Why The Gua Sha Tool Is Taking The World By Storm; What Gua Sha Is And How To Use It (Plus Science Studies)
Jess Lewis |
Gua Sha is taking Instagram by storm with nearly 70k posts appearing under #guasha, but what’s all the fuss about?
Gua Sha also known as ‘coining’ ‘spooning’ or ‘scraping’ has been used for thousands of years from ancient China, up until the present day. Gua Sha, which means Bruising of the Sha, or Raising Sha, helps to stimulate circulation and metabolic process.
The tool is flat and usually made from crystals such as Jade or Rose Quartz. The tool is designed to hug the contours of the face and body in a specific way, to increase blood flow and circulation, but also to smooth and refine the skin.
It works in a similar way to acupuncture without the need for needles, stimulating a variety of acupressure points across the body, neck, and face. The aim is to move qi or chi (energy) around the body and to bring about balance and restore equilibrium to the physical, emotional and spiritual
It’s often used as part of a facial because the tool quickly works to release trapped tension in the muscles, and it feels amazing! Gua Sha is used for revitalising the complexion of the skin; while assisting lymph flow and encouraging the overall healing of this area.
Does Gua Sha hurt? It’s actually quite relaxing and I really do notice a difference straight away. My skin feels firmer, plumper and less puffy, especially in the area around the eyes. My Gua Sha always gives me a nice dewy complexion too and makes my skin absolutely glow!
“Gua Sha doesn’t hurt,” says Benjamin Kligler, the research director of integrative medicine at Beth Israel. Kligler says that Gua Sha works by stimulating the immune system and that scraping the back can help alleviate conditions that aren’t related to back pain. (source)
Check out Gua Sha in Action! Holly uses this Gua Sha Tool.If you fancy grabbing yourself a rose quartz Gua Sha and some of the amazing Blue Lotus Moringa Oil, enjoy 10% off with discount code GUASHAHEALING. onthe Ritual Self-Care Kit. I tend to do my face daily for 10-15 minutes using Blue Lotus Moringa Oil and the exact Gua Sha tool shown in the video.
Video Credit: Holly
Insta @the_calm_yard
One of the best things about Gua Sha is its ability to relieve chronic and acute pain, but it actually has a huge amount of therapeutic benefits. I’ve literally just started scratching the surface. In this article, I’ll be exploring 5 major benefits of Gua Sha.
5 Reasons to Own A Gua Sha Tool
It Helps To Fight and Prevent Ageing
Gua Sha is excellent for healing skin on the face, its known to prevent and treat the signs of aging. It rejuvenates the face from the inside out, tackling; wrinkles, dark circles, and sagging skin too. It’s so effective because of its amazing ability to stimulate beyond the surface to the deeper layers- even to the mechanics of the body’s energy. Wrinkling starts off deep in the dermis, a thick layer underneath the epidermis, where proteins such as elastin and collagen are found. As we get older we produce less collagen, by the time we reach 21 we produce less than 1% collagen each year, which means the skin becomes thinner and starts to lose elasticity.
When you scrape the skin with a Gua Sha, it starts to stimulate the layers deep underneath the outer layer. This improves microcirculation, releases toxins; skin glows, and has a better tone and just a better overall complexion!
Gua Sha helps to:
Reduce wrinkles significantly with regular use
Firms up sagging skin on the neck and face
Help even out skin tone, decreases discoloration and age spots
Gives the skin life
Assists with the draining of lymphatic fluid
Counters the appearance of dark circles under the eyes
Diminishes acne and rosacea
If you would like to know how to use the Gua Sha tool on your face, please see the end of the article.
Reduces Inflammation
In 2011 a study was carried out on one case study; a man who had liver inflammation. 48 hours after being given a Gua Sha treatment it was noted that there was a decline in his liver enzymes. The researchers concluded that Gua Sha has the ability to elevate liver inflammation,. Gua Sha has shown to have a positive impact on conditions caused by inflammation like chronic hepatitis during one study during 2011.
Help With Perimenopause symptoms
A recent 2017 study has shown some promising results of reducing the symptoms of perimenopause. Perimenopause “usually starts in a woman’s 40s, but can start in her 30s or even earlier. Perimenopause lasts up until menopause, the point when the ovaries stop releasing eggs.” (source)
Researches studied 80 women with symptoms of perimenopause. The women were split into two different groups; group 1 received 15-minute Gua Sha treatments once a week alongside conventional therapy over the course of eight weeks. The second group received only conventional therapy.
The conclusion of the study was that out of the two groups, it was the ladies in the first group that reported a higher reduction of their symptoms, which had ranged from everything from anxiety, insomnia, headaches, hot flashes and fatigue. The researches concluded that gua shamight be a great alternative solution for perimenopause as it’s not only safe but its also very effective.
Gua Sha Reduces Pain
In 2011 scientists wanted to find out how effective Gua Sha was against chronic neck pain. 48 study participants were split into two groups. Group one were given treatment using Gua Sha, whilst group two were given a thermal heating pad for treatment of their neck pain. After the first week, the patient who was treated using Gua Sha noted less pain in comparison to group two, who only received the heat mat.
An Effective Treatment For Migraines
A 72-year-old woman living with chronic headaches participated in In a study where she received Gua Sha treatments over a 14-day duration. It was found that during this time, her migraines improved. This suggested that the ancient healing technique Gua Sha could be an effective treatment for headaches.
