| Traditional Chinese 'Gua Sha' | ||||||||
| What is 'Sha'(痧)
or Sha syndrome?
There
is no accurate English word
for 'sha'. However, it can be interpreted as having heat toxins in the
body. ‘Sha’ means blood stasis or when the blood circulation is
obstructed. ‘Sha’ is a climate sickness. The best way to understand
this is to think of heat toxins in the body as inflammation is going on
within the body.
‘Sha’ may be classified as a type of fever by doctors. Doctors may prescribe paracetamol to treat pain and fever. However, western medicine has no effective therapy to treat ‘sha’. Sha is common in summer and autumn and is caused by wind, dampness, and heat. For those who are prone to heat stroke and have poor heat dissipation, Gua Sha can activate sweat glands to produce sweat, which can help release external evils that have entered the body surface through sweat, blood, or other bodily fluids. The body will automatically rebalance after sweating, causing the body temperature to decline. A sudden change in weather conditions can affect our health, such as from a cold environment to a very hot environment or vice versa especially before or after heavy rain. Some people may feel dizzy or have a headache. A robust and healthy individual may withstand the stress brought on by weather changes and may not even exhibit symptoms of discomfort or climate illness. In TCM, if you fall sick during a sudden change in the weather is having ‘sha’. Extreme heat may cause heat stroke, heat cramp, heat rash, tiredness, loss of appetite, ringing in the ears, nausea, fainting, and ‘sha’. "Gua Sha' or Scraping on the skin can dispel wind, improve blood & Qi circulation, reduce heat and inflammation in the body. Gua Sha can also be beneficial for a variety of ailments, including stiff neck and shoulders, and poor blood circulation. After scraping, blood vessels widen and blood flow becomes smoother, which helps relieve muscle tension and stiffness. When you have a fever or cold, your immunity is compromised. Subcutaneous bleeding and congestion brought on by gua sha will result in a minor inflammatory reaction. Gua sha will increase the body's immune response and white blood cell activity because bleeding causes the body to release macrophages and white blood cells. TCM mentioned climatic evils such as Wind, Dampness, Cold, Fire, Summer heat, which can attack our body alone or with a combination of two or more evils causing various diseases. 'Sha' or Toxin heat or toxic inflammation in the body can be called internal heat and is a toxic element. This toxic inflammation can contribute to achy joints or chronic pain. In traditional Chinese Medicine, clearing heat is important to eliminate toxins from the body. This toxin heat will cause unbalancing of “Qi” in a person and will develop many health problems if untreated. Gua Sha can help with "functional" issues like fever, heat stroke, tightness in the chest, difficulty breathing, poor blood circulation, headache, nausea, dizziness, and so on; however, it is not recommended for conditions like heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, neurological disease, etc. Whenever a sudden change in weather occurs, take Vitamin C, Vitamin D3+K2, and Omega-3 fish oil can be helpful and you may escape from the weather-related illnesses. If you have a headache, use your fingers to massage your scalp which can help to improve the blood circulation in the scalp. TCM recommends drinking cooling herbal tea during weather changes to prevent heat illness. Herbal tea such as Dandelion root, Chuan Xin Lian (Green chiretta), Xia Ku Cao (Prunella vulgaris), Elephantopus Scaber (地 斬頭) (Di Dan Tou), Honeysuckle, Bai Hua She She Cao, Chrysanthemum.
What is 'Gua Sha'? 刮 痧 'Gua Sha'
in Chinese meaning using a
ceramic spoon or a
special tool to scrape the skin to produce bruises and
forming red
spots on
the skin which is called
'sha'.
In Chinese traditional treatment, 'gua sha' will release the
heat toxin from the affected
areas
and
stimulate blood flow smoothly, relieve tension, and relax
stiff muscle. Gua sha works to
release this energy blockage to ease stiffness or pain.
