote healing through microtrauma bruising, sometimes called sha, as well as improved circulation and lymph drainage throughout the body. 2 Reduce inflammation through drainage of lymph into the lymphatic system. Gua sha is used by many practitioners to improve immune system function and treat colds, fevers, and problems in the lungs. 3 Break down scar tissue both on the surface of the skin and internal scar tissue. Patients recovering from surgery usually have both internal and external scarring. Surgical patients can also develop adhesions, internal scar tissue which connects tissues that are not normally connected. 4 Relax muscles that are inflamed, overstimulated, or sore. Gua sha is an effective treatment for musculoskeletal pain in the back, neck, and joints. 5 Improve movement in the joints by increasing blood circulation and relieving aches and stiffness. 6 Treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, such as back pain, tendon strain, carpal tunnel, and other conditions.

What is a Gua Sha bruise?

Gua sha bruises are a form of microtrauma, which create a response in the body that assists in breaking down scar tissue and fibrosis, a condition in which there is a buildup of too much connective tissue formed around an injury.

Can you feel pressure during gua sha?

Like getting a tissue massage, you can expect to feel pressure during the treatment as your practitioner uses the tool on your skin; however, you should not be in pain during the treatment.

Does Gua Sha have side effects?

There are no serious side effects for Gua sha treatments when provided by a medical professional that specializes in this treatment. The most common side effect is bruising, which tends to heal quickly and disappear within a few days after treatment.

Is Gua Sha safe?

When used properly, Gua sha can provide an effective and safe alternative to other conventional treatments or can be used alongside conventional practices. Gua sha may provide healing and pain relief, especially for people who prefer to avoid medications, injections, or invasive surgeries.

Can you take Gua Sha with a pacemaker?

Patients taking blood thinners or who have an implant, such as a pacemaker, should avoid these treatments. Gua sha is typically not appropriate for people with medical conditions including infections, tumors, open wounds, blood clotting disorders, deep vein thrombosis, or other conditions affecting the skin or veins.

What is gua sha?

Gua sha is a natural, alternative therapy that involves scraping your skin with a massage tool to improve your circulation. This ancient Chinese healing technique may offer a unique approach to better health, addressing issues like chronic pain. In gua sha, a technician scrapes your skin with short or long strokes to stimulate microcirculation ...

Can Gua Sha be used for acupuncture?

When conventional therapies don’t improve your symptoms, research suggests that gua sha may be able to provide relief . This technique may appear straightforward and simple, but it should only be performed by a licensed acupuncturist or practitioner of Chinese medicine. This ensures a safe, proper treatment.

How does Gua Sha work?

In gua sha, a technician scrapes your skin with short or long strokes to stimulate microcirculation of the soft tissue, which increases blood flow. They make these strokes with a smooth-edged instrument known as ...

What is gua sha massage?

Gua sha is intended to address stagnant energy, called chi, in the body that practitioners believe may be responsible for inflammation . Inflammation is the underlying cause of several conditions associated with chronic pain. ...

Where is Gua Sha performed?

Gua sha is generally performed on a person’s back, buttocks, neck, arms, and legs. A gentle version of it is even used on the face as a facial technique. Your technician may apply mild pressure, and gradually increase intensity to determine how much force you can handle.

Does Gua Sha help with arthritis?

Gua sha may reduce inflammation, so it’s often used to treat ailments that cause chronic pain, such as arthritis and fibromyalgia, as well as those that trigger muscle and joint pain. Gua sha may also relieve symptoms of other conditions: 1. Hepatitis B.

Does Gua Sha help with liver disease?

Gua sha may also relieve symptoms of other conditions: 1. Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is a viral infection that causes liver inflammation, liver damage, and liver scarring. Research suggests that gua sha may reduce chronic liver inflammation. followed a man with high liver enzymes, an indicator of liver inflammation.

What Happens During Gua Sha

A gua sha session takes about 5 to 15 minutes. During a gua sha session, you’ll sit up or lay down either face up or face down. Your practitioner, who should be a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine or an acupuncture physician, will most likely apply an oil or balm to the skin to help the tool glide more easily.

Side Effects and Risks of Gua Sha

Overall, gua sha doesn’t have serious side effects. With the right practitioner, you shouldn't feel pain. Still, it’s good to know in advance about some skin changes it may create. These include:

DIY Gua Sha vs. Seeing a Trained Practitioner

If you’re having gua sha for medical reasons, it’s best to work with a trained practitioner to do it. That’s because that person will know the right points on the body to stimulate and make the treatment most effective, Snyder says.

