Gua Sha

Gua sha is a gentle bodywork technique that patients have described as "the best back-scratch ever."

Gua sha is an important component of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It preps the body for the expectation of touch in the area which can decrease needle sensitivity. It is also an effective way to move blood and lymph to the area, which are the main ways that your body brings nutrients and new building blocks to  and toxins away from an area in need.

Gua sha has been popularized in recent years by those who use it as part of their skincare routine. You might have also heard it called scraping or "fascia stimulating" by non-TCM practitioners but I prefer calling it the original way.

Gua sha can help with:

• pain and muscle tightness
• fascia stimulating
• lymphatic drainage
• quick recovery from working out
• invigorating meridians and activating blood circulation
• recovering from a cold or sore throat

Gua sha will not:

• hurt you
• damage your tissue

After gua sha you should:

• only show your marks off to your friends briefly and then keep marks covered (cold air often tightens muscles again!)
• drink plenty of fluids
• continue living your best life as usual

Your acupuncturist may use:

• organic tools like wood / horn
• stone tools like jade or quartz
• metal tools made of stainless steel
• or... my favorite - a ceramic spoon, which I find to have the best angle!

Does it sound like you need a gentle back-scratch? I offer gua sha as a complementary therapy to my acupuncture sessions. Let's get started!

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