The goal of gua sha is to treat chi, or stagnated energy, which practitioners think may be the cause of inflammation in the body. Many illnesses linked to persistent pain have inflammation as their root cause. According to traditional Chinese medicine, illnesses arise when blood and qi become obstructed and stagnant within the body. Gua Sha can dredge the meridians, stimulate the meridians on the skin's surface to encourage blood and qi circulation, and correct the interior organs. When blood and qi are balanced and unhindered, the body can have enough nutrients being supplied to every region of the body, and painful symptoms will go away on their own. 1. Who is not suitable for Gua Sha? While scraping is a useful medical technique for the general public, it is not appropriate for all patients. Children under the age of one, pregnant women, cancer patients, the elderly and frail, people who have just finished eating or are fasting, people with edema, people with severe varicose veins (poor blood vessel wall elasticity), diabetics (wounds that are difficult to heal), patients with heart disease, patients with abnormal coagulation function, and people with blood diseases are among the groups of people who should not use gua sha. What causes 'sha'? 'Sha' is usually
caused by adverse climate change such as hot wind and extreme heat
combines with dampness due to humidity which can cause stagnation of Qi
and the blood. Qi (energy) and the blood are warm by nature. The two
become compressed when ceased to flow, thus heat manifests into a new
substance which is called sha (in Chinese medical terms). When using a
gua sha tool to scrape on the skin, the 'sha' is released, allowing the
flow of Qi and the blood to resume flowing smoothly. In Chinese medical
terms, if you have 'sha' means that you have heat toxin in your body.
Lack of exercise can also lead to stagnation of Qi and blood. Moderate
exercise daily can strengthen the heart and lungs and thus stimulates
the flow of the blood.
"Walking under the hot sun feels like your whole body is about to evaporate! After spending some time outside, your whole body starts to feel weak, your head hurts and feel dizzy. In cases of heat stroke, exhaustion, or fever, a lot of individuals will grab a porcelain spoon and comb and begin scraping." The symptoms of having 'sha' include seizures, confusion, headache or feeling your head is heavy, muscle pain, shoulder or neck pain, fainting, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, disorientation, and sometimes loss of consciousness. You can 'gua sha' even you don't have 'sha'. There is no permanent harm... and you will feel better after the treatment. Most doctors cannot diagnose your illness if your blood pressure is normal even when you are having 'sha' or climate sickness. Traditional Chinese uses Gua Sha method to treat 'Sha'. Gua Sha is using a ceramic spoon or special qua sha tools to scrape on the skin to produce light bruising and stimulates blood flow and healing. Gua Sha therapy uses smooth tools scraped across oiled skin (apply essential oils on the skin) to break up stagnation of the blood and increase blood circulation. If there is sha, the skin will turn reddish raised skin. Lubricate the skin with oil before scraping. The most commonly used areas for gua sha are the nape of the neck, shoulders, and back, and there is a reason why these areas are scraped. All areas can be scraped
include head,
neck, shoulder, back, chest,
hands, waist, abdomen, and legs in an orderly manner. Gua sha will
remove
the toxin and internal heat from the body. Dark, deep red 'sha'
indicates heat.
If the
color of the 'sha' is purple or black, the 'sha' has been a
long-standing
and
is very
serious. Gua sha is also
effective for chronic disease including fever, hepatitis, headache,
migraine, neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain, high blood
pressure, and chronic musculoskeletal problems. Do not take a shower and avoid wind
or air-condition just after Gua sha. Drink a cup of warm water after
the 'gua sha' treatment to facilitate toxin excretion and dispersion of
congested blood.