Tips to Find the Right Facial Gua Sha Tool

If you've done your research and you want to start facial gua sha at home, here are a few tips to help you find the right gua sha tool:

Does gua sha scraping reduce inflammation?

Research has discovered that Gua sha scraping leads to a four-fold increase in microcirculation in surface tissue (Nielsen et al. 2007) and can reduce inflammation (Braun et al. 2011; Chan et al. 2011). The patient feel instant positive changes in pain and stiffness.

Does Gua Sha scraping cause bruising?

An astounding curative results of gua sha scraping which patients and therapists can observe almost always (facial techniques, for example, are an exception) instill trepidation in others because of the ‘look’ of the temporary therapeutic petechiae commonly misinterpreted as bruising.

What is Gua Sha?

Gua sha is rooted in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). According to the principles of TCM, your qi (pronounced “chi”), or energy, must flow throughout your body so you can feel your best. When qi becomes stagnant in certain areas, it’s believed that health problems can occur.

Does Gua Sha help with headaches?

It can also help alleviate tension headaches, migraines, neck pain or swelling in your body. Sobo adds that gua sha can even help with anxiety, fatigue, insomnia and perimenopausal symptoms when done in addition to acupuncture. “We’re just promoting that flow of qi through the body.

Is Gua Sha gentle?

However, a practitioner won’t be scraping your body like a car windshield in the middle of winter. Gua sha is gentle overall, and the intensity can build depending on the types of knots that your acupuncturist encounters. Sobo gives us a better idea of how it works. “Gua sha tools have smooth, rounded edges.

Does Gua Sha help with sinus pressure?

Gua sha has been proven to help relieve tension in the face, reduce puffiness and inflammation, and it can even help reduce sinus pressure. However, since the musculature of the face is much thinner, you’ll want to avoid applying too much pressure as you’re working on this area.

How to use Gua Sha?

With gua sha on the face, you don’t want to drag your tool from the outside edges of your face. Instead, divide your face in half and use your nose as the middle point. If you’re working under your eyes, you’d start at your nose and work your gua sha tool outward. Keep your tool moving in a smooth, straight line.

Can you put lotion on your face before Gua Sha?

To help things along, you can even apply lotion or a serum before doing gua sha on your face. This way, your tool will glide across the skin much easier. Sobo suggests avoiding overly swollen areas. You don’t want to press too hard into those because you can burst capillary beds and end up with bruises on your face.

Is Gua Sha effective?

More evidence is needed to confirm whether gua sha is an effective treatment. Gua sha is unlikely to have any serious side effects, but it can be painful for some people. A person who plans to have gua sha should make sure that they go to an experienced practitioner. Last medically reviewed on December 23, 2017.

What is Gua Sha?

Gua sha is a technique used in traditional East Asian medicine. It is often used to treat muscle pain and tension, but there has been limited research into how well it works. We find out more about whether gua sha is effective, and if it has any side effects. Gua sha aims to move energy, known as qi or chi, around the body.

How does Gua Sha work?

Gua sha aims to move energy, known as qi or chi, around the body. The treatment involves using a tool to rub the skin in long strokes, applying enough pressure to create minor bruising. Gua sha may help to break down scar tissue and connective tissue, improving movement in the joints. The treatment does not have any serious side effects ...

Does Gua Sha help with bruising?

Gua sha may help to break down scar tissue and connective tissue, improving movement in the joints. The treatment does not have any serious side effects but is not suitable for those with certain medical conditions.

What is Qi in Chinese medicine?

According to traditional Chinese medicine, qi or chi is energy that flows through the body. Many people believe that a person’s qi must be balanced and flowing freely to ensure their health and wellbeing. People also believe that qi can become blocked, causing pain or tension in the muscles and joints.

Why is Gua Sha important?

Gua sha aims to move this blocked energy to relieve aches or stiffness.

Does Gua Sha help with inflammation?

Practitioners claim that gua sha can also benefit the immune system and reduce inflammation. Sometimes, gua sha is used to treat a cold, fever, or problems with the lungs. Small injuries to the body, such as the bruises caused by gua sha, are sometimes known as microtrauma.

What is Gua Sha treatment?

It is a story about cultural conflicts experienced by a Chinese family in the United States .

Who plays John Quilin in Gua Sha?

Datong's friend and lawyer, John Quilin (Hollis Houston), tries Gua Sha and proves that the treatment leaves painful-looking marks that are not actually painful or harmful at all. Finally, Datong is able to return home and the family is reunited.