Gua Sha in Phoenix

Gua Sha has been used in China for as many as two thousand years. Gua means to scrape or rub. Sha is a reddish skin rash(petechiae). First herbal or massage oil is applied to a specific area on your body. I then use a smooth gua sha tool to apply short brisk strokes to that area. This creates red patches of skin (called “Sha”), detoxifying your blood and restoring the healthy flow if Qi (energy) to the area. Sha will fade in 3 to 6 days. But the sense of health and vitality you experience from it will last much longer.

Today this technique is performed worldwide by a variety of professionals, such as acupuncturist, chiropractors, physical and massage therapists, and naturopathic doctors. The same technique has different names, such as scraping, instrument assisted soft tissue manipulation or mobilization, graston technique, scraping massage, and tribo-effleurage (French name). Tools to perform Gua Sha can be made from bian, jade, rose quartz stones, buffalo horn, stainless steel or copper. Also, we can use metal plastisol lined caps or Chinese ceramic soup spoons. Gua Sha is performed on neck, shoulder, muscles on the back, locally and distally on the affected meridian depending on the problem you want to treat. It opens and clears congested pores, detoxifies the body by bringing toxins to the surface, helps to treat febrile diseases, expels exterior pathogenic invasion, improves circulation and relieves musculoskeletal pain and increases ROM (range of motion) and is effective in the treatment of headaches, chronic neck and back pain and plantar fasciitis. This technique is appropriate to treat scar tissue and rejuvenate muscles after atrophy. Gentle Gua Sha can be used for facial rejuvenation.

At Total Wellness Acupuncture, Gua Sha is a supplemental to acupuncture (extended treatment) and is a stand-alone treatment.