Gua Sha

Gua Sha is a special treatment technique that has been used for healing since the dawn of time. In its most purist form this technique is intrinsic for us as humans, when we hurt ourselves we have a natural response to rub it.

Chinese medicine has developed this most basic natural remedy and developed a full method of treatment that can lead to profound results for treating all types of conditions.

In our clinic, Gua Sha is done using a ceramic chinese soup spoon, hence Gua Sha is also known as ‘ spooning’. The edge is placed against the pre-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.

The color of the skin after treatment 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. Although the marks on the skin look painful, they are not. Patients typically feel immediate sense of relief and change.

Common conditions we treat with Gua Sha:

• Reduce Fever (the technique was used to treat cholera)
• Fatigue caused by exposure to heat (often used to treat heat-stroke) or cold
• Cough
• Dyspnea: Bronchitis, Asthma, Emphysema
• Muscle and Tendon Injuries
• Sluggish Circulation
• Fibromyalgia
• Headache
• Clear Inflammations and Toxicity
• Sunstrokes / Heat Syncope and Nausea
• Stiffness
• Pain
• Immobility
• Digestive Disorders
• Urinary
• Gynaecological Disorders
• To assist with reactions to Food Poisoning
• Muscle Tension due to Stress