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GuaSha
GuaSha is a healing technique used throughout Asia. "Gua" means to rub or friction. "Sha" is the term used to describe congestion of blood at the surface of the body. When friction is applied in repeated even strokes, the sha surfaces as small red petechiae. In minutes, the petechiae fade into eccchymotic patches. The sha disappears totally in two to four days. The color and rate of fading are both diagnostic and prognostic indicators.
The benefits of GuaSha are numerous. It moves stuck blood, promoting normal circulation to the muscles, tissues, and organs directly beneath the surface treated. The patient experiences immediate changes in stiffness, pain and mobility. Normal metabolic processes are restored by the movement of fluids as nutrients are carried to the tissues and metabolic wastes are carried away. Because GuaSha mimics sweating, it resolves fever. GuaSha cools the patient who is overheated, warms the patient who is chilled, nourishes the patient who is deficient, and clears the patient who is excess. GuaSha is therefore, considered an adaptogenic technique.
A care provider considers GuaSha, in any case of pain or discomfort, for upper respiratory or digestive problems, and for any condition where palpation indicates there is sha. After GuaSha, the patient is instructed to cover the area, avoiding wind and exposure to the sun or sudden change in temperature. Stretching is recommended but not a heavy workout on the day of treatment.
"Reprinted with permission from Churchill Livingstone: GuaSha. A Traditional Technique for Modern Practice. A Nielsen 1995."
