How Gua Sha Works
Gua Sha uses a Bian stone or jade tool to gently scrape the skin. This helps blood flow better, like opening a blocked pipe so blood and nutrients reach all parts of the body. It also relaxes tight muscles and reduces soreness, making the body feel more comfortable.
How Gua Sha is Done
A little oil is applied on the skin to reduce friction. Then the tool gently scrapes along muscles or energy lines.
For example, if an office worker has stiff shoulders, scraping lightly may cause temporary red spots or bruises—like marking the road that needs repair. The body responds by increasing blood flow, bringing nutrients and oxygen to the area, relaxing muscles, and reducing soreness—just like fixing the road lets traffic move smoothly.
Another example: when a child has a bloated tummy, gentle scraping on the back or belly creates small red spots, signaling the body to activate the stomach and intestines. It’s like opening a small valve in a blocked pipe so water can flow.
Because Gua Sha only lightly scrapes the skin without needles or medicine, it has few side effects and is safe, making it suitable for children and people with weaker constitutions.
Benefits of Gua Sha
Gua Sha can help relieve muscle soreness and stiffness, such as tight shoulders, back, or legs. It also improves blood flow, like clearing traffic in the body, so oxygen and nutrients reach where they are needed faster. Gua Sha promotes natural recovery, boosts immunity, and helps fight colds and fatigue. The treatment is gentle and safe—no needles, no medicine, and few side effects—making it suitable for most people, including children and the elderly. Overall, Gua Sha is a natural, convenient, and effective way to support the body’s health.
Prior to the treatment
1. Relax Your Body and Mind Take deep breaths and calm yourself before treatment. If you feel nervous or uncomfortable, tell your practitioner. 2. Wear Comfortable Clothing Loose clothes make it easier to access the treatment area and keep your skin comfortable. 3. Clean Your Skin Make sure the area to be treated is clean, without cuts, rashes, or inflammation. 4. Drink Water A little warm water helps blood flow and relaxes your body. 5. Pay Attention to How You Feel During the treatment, if you feel pain or discomfort, tell your practitioner—they will gently adjust the pressure and method.
During the treatment
1. The patient is seated or lying comfortably in a relaxed position.
2. The practitioner applies massage oil or lotion to the treatment area to reduce friction.
3. Using a clean, smooth-edged Gua Sha tool, the practitioner gently scrapes the skin in one direction along muscles and meridians.
4. The intensity is adjusted according to the patient’s comfort and the condition being treated.
5. After scraping, the area is wiped clean, and the patient rests briefly.
After the treatment
1. Rest and hydrate – Drink plenty of warm water and avoid strenuous activity for a few hours.
2. Keep the area warm – Avoid cold, wind, or direct air conditioning on treated areas.For example: after gua sha on the neck, wear a high-collar shirt or scarf; after back gua sha, use a light blanket or shawl; after leg gua sha, wear long pants or warm socks.
3. Avoid irritation – Do not apply harsh creams, scrubs, or tight clothing on the scraped skin.
4. Monitor the skin – Mild redness or bruising is normal; if severe pain, swelling, or infection occurs, consult a practitioner.
5. Limit exposure – Avoid hot baths, saunas, or swimming for the same day.
6. After gua sha, it is common for the treated skin to show redness, purple marks, or mild bruising. This is a normal physiological response, indicating improved blood circulation and the release of stagnation. These marks usually fade naturally within 3–7 days without any special treatment.
If the patient has specific clothing requirements in the near future (such as wearing a sleeveless dress, short-sleeved shirt, attending public events, or taking photos), it is recommended to postpone gua sha treatment or choose an area that can be easily covered by clothing.
Why choose Acupro for your treatment?
AcuPro Clinic has a professional team consisting of certificated and experienced Chinese medicine doctors who are from different best Chinese medicine universities, therefore, we can offer various professional and science-based treatments for our patients. Since the main academic circle of Chinese medicine is in China and the high demand for Chinese medicine treatment provides significant case studies to do the research with, we also keep in touch with specialists in China to make sure we can keep up with the new research and therapeutic methods to provide the most effective treatment.
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