Note:- Qi is vital energy circulating around the body in currents. The normal flow of qi will ensure the normal circulation of the blood and the stagnation of qi will lead to stasis of blood. The qi in lung propels the blood to circulate and the qi in the heart motivates the blood circulation. If the qi is not normal, the blood will flow abnormally in the case of having 'sha'. The liver qi congestion often leads to heat and blood stagnation patterns and the heat will manifest as irritation, restlessness and inflammation. Chrysanthemum flower tea can clear liver heat. Other helpful foods are mung beans, cucumber, radish, watercress, seaweed, etc. Herbs like Xia Ku Cao (Selfheal Spike) and Jue Ming Zi (Foetid Cassia Seeds) can clear liver heat, relieve a headache & dizziness. In the Chinese medical term, a weak ‘qi’ can lead to blood stagnation. There is no such thing as blood stagnation because westerners do not fully understand when explained in Chinese medical terms or in the Chinese language. In western medical terms, it can be just explained as sticky blood or circulatory problems. In this case, nutrients do not get into the body cells and toxins are not released properly. A product is known as FUFANG DANSHEN PIAN复方丹参片 which can help to promote qi and blood circulation. Deficient 'Qi' means with symptoms
like general weakness, shortness of breath, frequent colds, pale
tongue, spontaneous sweating, and pale complexion. Those with weak ' Qi
' are more prone to have 'sha'.
Spleen 'qi' deficiency is caused by consuming too much cold or raw foods. Prolonged exposure to dampness, such as a humid climate, can weaken the Spleen and lead to Spleen-Qi deficiency. Some foods like carrot, orange peels, radish, Ren Shen (Asian ginseng) or Panax ginseng may help 'Qi' to circulate and improve 'QI'. Ren Shen can strengthen the 'Qi' better than other types of ginseng. However, it is 'yang', meaning warming the body and should not be taken too much. It may cause a headache. Imbalance of kidney 'yin' and kidney 'yang' may lead to many diseases affecting all the organs of the body. I recommend the following herbal products to improve 'Qi' and nourish the liver and kidney. Chinese Herbal Medicines:- "Super 6 Kidney Tonic" also known as Liu Wei Di Huang Wan 六 味地黃丸. It is 'yin'. "Super 8 Kidney Tonic Dietary Supplement"八 味地黃丸 It is 'yang'.In TCM, 'yin' means cooling the body and 'yang' is warming the body. Super 6 Kidney Tonic:- 六 味地黃丸 Liu Wei Di Huang Wan Tonify the 'Yin', Nourish Kidney and Liver 'Yin' Symptoms of kidney yin deficiency such as chronic fatigue, ringing in the ear, dry mouth or throat, thirst, lower back pain, and weak knee. Liu Wei Di Huang Wan is helpful as it nourishes kidney and liver ‘Yin’. Yin cools the body and supply nutrients to our organs through the blood which build stamina. Super 8 Kidney Tonic Dietary Supplement, also known as 'Ba Wei Di Huang Wan ' 八 味地黃丸 Nourish 'Yin' and 'Yang' , Warm and Tonify Kidney-'Yang' Promotes joint health, strengthens weak legs, lower back, knees, prevent frequent urination, etc. Please consult a physician before you use these TCM which are available at most Chinese Drug stores . TCM also considers most bitter-tasting foods/herbs as cooling and removing dampness/heat such as Elephantopus Scaber (地 斬頭) (Di Dan Tou), Chuan Xin Lian ( Green Chiretta), Jiaogulan tea, white inner peel of orange, lemon peel, bitter melon, bitter vegetables, Kai Choy, cucumber, bok choy, etc. However, eating too much cooling food may cause a cough and abdominal pain, so on the safe side, eat both cooling and heaty foods moderately to balance yin and yang in the body. Other cooling foods
are cucumber, barley, tofu, mung beans, honeydew, watermelon,
banana, duck egg, lemon, kiwi,
dragon fruit, star fruit, bitter melon, mulberry, asparagus, seaweed,
watercress, bamboo shoots, vegetables, etc.
