I have just completed a series of guasha massage sessions to help improve the blood circulation of my eczema prone skin. I remember screaming in pain at my first session. Now after 10 sessions, I do not wince as much. Although it is hard to pinpoint what the improvement of my skin condition is due to, I dare say guasha has helped improve the blood flow to the areas of darkened skin and hastened its recovery. For anyone who is keen to find out more about guasha massage, read on.
Guasha massage is a treatment massage that came from China about two thousand years back. Even today, guasha remains a popular form of therapy in China. However, not much is known about the benefits of guasha in the western world.
Guasha massage is a holistic treatment. It is safe and only involves a little pain at the surface if you are trying it for the first time. There are no medicines involved in this treatment as it is purely a massage method.
Guasha, in Chinese, simply means to scrape millet grains. This is known as such because after the treatment, you will notice tiny millet like rashes on your body. Guasha therapy is a deep massage method based on the Chinese concept of Qi. Qi is known as energy flows. If there is an obstruction in the movement in of Qi, through its paths called meridians which run throughout your body, you are likely to experience diseases and illnesses. Guasha aims to bring out all the bad Qi, lying stagnant in your deep tissues, via deep palpation on the skin.
For each treatment session, your body is first lubricated with a herbal oil. Then, the practitioner will scrape your body using a round ended Guasha tool. The tool can be a small metal piece, porcelain, coin, animal horn or jade. He scapes along the path of the meridian points.
Guasha massage produces “sha”, the coloured rashes as described. “Sha” comes up due to stagnated body fluids or petechiae, red spots caused by hemorrhage of capillaries. Sha may appear in different colors such as red, purple, blue, and green. Different colours have different meanings and indicate the seriousness of your condition.
You should not worry however. In most cases, the rashes that appear should automatically disappear within 2 to 7 days. However, if your rashes do not go away, your practitioner needs to be told since it indicates the seriousness of the condition. If your skin appears pale, it also means that you have insufficient blood supply in the body.
After every session, I could feel my muscles relaxed. What goes on internally, I cannot verify. But guasha massage is said to enhance metabolic function and increase the immune response. I also noticed that the eczema parts of my skin lightening considerably.
For more resources, find out about natural eczema treatment here.
Published by Evelyn Lim on November 8, 2006 12:21 AM
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