Gua Sha Acupuncture Treatment Explained

Gua Sha has been trending lately in the beauty and wellness space as a great at-home selfcare routine. You’ve probably seen those funny shaped jade tools for sale on Amazon or at your pharmacy. But long before it was the latest skincare trend, Gua Sha acupuncture has been practiced in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to treat inflammation, blood and Qi stagnation, and excess heat in the body. Below, you’ll find information on what Gua Sha acupuncture is, how it differs from Gua Sha skincare, and how you can benefit from the treatment. 

Gua Sha acupuncture is the practice of rubbing or scraping flat, shaped hand tools or rollers (usually made out of jade or rose quartz) across oiled skin in repeated downward strokes. The name of the practice is quite literal: Gua means “to scrape”, and Sha refers to the resulting red marks that indicate where heat and blood stagnation is. In more clinical terms, those red marks are light petechia, which are superficial broken capillaries. 

Similar in effect to cupping therapy, the goal of Gua Sha acupuncture is to stimulate microcirculation in your soft tissue. This increases the flow of oxygenated blood into the treated areas to help stimulate your body’s natural healing process. The treatment also causes light petechia, which promotes an anti-inflammatory and immune response. The goal is to remove blood and Qi (pronounced “chee”) stagnation that has built up in your soft tissue, as well as to dissipate excess heat in the body. The reason Gua Sha tools are made from semiprecious stones like jade or rose quartz is that those are Yin stones with cooling properties. 

What to expect during your appointment 

When receiving Gua Sha acupuncture treatment, your acupuncturist will apply massage oil to the areas being treated. They will then use a shaped hand tool or roller to scrape your skin in smooth downward motions. The scrapping can be done in short or long motions, depending on the area being treated. At the beginning of the treatment, your acupuncturist may apply mild pressure and gradually increase the intensity to determine how much force you can handle. Gua Sha can be performed on the back, buttock, neck, arms, and legs. 

(For more about your first appointment, check out What to Expect at Your First Appointment.)

Even for those who aren’t dialed in to trends in the health and beauty industry will have had a hard time avoiding all the hype around Gua Sha as an at home skincare treatment. You might be wondering why you’d want to pay someone to provide a treatment that you could easily do yourself with a $12 tool from Amazon and video tutorials you found on TikTok.  

Well, Gua Sha acupuncture is not the same thing as Gua Sha for skincare. Gua Sha for skincare has a very different goal. It is only done on the face, and the goal is to smooth skin and sculpt facial features. On the other hand, Gua Sha acupuncture is a medical treatment that aims to treat and relieve a variety of health conditions, particularly to relieve and manage pain. 

Since Gua Sha causes an anti-inflammatory reaction, it is effective at treating health conditions where inflammation is a primary cause of symptoms. This means that many people use it to relieve and manage chronic pain. It’s also proven effective at mitigating the symptoms of perimenopause and hepatitis B.  

Perimenopause 

Many women entering the beginning stages of menopause will experience adverse symptoms. Some of those symptoms include hot and cold flashes, anxiety, irregular periods, fatigue, and insomnia. Gua Sha has been shown to be a safe and non-invasive treatment to relieve and prevent the more uncomfortable aspects of perimenopause. 

Hepatitis B 

Hepatitis B is a viral liver infection that causes liver inflammation, liver damage, and liver scarring. The virus is generally acute, but for some it can become chronic (meaning it lasts over six months). For those who have chronic hepatitis B, it will increase chances of liver failure, liver cancer, and cirrhosis. However, Gua Sha treatments can greatly reduce levels of the liver enzyme that indicates liver inflammation, which can decrease the likelihood and severity of liver damage. 

Joint and muscle pain 

Inflammation is the root cause of many health conditions that cause chronic pain in the joints and muscles. Arthritis and other autoimmune disorders in particular cause chronic inflammation. By reducing inflammation, you can reduce pain levels and even prevent bad pain flare-ups. 

Migraines 

Chronic migraine sufferers are familiar with how disruptive to your quality of life these headaches can be. One of the known factors that trigger migraines is poor circulation in the base of the neck, forehead, or cheeks. Gua Sha improves circulation of oxygenated blood in the soft tissue of the skin, potentially relieving migraines and reducing their likelihood of occurring. 

Neck pain 

Those who suffer from chronic, non-specific neck pain will see their pain levels greatly reduced with frequent Gua Sha treatments. This makes it a viable option for those who wish to avoid taking over the counter or prescription pain medications regularly. 

Tourette’s syndrome 

Tourette’s syndrome is a condition that affects your nervous system causing involuntary facial tics, throat clearing, and vocal outbursts. There is some evidence that repeated Gua Sha and acupuncture treatments over several months can greatly reduce the severity and frequence of symptoms. 

If you are interested in learning more about Gua Sha acupuncture and how you could benefit from the treatment, consider booking an appointment with Maisy today.