Heaty fruits such as rambutan, mango, jackfruit, papaya, longan, cherry, lychee, pineapple, and durian are having antioxidants and anti-inflammatory, but these fruits can cause internal heat in your body if taken too much. Avoid fried meats and foods high in fat content which are heaty when you are sick. Other foods consider heaty or warming are ginger, garlic, onion, parsley, pumpkin, papaya, mango, chicken, pork, cherry, apricot, longan, pomegranate, walnut, sea cucumber, salmon, shrimp, mussels, pepper, chili, mutton, deer meat, etc. Note: The term "heatiness" describes a condition in which the body produces excessive heat, which can cause symptoms including chapped lips, sore throats, coughs up sticky mucus, and mouth ulcers. According to Chinese medicine, consuming warming foods is a terrific method to satisfy our bodies' need for warmth, especially during the winter months. They facilitate digestion and increase circulation.. Highly Recommended
Herbal Tea To Clear Heat Toxin
Wang Lao Ji Herbal Tea 王老吉凉茶植物饮料铝管装 It is an energizer that helps to clear away toxic heat and promote saliva. It also helps to relieve cold, sore throat, dampness heat and thirst. Naturherbao Herbal Tea (特效傷風感冒茶)--Available at Amazon.com Effects of colds tea. Mr. Ho traditional tea recipe "An effective package to try with", the fastest five minutes you can spend on a cold! all cold symptoms are applicable.Anti-cold, clear heat, in addition to sleepiness, Fluctuating stagnation, five-way integration Pure, traditional Chinese tea. Sugar-free! use anywhere convenient put the packing in water and drink. 特效傷風感冒茶 ․何老大 傳統配方 “ 一包見效 一試萬靈”，最快5分鐘！ ․風寒、風熱、暑濕各感冒症狀都適用。 抗感冒、清熱氣、除困倦、消漲滯、去暑濕、五效合一 純中藥․無睡意․無糖型！ 免煲方便 隨時隨地沖一沖,真正適合香港人的感冒良茶 Ho Yan Hor Herbal Tea, Gold, 2.1 Ounce--Order from Amazon.com Having the Pu'er tea leaves as the main ingredient in the exquisite concoction of 29 selected quality herbs, the Gold tea is enriched with extra herbs that giving the smoother taste; it helps to relieve body heatiness, sore throat, influenza, aids indigestion and quench thirst. Tropicool (Xia Sang Ju Wang) Instant Cooling Tea Huiji TropiCool is made with natural Chinese herbs put through scientific processes. The main resources are pure, natural, sweet plants and it has no side effects. Ingredients: Selfheal Fruit-Spike, Chrysanthemum, and Mulberry leaf Click here for more information PFW Heatiness Relieving Capsule 清热灵 清热灵是天然草本配方，含有：金银花、野菊花、蒲公 英、粉丹皮、生地黄、赤芍、黄芩、栀子、丹参、玄参、蛇舌草。 Chinese Herbal Medicine:- Heatiness Relieving Capsules 清熱灵 It is a natural herbal formula, containing: honeysuckle, wild chrysanthemum, dandelion, red peony, Scutellaria, gardenia, Salvia, Scrophulariaceae, snake tongue grass and other herbs. 1. Heat – Reduce heat: Hyperactivity, liver heat, Firelight, thermal disturbance of mind, insomnia, dreams, splenic fever, constipation, diarrhea pulpy. 2. Detoxification such as food poisoning, toxic heat, alcohol poisoning, tumor drugs, pollution exposure, metabolic poison. 3. Bactericidal anti-inflammatory - treatment of hepatitis, cholecystitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, cervicitis, vaginitis, tuberculosis, mastitis, nephritis, cystitis, lymphadenitis, hand, foot and mouth disease, avian influenza viruses, which are inhibited. 4. Eyesight - treat conjunctivitis. 5. Cooling / Buck - blood heat. 6. Blood circulation and pain - treatment of dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, liver and spleen enlargement, pain, physical pain. 7. Stasis swelling - traumatic bruises, swelling, sore throat. Applies to: throat inflammation pain, mouth ulcers, real fire toothache, gingivitis, tonsillitis, fever, irritability, acne redness, haemorrhoids, mouth sores, water, beans, red-eye, and more acute psychosis hot sexually transmitted diseases. You can find his product at Lazada, Malaysia and Shopee.com
