Gua Sha is a healing technique commonly used in Asia but little known in the West. It involves palpating and stimulating the skin by pressurised stroking of a round edged tool specifically designed for this purpose. During the stroking process the skin becomes red and warm resulting the appearance of small red petechiae called ‘sha’, that fade in 2 to 3 days.
Raising Sha promotes normal circulation and metabolic processes and the patient experiences immediate relief from pain, stiffness, fever, chill, cough, nausea, and so on. Gua Sha is valuable in the prevention and treatment of acute infectious illness, upper respiratory and digestive problems, and many other acute or chronic disorders. It is used as an alternative to acupuncture treatment or as part of the acupressure massage.