Traditional Chinese Medicine Scraping Technique

Gua Sha is a traditional Chinese medicine non-drug therapy that uses smooth-edged spoons, copper coins, ox horns, combs and other objects to apply to the skin and diseased areas under the guidance of traditional Chinese medicine theory. It excretes pathological metabolic products blocked in the human body through the sweat glands, thereby preventing diseases and promoting body recovery. It is an external treatment method for preventing and treating diseases that our ancestors gradually explored and summarized in the long struggle against diseases. It is a continuation, development or another form of the ancient Bianstone therapy.

What is Sha?

The so-called "sha" is a term in traditional Chinese medicine based on symptoms. It refers to the appearance of red, purple or dark blue "sha marks"; "purple sha tendons"; "numerous fine sand grains (bleeding spots)" on the skin soon after scraping it with a tool, and the symptoms last for a long time. It is also called "sha disease"; "hanging foot sha"; "sha swelling disease"; "sha qi disease"; "dry cholera"; "colic sha" and so on. The name of sha disease was earlier called "picking grass seeds", which can be seen in Wang Rong's "Zhi Shu Fang Mia Ya Lun" in the Song Dynasty. Wei Yilin, a medical scientist in the Yuan Dynasty, has a clear description of sha syndrome in his "Shi Yi De Xiao Fang": "...abdominal colic, cold sweat, bloating and stuffiness, commonly known as "stirring intestinal sand". This statement was often used in medical books in the Ming Dynasty, only the word "sha" was changed to "sha". In the Complete Book of Injury to Heatstroke by Zhang Fengkui, a medical scientist in the Ming Dynasty, there are detailed descriptions of the causes, pathogenesis, and symptoms of sha syndrome. He believed that if the evil poison enters through the skin and fur, it can block the meridians of the human body, block the qi and blood, and make the qi and blood flow poorly; when the evil poison is inhaled through the mouth and nose, it blocks the collaterals, making the qi and blood in the collaterals unsmooth. The deeper these evil poisons are, the more severe they are, and the more they stagnate, the more severe they will be, like a prairie fire. In this case, emergency measures must be taken, that is, scraping and bloodletting must be used to treat it. The purpose of scraping is clearly stated in "Shazhang Yuheng", which is, "For sha on the skin, scrape it with oil and salt so that the sha poison will not attack the body. For sha on the flesh and blood, there are blue-purple tendons (mainly referring to the blue-purple tendons at the elbows and knees, also called sha tendons), which can be discharged by pricking them." In other words, scraping is used to excrete the sha poison or toxins in the body so that the sha poison can be discharged externally, thereby achieving the purpose of curing sha syndrome.

The mechanism of scraping to prevent and treat diseases

The skin is divided according to the meridian system, and is the division of the twelve meridians on the body surface. It is different from the meridians in that the meridians are distributed in a "line" shape, the collaterals are distributed in a "net" shape, and the skin is divided by "surface". This determines that when scraping the skin, the area in contact with the skin is relatively large, and the stimulation received is also correspondingly large. The acupoints for scraping are not just one or two, but sometimes even dozens of acupoints. For example, when scraping on the back, even if the acupoints are changed, they are not left out. This lays a good foundation for scraping to achieve better results. After scraping the skin at a certain part with an instrument, the subcutaneous congestion of the scraped area is generated through benign stimulation. The autologous hemolysis reaction during absorption can improve local microcirculation. The scraping information is transmitted and input to the relevant internal organs through the conduction of the meridian system, and the abnormal biological information is adjusted, thereby playing a role in adjusting the internal organs related to the disease.

Western medical research has shown that scraping can dilate capillaries, increase sweat gland secretion, promote blood circulation, remove evil spirits, dispel wind and cold, clear away heat and dampness, activate blood circulation and remove blood stasis, dredge meridians and relieve pain. It has an immediate effect on wind-cold arthritis caused by muscle soreness. Frequent scraping can regulate the meridians and relieve fatigue, so as to enhance the body's own potential disease resistance and immune function, thereby achieving the effect of strengthening the body, removing evil spirits, preventing diseases and curing diseases.