The following home remedies may be helpful to remove heat toxin in your body. Drink
fresh coconut water. Eat watermelon and mung bean broth during hot
weather. Fruits high in fiber are helpful in eliminating the toxin in
our bodies such as apple, lemon, grape, pears, and strawberry. Lemon
helps
our bodies to be more alkaline, which greatly neutralizes toxicity in
our
body. Eat a raw cucumber to cleanse the blood and clear internal heat from the body Stay in a cool room with fresh air. Drink some
cooling teas may be helpful such as chrysanthemum flower tea, If you live or travel in a tropical country and feel sick due to the hot weather. You can try this remedy: - Add a teaspoon of salt in a can of coke. Mix well and drink it may help with the initial stages of fever or heatiness. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. Stay in a cool place and avoid exposure to strong and hot sunlight. Take one bitter gourd (bitter melon), remove the pith and slice it. Add 2 teaspoons of green tea. Add some water to boil and simmer until the bitter melon is soft. Serve as a tea. Loofah (絲瓜) is related to gourds and cucumber. Cook (stir-fry) it with egg to eat during summer. It is cooling. During summer or hot weather, do not eat ice-cream or drink very cold drinks as too much can upset the digestive system. TCM recommends ‘Yin” foods such as winter melon, lotus root, cucumber, water apple, watermelon, bitter melon, coconut water, bananas, green beans, mung beans, pearl barley, dragon fruit, pear, star fruit, kiwi fruit, herbal teas, chrysanthemum tea, and wolfberry leaves. During hot weather, it is hot and damp which will cause too much internal heat and dampness in our bodies can cause illness. Mung beans, watermelon, and cucumber can dispel internal heat in the body while pearl barley, winter melon, and celery can dispel dampness. Winter melon juice + Pear juice = A nice cooling drink! Boil a handful of chopped winter melon with 4 cups of water. Drink as a tea can clear heat and dampness from the body. Boil some mung beans with winter melon. Mung Beans (Aso known as Green Beans) Dispelling heat and detoxifying the body. How To Cook Mung Bean Soup-Click here to learn Watch
Video and
learn Gua Sha
|
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A Chinese
video with English and Chinese subtitles showing how Bian
stone therapy with a pair of Yingyang (Taichi) Bianstone gua sha plate
can be used to improve eyesight, hair loss, muscle pain, and common
illness. Also see how the women in her late 87 can manage to get her
hair darker by scraping with ying yang Bian stone gua sha plate.
Bianstone is silky smooth enough to scrape directly on the skin without
using any oil. Bian stone is a very good companion health product to
keep by your side for daily health maintenance to prevent illness.
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| Guasha using Heat Therapy Massager (Available at click here) | ||||||||
|
Cupping
method also known as Hijama therapy is getting rid of bad blood (toxic
metals, chemicals, bacteria, and pathogens in the blood), which is many
times more effective than a traditional massage. The cup is used to
create minor
bruising on the reflex zones usually on the back. After that, the cup
is removed and a surgical instrument is used to pierce the skin on the
affected parts of the body. Then, using a suction cup to draw the bad
blood out and a clot of dark blood would begin accumulating in the cup.
It is used to treat many diseases such as pain and inflammation, lung
infection, colds, joint pain, back pain, headache, internal organ
disorders, nerve pain, kidney problems, heart problem, unsteady gait,
gout, stroke, constipation, cancer, skin diseases, etc. This method is
the fastest way to detox the body and beneficial to remove heat toxin.
