Gua Sha: Features And Benefits
Gua sha is a traditional Chinese method of treatment and is about 2,000 years old. Gua means “scraping” and sha means “sand”.
In this treatment, the Therapist massages the skin with a flat jade or quartz stone. It is now part of alternative or natural therapies. It aims to address specific health issues. It helps relax muscles, relieve pain, promote tissue drying, and improve blood circulation.
People have also started using the gua sha method of treatment for aesthetic purposes against aging, as it seems to reduce wrinkles.
What tools are used in gua sha therapy?
Jade or quartz stone are the most important aids in this method. The stone is usually heart-shaped, but there are other shapes for different parts of the body. Some of the shapes resemble a fish, some are bird’s feet and some are rectangles. In addition to this, there are also massage rollers made of jade stone, as well as face oils and moisturizers.
Gua sha: what are the benefits of treatment?
The benefits of this treatment have not yet been scientifically studied, although its proponents claim the treatment is effective in a number of diseases. The effect of the treatment depends on the type of stone used.
Jade, for example, has sedative properties, and quartz, in turn, helps reduce inflammation, improve blood circulation, and stimulate the lymphatic system.
Migraines, arthritis, and neck and back pain
Gua sha treatment has traditionally been used to treat the symptoms of various inflammatory diseases as well as chronic pain. Some users also claim that it helps relieve migraines and treat neck and back pain due to poor posture.
Massage relieves muscle tension. According to this study, it is an effective treatment for chronic neck pain along with other methods such as heat bandages.
A clinical study on the subject also showed its effectiveness in the treatment of migraine even in patients who did not respond to over-the-counter pain medications.
Menopausal symptoms and swollen breasts
Women experience a variety of symptoms during menopause, the most common of which are:
- Irregular sleep rhythm
- Missing or excessive bleeding and heavy periods
- Anxiety
- Chronic symptoms of fatigue
- Feeling of suffocation
However, this study found that gua sha can help reduce menopausal symptoms in women. It was also used to treat swollen breasts.
This study, in turn, shows that women who undergo gua sha massage after childbirth are less likely to suffer from excessive breast milk production. This greatly improves breastfeeding time.
Aesthetic purposes
Most of the attention given to gua sha treatment is devoted to its use for aesthetic purposes. People use it against aging as it is supposed to reduce wrinkles and soften the skin.
It is used for this purpose on the back, buttocks, arms and legs. Gua sha can also be done as a facial massage. It aims to stimulate blood circulation and help the skin absorb all the products used.
Side effects
Gua sha is a natural and safe method of treatment. However, rubbing or scraping the skin with a massage stone can cause bruising that will go away in a few days.
However, there are a few side effects and contraindications:
- It is not suitable for people who have just undergone surgery, especially if it was just the same massage area.
- It is not suitable for people who have problems with blood clotting or who are currently taking anticoagulant treatment. Namely, using this method can break some small blood vessels.
- The massage stone should also not be rubbed on skin with wounds, swelling or blood clots.
How is gua sha treatment done?
The gua sha treatment method should be performed by a trained professional. The stone should be slid when rubbing the body upwards and in only one direction. The same goes for the face. Here are some examples:
- Neck. The massage starts at the bottom of the neck and then moves upwards, moving the stone from the inside out. The stone is heart-shaped and is pressed a little harder at the bottom of the neck.
- Face. The massage moves from the jaw to the ears and follows the shape of the face on the same side of the stone. The stone is lightly pressed at the end of each movement.
- Cheekbones. The massage involves several movements that point from the nose to the cheekbones and from the cheekbones to the ears. The stone is lightly pressed at the end of each movement.
- Nose and mouth games. The massage consists of oblique movements from the lower part of the lips towards the chin and in the other direction towards the corners.
- Eye area. The massage is started from the corners and directed towards the temples using a heart-shaped stone and upward movements.
- The area between the forehead and the corners. In the massage, the middle part of the corners is lightly pressed on the convex side of the stone, then moving upwards towards the hairline.
Proven effects
Opponents of gua sha treatment have no scientific basis. There is no doubt that massage will soften muscles and increase the formation of new blood vessels, but it can be said to occur regardless of the massage stone. So the stone is not necessary, so the effects are not due to it.
However, several studies have revealed that this method of treatment helps to reduce the severity of neck pain in patients as early as a week of use. Another study shows that this method helps patients restore mobility and flexibility and reduces the need for pain medication.
In a study by Peking University, the treatment was used to activate the immune response as well as reduce inflammation in mice with the PR8 virus. This method prevented inflammation from birth. However, this was only a controlled study in animals.
Doing treatment in the evening without makeup
Jade and quartz stone adapt to skin shapes to enhance stimulation as long as the movements are done in the right way.
It should also be borne in mind that this treatment should be done on clean and moisturized faces with no makeup at all. In addition to preventing aging, doing treatment in the evening before going to bed will also help relax your muscles.
