- Skin Scraping or called Gua Sha is a type of meridian balance therapy whereby the skin or the skin with oil is scrapped with a tool (a ceramic spoon, horn, jade, glass cup or any tool with dull and smooth edges).
- Gua means scrapping.
- Sha means a visible red or purple spots and patches on the skin in scrapping process. These in fact show that it is leaking outside the containing metabolites in capillary blood. If some of the products of metabolism are in the blood, blood circulation disorder will rise out of “Sha”.
- The skin is cleaned and a media (such as a water, herbal ointment or massage oil) is applied to lessen friction on the skin.
- The scrubbing tool is then applied to the area for a fixed time. After scrubbing therapy has taken place, the treated area is left without pressure.
Functions
- The skin is scrapped on the related meridian points by the benign strong stimulation meridian and dilated capillaries, in order to improve local microcirculation and eliminate the evil Qi.
- The purpose of scrubbing is to
- free the meridian energy (Qi) flow,
- ease muscle tension,
- expel the discomfort from the body,
- rid the body of sluggish energy,
- strengthen body responses,
- relieve unwell feelings,
- dispels wind and cold,
- banishes evil spirits through detoxification,
- clearing heat and dampness,
- promoting blood circulation,
- reducing pain, and spasm,
- to help the body perform in a balanced condition.
- The blocked energy and toxins are brought to the surface and expelled from the body.
Side effects
- A bruise is created on the surface of the skin where the scrubbing treatment occurs.
- The colour and type of bruising generated varies depending on the type of imbalance and is useful in providing a more detailed health information of the disorder.
Indications
- Fever
- Headache
- Sunstrokes / heat syncope and nausea.
- Fatigue caused by exposure to heat or cold.
- Cough and dyspnea: bronchitis, asthma, emphysema
- Muscle and tendon injuries
- Stiffness, pain, immobility
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Digestive disorders
- Push sluggish circulation, fibromyalgia
- Urinary, gynecological disorders
Attention
The skin scrapping is not suitable to use for everyone. It will be used for individual patient’s depending on their body system condition.
Regular scraping, can play a role of preventive health care and also promotes Qi and activates blood, dissolves stasis, adjusts the Yin-Yang balance, relaxes muscle/ tendon and accessibility “Jing-Ruo”, removes toxin, increases metabolism rate, and enhances the body’s own potential for disease resistance and immune functions.
刮痧療法
刮痧療法（Skin scraping），歷史悠久，源遠流長，發展到今天已經成為一種適應病種非常廣泛的傳統自然療法之一。刮痧是根據中醫十二經脈及奇經八脈、遵循”急則治其標”的原則，利用光滑的牛角、玉石、玻璃火罐等刮痧器具在人體表面特定的部位，通常在相關經絡穴位部位，反復進行刮、擠、揪捏等物理刺激，造成皮膚表面產生瘀血點、瘀血斑或點狀出血等毛細血管破裂的融血現象，使腠理得以開洩，從而將充斥於體表的病灶乃至深層組織器官的風、寒、痰、濕、瘀血、火熱、膿毒等各種邪氣從皮毛通達於外，以幫助達到疏通經絡、行氣活血、祛除邪氣、舒筋理氣、驅風散寒、解毒祛邪、清熱除濕、活血化瘀、消腫止痛之目的。
刮痧療法適用於內、外、婦、兒等各科，主要用於輔助治療能在體表出現”痧象”的各種疾病，如感冒、發燒、中暑、頭痛、腸胃病、落枕、肩周炎、腰肌勞損、肌肉驚攣、風濕性關節炎等病症。“痧象”指的是利用刮痧工具作用於體表後，皮膚便對這種刺激產生各種的反應，主要是顏色與形態的變化。常見的痧象包括體表局部組織潮紅、紫紅、紫黑、暗紫色瘀斑及米粟狀疹點，與此同時還通常伴有不同程度的熱疼感。一般皮膚的這些變化可持續一至數天。臨床如果痧色鮮紅，呈點狀，多為表證，表明病程短，病情輕；痧色暗紅，呈斑片狀或斑塊，多為裡證，表明病程長，病情重。隨著刮痧的輔助治療，痧象顏色會由暗變紅，由斑塊變成散點，直至消失，說明病情在好轉。一般情況，無病者經刮痧後，大都無明顯痧象。
刮痧療法對多種疾病具有一定輔助治療效果，尤其對一些因慢性疾病或風寒濕邪侵襲滯留在肌肉筋骨而造成氣血瘀滯症狀的疾病，往往能使病情症狀很快得到有效改善。經常刮痧，可幫助起到調整經氣，解除疲勞，增強機體自身潛在的抗病能力和免疫功能，從而達到扶正祛邪，防病治病的作用。
刮痧施術於皮部對機體的作用大至可分為兩大類，一是預防保健作用，二是輔助治療作用。
一、預防保健作用
健康人常刮痧可增強衛氣，從而增強護表能力，外邪不易侵表，人體機體自可安康。若外邪侵表，出現惡寒、發熱、鼻塞、流涕等表證，及時刮痧，可將表邪及時祛除，以免表邪不祛，蔓延進入五臟六腑而生大病。
二、輔助治療作用
刮痧療法的輔助治療疾病作用可表現在以下方面：
（1）促進行氣活血
氣血，通過經絡系統的傳輸對人體起著濡養、溫煦等作用。刮痧，作用於肌表，使經絡通暢，氣血通達，瘀血化散，促進局部組織的新陳代謝，疼痛得以減輕或消失。
（2）促進活血祛瘀
刮痧可調節肌肉的收縮和舒張，使組織間壓力得到調節，促進刮痧的局部組織周圍的血液循環，從而起到”活血化瘀”、”祛瘀生新”的作用。
（3）改善調整陰陽
刮痧可以改善和調整臟腑功能，對內臟功能有明顯的調整陰陽平衡的作用。
（4）促進舒筋通絡
肌肉附著點和筋膜、韌帶、關節囊等軟組織的損傷，勢必伴隨著肌肉的收縮、緊張或痙攣，出現疼痛，同時肢體活動受到不同程度的限制。經刮痧治療後，能使緊張的肌肉得以改進鬆弛，疼痛和壓迫症也可以明顯減輕或消失，繼而可幫助消除疼痛病灶，有利於病灶修復。因而，刮痧是消除疼痛和肌肉緊張、痙攣的有效輔助方法。
（5 ）幫助排除毒素
經刮痧後，可使局部毛細血管組織充血，血管神經受到刺激促使血管擴張，血流及淋巴液增快，吞噬作用及搬運力量加強，能促進體內廢物、毒素加速排除，組織細胞得到營養，從而使血液得到淨化，增加人體抵抗力，可以減輕病勢，促進康復。
注意問題： 不是每個人都適合使用刮痧療法，應根據每個人的具體內在情況而定。