More information about Hijama Therapy - click here Watch the video how wet cupping is done: |
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| Heatstroke (中暑) | ||||||||
|
Please scroll down to
read
Heatstroke may occur when you are exposed to extreme heat during hot weather combined with dampness due to humidity. The body temperature can rise to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) or higher. It can cause death if emergency treatment is not given on time. The symptoms are throbbing headache, muscle cramps, nausea, high body temperature, shortness of breath, fainting, unconsciousness, dizziness, brain function failure, convulsions and even death. Regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C can help boost immunity against weather-related illnesses.Vitamin C helps the body cope with high temperatures better, reducing heat stroke, heat rash, etc. Ascorbic acid has been shown to support sweat glands and prevent burnout in warmer temperatures.Workers who are exposed
to extreme heat or work in hot environments may
be at risk of heat stress. Children and people with
pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood
pressure, and overweight people tend to accumulate heat in the
body and were at higher risk of heat stroke. People
unaccustomed to high ambient temperatures are at risk during heatwaves. Avoid outdoor activities during very hot weather. Wear a hat and drink water every hour if you work or exercise outdoors. During hot and humid weather, take shower two to three times a day can prevent heat stroke. In
TCM treatment of heatstroke, use ‘Pa Sha’ or Guasha
method to clear the heat in the body which is the best first
aid treatment for heatstroke. After Guasha or Pasha treatment, a patient can drink a cup of Mung bean soup, which can help to cool down the body. Boil and simmer a cup of mung bean with 3 cups of water for about 15 minutes. Strain the liquid and drink the soup when cool. Cut one onion, rub on the patient’s chest, back, neck and behind the ears can help to cool down the body’s temperature. Soak some dried plums in a glass of water. Give it to the patient to drink is a good remedy for heatstroke. Mix
1 spoon Apple Cider Vinegar with 1 teaspoon Honey in a glass of water
may help with heatstroke. Coconut water is also good for treating heatstroke. Elephantopus
Scaber L (Di Dan Tou):- Take 2 roots,
wash clean and pound the herb in a mortar. Add a ½ glass of drinking
water. Strain out the juice, add a pinch of salt
and give it to the patient. It is also an effective remedy
for those
having "sha" or climate sickness. There is a Chinese or Japanese medicine known as ‘Fung Tan', 'Jintan' 人丹, 仁丹 which can be used to treat heatstroke. This herbal medicine is cooling and used for a sore throat. 12x Jintan Silver Pills Japanese Refreshing Breath & Relief Sore Throat Best Product From Thailand Recommended Supplements to prevent Heat Stroke: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Potassium, Folic acid, hibiscus tea. |
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| More Things For You To Read | ||||||||
| Heart Attack and Stroke | ||||||||
| Zhu Mao Tan (猪毛丹) - click here to learn>>> | ||||||||
| Sticky Blood- click here | ||||||||
| Low Blood Pressure - click here to learn | ||||||||
| Feeling faint suddenly (Near Syncope) | ||||||||
| 心脏病发作的几个急救穴位，有效顺通心血管堵塞 Several first aid acupuncture points for heart attack, effective smooth cardiovascular blockage |
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| 胳膊酸疼要注意，心脏病发作前2个症状，手三里调节身体！ 【侃侃养生】 The arm should be aching, pay attention to the two symptoms before the heart attack, and adjust the body with your hands! |
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| High Blood Pressure | ||||||||
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Disclaimer:-
All health tips here are for educational purposes. The information given here should not be used for treating your health problems. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have a health problem, you should consult a healthcare provider. Herbs can interact with other medicines. Do not take them together. Consult with your physician first. I do not claim that anything in my blog can cure certain diseases. That would be illegal. Instead, I believe that there isn’t, and never will be a one-stop ‘cure’ to all diseases and that eliminating disease requires many changes including diet, exercise, and switching to healthy foods. * All trademarks, company names, product names and logo mentioned are the property of their respective owners. |
Chinese Gua Sha
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