About
Gua sha is part of Asian Body Work in Eastern Medicine. It is also known as skin scraping, spooning, and coining. Gua Sha creates an anti-inflammatory effect by stimulating the immune system through the use of an instrument to raise petechiae. The is accomplished with a unidirectional press stroke with the aid of a gua sha tool and lubrication of the skin to bring up extravasation of blood in the subcutis, or transitory therapeutic petechiae.
Current research demonstrates that the anti-inflammatory and immunity boost that Gua sha produces lasts for days after a single treatment. Its long lasting effects explains the superior effect on pain, stiffness, fever, chill, cough, wheeze, nausea and vomiting etc. Gua sha is also effective in acute and chronic internal organ disorders including liver inflammation in hepatitis.
The technique is typically used in conjunction with acupuncture and massage sessions at the descretion of the practitioner.