Gua Sha Tools

The tools used for scraping are very simple and convenient. You only need to choose porcelain bowls with smooth edges, porcelain spoons, wooden comb backs, Sibin Bian stones, small clam shells, jade pieces, coins, sandalwood boards, agarwood boards, small buffalo horn boards, enamel cup lids, copper coins, silver rounds, silver coins, etc. Among these tools, Sibin Bian stones can emit many far-infrared rays and ultrasonic pulses that are beneficial to the human body, promote microcirculation and regulate metabolism; natural buffalo horns themselves are a kind of traditional Chinese medicine, which has the functions of dispersing qi, activating blood circulation and nourishing, and has no toxic stimulation and chemical adverse reactions to the human body. In addition, there are scraping medium auxiliary materials such as water, oil, emollients, olive oil, sesame oil, tea oil, vaseline, wine, special scraping lotion, scraping oil, etc.

Correct scraping method

During scraping, the patient should take a comfortable position and fully expose the area to be treated. Wash the area with warm water and wipe it dry. Depending on the physical condition, scrape the back of the neck first, then the back, then the chest, and finally the limbs. The basic scraping direction is based on the general principle of meridian circulation (yin rises and yang falls). Dip the edge of the scraping board in the scraping medium and scrape the determined area.

Scraping the back of the neck and back:

1. Scrape the back and cervical vertebrae: Start from the cervical vertebrae, through the first thoracic vertebra to the coccyx, and scrape in two sections.

2. Scrape the left and right shoulder muscles, first the left and then the right.

3. Scrape the bladder meridian points from Dazhui to the waist, which is one inch and five fen to the left and right of the Du meridian.

4. Take the Governor Vessel as the center and scrape diagonally from the inside to the outside, scraping about five to seven diagonal lines from below the shoulder muscle to the waist, with the spacing based on the ribs. Do not do a blanket-style scraping.

Front chest scraping:

1. Scrape the Ren meridian first: scrape from Tiantu point to the lower abdomen. It can be divided into three sections from top to bottom. The first section is the sternum, the second section is from the heart to the navel, and the third section is from the navel to the Qugu. Scrape it section by section. Do not scrape it all the way at once. Only the navel can be scraped lightly.

2. Taking the Ren meridian as the center, start from the Tiantu point and scrape the area diagonally to the left and right, about three to five times, without scraping the breasts.

Scraping of limbs:

1. Outer side of upper limb: from fingertips toward elbow and shoulder.

2. Inner side of upper limbs: scrape from shoulder to elbow joint and fingertips.

3. The outside and back of the lower limbs: scrape from the thigh to the knee and to the foot.

4. Inner side of lower limbs: scrape from the tip of inner ankle to the knee and upwards.

The scraping board should be vertical to the skin at a 90-degree angle, and the scraping angle should be kept the same. The scraping force should be even, and should not be too fast, too heavy, or too fast, so as to avoid the patient's fear, anxiety, and pain, which will affect the effect of scraping. Scraping should be done in one direction, and the scraper should not scrape on the return stroke.

Color observation after scraping

In most cases, after scraping, different shades of color will be left on the treated area, which is called sha. Generally speaking, the appearance and disappearance of the color can be roughly the same as the cupping marks after cupping and the time when the cupping marks disappear, that is, it is mainly related to the individual constitution of the patient, the condition, the location of the scraping and other factors. The general rule is: if there is no change in the local skin color after scraping, it means that the constitution is normal; if the skin appears purple or black after scraping, it means that the patient has a pathological reaction of long-term illness, dampness and blood stasis; if the color is dark red, purple and black and slightly painful to touch, and the patient has a fever, it means that there is heat toxicity in the body; if the color is light purple and blue with plaques, it is an exogenous wind-cold; if the color is scattered purple spots, with different shades, it is a manifestation of qi stagnation and blood stasis. If the color does not fade for several days, it usually means that the disease has lasted for a long time and the condition is serious; if the color disappears immediately, the external evil is relatively mild; if the color of certain local acupuncture points is darker, it means that the corresponding internal organs are abnormal; if the color is darker at the beginning and becomes lighter after a few times, it is a good sign that the evil is disappearing.

