Gua Sha Treatment

Gua sha involves repeated pressured strokes over lubricated skin with a smooth edge. It brings the sha (red rash) to the surface, thus releasing pathogens, blockages and pain. According to Wikipedia, “Gua sha involves repeated pressured strokes over lubricated skin with a smooth edge, often jade or water buffalo horn instruments. The smooth edge is placed against the oiled skin surface, pressed down firmly, and then moved down the muscles or along the pathway of the acupuncture meridians, along the surface of the skin, with each stroke being about 4–6 inches long. This causes extravasation of blood from the peripheral capillaries and may result in sub-cutaneous blemishing called ecchymosis, which usually takes 2–4 days to fade. Sha rash does not represent capillary rupture as in bruising, as is evidenced by the immediate fading of the markings, and the rapid resolution of sha as compared to bruising. The color of sha varies according to the severity of the patient’s blood stasis—which may correlate with the nature, severity and type of their disorder—appearing from a dark blue-black to a light pink, but is most often a shade of red.”