Who Is Gua Sha Not For?
Do not use Gua Sha if you have any of the following:
Have medical conditions that affect the veins or skin
Have deep vein thrombosis
Have a pacemaker, internal defibrillator or any other implant
Bleed easily
Take medication to thin their blood
How to Use Your Gua Sha Tool For A Facial
This video is such a great demonstration of how you can use your Gua Sha tool. The language is in Mandarin, but the visuals are an ideal way to learn.
BEFORE YOU START:
Use light pressure only, the face is a sensitive area. The face is more sensitive than other parts of the body.
Keep Gua Sha at a 15-degree angle
The idea is to move any stagnant lymph fluid from the face and neck, this will drain out of the lymphatic ducts from the right and left the side of the face, in an area situated between each of the collarbones.
When you start scraping, make sure it’s in an upwards motion. Using downwards movements will be counterproductive to treating and preventing any sagging. The only time you should use a downwards motion is when you release into the lymphatic ducts.
Repeat strokes 3-5 times for each area you work on, however, you can work on the forehead 6-10 times if you feel to.
Our diagram below shows you the movements you need to be making with your Gua Sha. It’s so easy and you’ll quickly get the hang of it.
Step By Step Guide
Forehead: Starting from the middle of your eyebrows move your Gua Sha up to your hairline. Using a Gua Sha in this area activates your healing.
Low forehead: Move from the center of the forehead across to your temples.
Under eyebrow: Using the curved side of your tool, scrape your Gua Sha underneath your eyebrow and above your eyes; the correct area is where the bone is.
Under eyes: Use Slow and light movements, take the Gua Sha across where eye bags usually are. Start all the way over to the side of your nose and then move up to the temple. This will move any stagnant lymph fluid from the center of your face up and then take it up to the temple, to the hairline.
Cheeks: Repeat the same scraping or sweeping motion for the cheek. Starting from the side of the nose, moving across the cheek, and then up to the middle of the ear.
Mouth: Take your Gua Sha from your mouth to your hairline
Chin: Go from the middle of the face, moving under your lower lip and then all the way to the earlobe.
Underneath the chin: Turn the Gua Sha so you’re using the side that cups the jaw bone. Take the Gua Sha from the soft area under the chin, all the way to the bottom of your ear.
Neck: Scraping from your jaw and earlobe, move your Gua Sha down towards the middle of the collarbone.
Dumping the Lymph Fluid: Move all of the lymph fluid you have collected to the side of the face and then dump it to your lymphatic drainage system, situated between the collar bones.. Scraping from the center of the forehead, go right under the hairline, down to the temple, down to the ear, the neck until you reach the lymphatic drainage area. You can repeat this a few times to ensure all of the fluid has been dumped
Now you can repeat this for the other side of the face,
This is literally part of my daily routine now and I can safely say it’s going to be something that I continue doing. My skin feels amazing!
If you try it, let me know how you get on.
Jess 🙂
Image Credit: Jennie Scott (Photography) Carla Lewis (Model)
Chan S, Yuen J, Gohel M, Chung C, Wong H, Kwong K. Guasha-induced hepatoprotection in chronic active hepatitis B: A case study. Clin Chim Acta. 2011;in412; 1686-1688.
Nielsen A, Knoblauch NTM, Dobos GJ, Michalsen A, Kaptchuk TJ. The effect of Gua Sha treatment on the microcirculation of surface tissue: a pilot study in healthy subjects. Explore (NY). 2007;3(5) (October):456-466.
Nielsen A 1995 Gua Sha: A Traditional Technique for Modern Practice.Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
Kwong KK, Kloetzer L, Wong KK et al. Bioluminescence imaging of heme oxygenase-1 upregulation in the Gua Sha procedure. J Vis Exp. 2009.
Xia ZW, Zhong WW, Meyrowitz JS, Zhang ZL. The role of heme oxygenase-1 in T cell-mediated immunity: the all encompassing enzyme. Curr Pharm Des. 2008;14(5):454-464
Chan S, Yuen J, Gohel M, Chung C, Wong H, Kwong K. Guasha-induced hepatoprotection in chronic active hepatitis B: A case study. Clin Chim Acta. 2011;in412; 1686-1688.
Schwickert ME, Saha FJ, Braun M, Dobos GJ. [Gua Sha for migraine in inpatient withdrawal therapy of headache due to medication overuse.]. Forsch Komplementmed. 2007;14(5) (October):297-300.
Nielsen A. Postherpetic neuralgia in the left buttock after a case of shingles. Explore (NY). 2005;1(1) (January):74.
Chiu C-Y, Chang C-Y, Gau M-L. [An experience applying Gua-Sha to help a parturient women with breast fullness]. Hu Li Za Zhi. 2008;55(1) (February):105-110.
Braun M, Schwickert M, Nielsen A et al. Effectiveness of Traditional Chinese “Gua Sha” Therapy in Patients with Chronic Neck Pain; A Randomized Controlled Trial. Pain Med. 2011;12(3) (January 28):362-9.
Chiu J-Y, Gau M-L, Kuo S-Y, Chang Y-H, Kuo S-C, Tu H-C. Effects of Gua-Sha therapy on breast engorgement: a randomized controlled trial. J Nurs Res. 2010;18(1) (March):1-10.
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