SHARES
A huge bulk of our working hours involve bending over our computers. Hence, it is unsurprising that many white-collar workers suffer from neck and lower back pain. Perhaps, gua sha may be the answer to alleviating these body aches.
Gua Sha: A Chinese Therapy based on Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory of Meridians
Gua sha is a traditional East Asian healing technique sometimes known as spooning, scraping or coining. The name stemmed from two mandarin characters: “gua”, which means scrape, and “sha”, means sand. Gua sha technique uses an instrument to scrape the skin repeatedly in downward motion. It is usually done on a person’s back, buttocks, neck, arms and legs. Lately, gua sha has been adopted as facial treatment to brighten and sculpt the face as well.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that one of the keys to good health is to have balanced and free-flowing energy in the body, known as qi. However, when qi becomes blocked and stagnant, inflammation can happen, which can be observed as pain or tension in muscles and joints. Gua sha is helpful to break up this energy, reduce inflammation and promote healing.
Gua sha relieves muscle aches and tension. In fact, weightlifters utilises gua sha to improve sport performance and enhance speed of recovery. Meanwhile, a study suggested that gua sha is more effective than thermal pads to relief neck pain. Besides that, gua sha improves general health by increasing blood circulation and lymphatic drainage to eliminate toxin from the body.
Traditional gua sha tool
Why does my skin look red after gua sha session?
Gua sha helps to purge fluid toxins from the body, with the resulting redness known as “sha”. Even so, a gentle scrapping technique could minimise damage to body tissue and skin. This is especially important for the very young, the elderly and those with weak constitution, so that they can too experience relief without the formation of “sha”.
Regardless, the redness of the skin shouldn’t be worrisome as it will disappear over the next few days. It is advisable to shower only at least four hours after a session. As gua sha opens the pores to expel toxins from tissues, immediate exposure to water or cold wind could result in “wind” invasion, which renders the session redundant with the returning of qi stagnation.
Always consult the therapist to find out if gua sha is suitable for you. Although gua sha has many health benefits, people with certain medical conditions should avoid gua sha. Some examples include those with medical conditions that affect the skin or veins, those who bleed easily, patients on a blood-thinner and patients with an implant to regulate heartbeat.
Redness after gua sha
Relax with Fusion AestheticSpa
Fusion AestheticSpa is a spa centre that specialises in providing services with distinctive combination of traditional medicine and modern aesthetics. For instance, their signature spa combines Traditional Chinese Medicine (gua sha) with electronic technology to deliver pain-free thermal therapy through natural bain stone. Modern technology is utilised to work on meridian channels and specific acupressure points. It provides tension relief by accelerating the natural drainage of the body’s toxins, thereby improving blood circulation and restoring body balance.
Thinking that you may benefit from the goodness of Fusion AestheticSpa’s offerings? Book an appointment with them at +65 8809 6692 or spa@fusionaestheticspa.com.sg. For more information, kindly refer to www.fusionaestheticspa.com.sg.
Acknowledgement with thanks
We thank Fusion AestheticSpa for contribution towards this article.
by Joanne Lee
Multipotentialite. Loves creating and seeing ideas come alive. View all articles by Joanne Lee.