Precautions and taboos when scraping

Although scraping is simple and convenient, it should not be too casual. Under the guidance of traditional Chinese medicine theory and meridian knowledge, we must understand the condition, treat the disease according to syndrome differentiation, examine the cause of the disease, and determine the scraping site and technique according to the patient's deficiency and excess, cold and heat, exterior and interior, yin and yang to ensure the efficacy. Generally speaking, the skin of the head and face is very thin, and the face is rich in capillaries, so the force should be gentle and moderate to avoid damaging the skin of the head and face and affecting the patient's facial beauty. Children with unclosed fontanelles are prohibited from scraping. The chest is where the heart and lungs are located. Do not use too much force or too hard. Excessive force will affect and damage the heart and lung function. It is not suitable for patients with severe heart and lung diseases. Abdominal scraping should be balanced and gentle. Too much force will make the patient feel uncomfortable. Pregnant women are prohibited from scraping the abdomen, waist, and sacrum, and women's nipples are prohibited from scraping. Scraping is not suitable for areas with ulcers, injuries, scars or tumors on the skin. It is not suitable to scrape when you have just recovered from a serious illness, are seriously ill, have qi deficiency and blood deficiency, are drunk, are too hungry, too full, too thirsty, or are overly tired. People with abnormal coagulation function should be careful when scraping.

The scraping board must be routinely disinfected before use. The scraping time is generally 3 to 5 minutes for each part, and the longest time should not exceed 20 minutes. The number of scrapings is generally 3 to 5 days after the first scraping, and the second scraping is performed after the sha subsides. For some patients who do not have sha or have little sha, it is not necessary to force the sha to appear. The principle is to make the patient feel comfortable. 1 to 2 days after the sha appears, there may be mild pain and itching, which are normal reactions. People who are afraid of pain can take a hot bath or hot compress before scraping to reduce pain. Scraping will expand the sweat pores. Do not take a cold shower or blow cold wind within half an hour. You can take a hot bath, or scrape while washing. Drink a cup of hot water after scraping to replenish the body's consumed body fluids, promote metabolism, and accelerate bowel cleansing and detoxification. There is no need to apply oil or scrape out sha for health-care scraping. Instead, every part and every meridian from head to toe can be gently scraped several times in sequence for 3 to 10 minutes a day, which will naturally achieve the effect of strengthening the body and prolonging life.

Gua Sha is suitable for treating various diseases

Internal medicine system: colds, fevers, headaches, coughs, vomiting, diarrhea, and heat stroke caused by external pathogens. Acute and chronic bronchitis, lung infections, asthma, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, sequelae of stroke, urinary tract infections, enuresis, acute and chronic gastritis, enteritis, constipation, diarrhea, hypertension, dizziness, diabetes, cholecystitis, hepatitis, edema. Various neuralgia, spasmodic pain of internal organs, neuralgic headaches, vascular headaches, trigeminal neuralgia, biliary colic, gastrointestinal spasms, insomnia, dreaminess, neurosis, and other difficult and complicated diseases.

Surgical system: various surgical diseases with pain as the main symptom, such as acute sprains, various soft tissue pains caused by wind, cold and dampness. Various bone and joint diseases, sciatica, frozen shoulder, stiff neck, chronic low back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis of cervical, lumbar and knee joints. Hemorrhoids, itchy skin, urticaria, acne, eczema, hair loss and other diseases.

Pediatric system: malnutrition, loss of appetite, growth retardation, cold and fever in children, diarrhea, enuresis and other diseases.

ENT system: toothache, rhinitis, sinusitis, sore throat, vision loss, amblyopia, juvenile pseudomyopia, acute conjunctivitis, deafness, tinnitus and other diseases.

Gynecological system: dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, irregular menstruation, breast hyperplasia, postpartum diseases, etc.

There are also health care aspects such as sub-health status, disease prevention, recovery after illness, physical fitness, weight loss, and beauty.

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Special statement:

1. Chinese medicine believes that individuals are different and the four seasons are different. If you need the above content, please use it under the guidance of a specialist!

2. The above content was published in "Health Guide" Volume 23, Issue 3, 2017, pages 50-51. The final right of interpretation belongs to the original author, Cai Xiaogang from the Acupuncture Department of Hongdong County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shanxi Province!

3. Please do not copy or reprint without authorization!