Over the past decade, there has been a growing interest in learning TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine in Miami, especially acupuncture and Chinese reflexology. Hover, there is another form of TCM that you probably may never have heard of but is one of the best ways ever to detoxify the body. This therapy is called “gua sha.” Some Westerners also refer to it as “spooning” or “coining”. Gua sha therapy involves the scraping of the skin surface in order to refresh and detoxify the body. Because it’s so easy to perform and produce amazing and quick results, gua sha is quite popular in Asia despite it still being a relatively unknown treatment in the West.
According to TCM, muscle injuries and soreness are basically due to obstructions in the flow of qi and blood. There’s no mystery in knowing that muscle soreness and pain can be relieved by rubbing the ailing part of the body to boost blood flow in the area; you don’t need to know what qi is for that. Gua sha therapy begins by taking a sauna or warm bath. Afterwards, your therapist applies massage oils on the part of your body to be treated. Then, your therapist will run a scraping tool over the treatment area. The Chinese believe this helps release the blocked qi. Western medicine believes the therapy expels metabolic wastes that have gathered in congested muscles and tissue. The scraping acts like a radical form of exfoliation, and tend to leave redness and marks in the body, that fade a few days after treatment.
Chinese gua sha used for the treatment of:
1. PMS
Because gua sha is an extremely efficient treatment for painful muscles, it can also be an ideal treatment menstrual pain and aches. It works on the same principles used in reflexology. Your therapist will scrape the different areas of your body to alleviate soreness and pain in your lower stomach.
2. Head colds
From time to time, especially in winter, upper respiratory illnesses can afflict many of us. One of the most enjoyable ways to treat the flu of cold is by having a sauna or hot bath followed by gua sha therapy. To eliminate fluids and release congestion in your chest you therapist may run a scraping tool on your shoulders, neck, and upper back. You’ll be able to experience almost immediate relief from this therapy.
3. Tired Muscles
People who who’ve been working hard forever, know the dreaded feeling that tend to set in the next day – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). This condition tends to occur when you’re trying to get back in to shape after a long break and then plunge into intensive exercises. If you want to prevent DOMS from occuring, you need to follow a hard work out by drinking lots of water, stretching, and a treatment of gua sha to eliminate the lactic acid that that have build up in your body and to make room for new muscle to build! Gua sha therapy is ideal for any type of muscle fatigue, stiffness, or soreness.
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