Gua Sha

Gua Sha is a very relaxing deep massage technique that can quickly relieve muscle pain.  This natural trend in body and skin care has conquered the world especially in recent years. It has traditionally been used to treat the body, but in recent years it has become particularly trendy as a cosmetic gua shana.  

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In the West, Gua Sha is used especially as a tool for muscle care. Gua Sha acts as an extension of the hand in the massage and effectively accesses the deep fascia membranes. It can treat muscle-related problems, relieve nerve clots and remove jammed muscle membranes.

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Gua Sha is part of traditional Chinese medicine and has been used in Asia, especially China, for over a thousand years. 

In traditional Chinese medicine, gua sha is made based on meridians and acupoints. The purpose of Gua Shan is to promote blood circulation and metabolism in local areas of pain, as well as the flow of Qin (life force) in the body, known in Chinese medicine.

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Gua sha was originally made from animal bone. Today, gua sha combs are made of semi-precious stones, wood, steel and plastic, among others.

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Gua Sha comes from the words Gua: scraping, scratching, and sha: a reddish imprint.

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What happens in Gua Sha body treatment?

Gua Sha massage begins by warming the muscles with a light touch. The skin is "scraped" along the gua sha comb with gentle strokes to warm the muscles and relax the client. After this, the body is slowly massaged with various gua sha combs. The massage is performed with different movements with the gua sha, pressing and varying the intensity of the press. The treatment should be felt, but too much pain will cause unnecessary tension in the area being treated, so it is important that you tell your massage therapist about your feelings.

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Gua Sha presses, rubs and "scratches" the musculature. All corners and sides of the gua shan are used as an aid, and the sharpest points are also used to handle the acupoints. Scraping effectively moves the fluids under the surface fascia and the lymphatic circulation. Deeper fascia layers and muscles can also be treated with stronger pressure.

The treatment may leave red marks on the area to be treated, which will disappear from the skin within a few days.

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The area to be treated in the massage is selected according to the client's wishes. The treatment can be, for example, a neck-shoulder area, a back, a half-body massage or a gua sha massage of the whole body. It is also possible to focus on a hand or foot massage, or combine the desired entities according to the time available and the client's needs.  

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What does Gua Sha affect?

Gua Sha is suitable for the treatment of both acute and various chronic conditions.

Gua Sha massage improves the microcirculation of the treated area and relieves tension in the musculature and fascia. It promotes lymph circulation and helps to remove waste products from the body. Chinese medicine  from the point of view, it strengthens the body's defense system and vitality energy Qi.  

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Gua sha massage can be used to treat a variety of pain conditions, such as muscle tension, chronic pain, neck and shoulder pain, frozen shoulder or arm, pelvic muscle tension, migraine, neck and joint stiffness, rheumatoid arthritis, fever, heat stroke, fever.

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Often one treatment alone helps and the pain may disappear during the massage. In chronic conditions, several treatments may be necessary.

Massages can also be done regularly and for preventative purposes. According to the thinking of traditional Chinese medicine, to allow Qi, the life force, to move freely.

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After treatment

After treatment, it is important to drink plenty of fluids and avoid a cold.

Also, try to avoid alcohol and coffee for the next 24 hours and eat as cleanly as possible.

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Barriers to Gua Sha treatment

fever and acute inflammation, first 3 months of pregnancy, varicose veins (including surgery), heart failure, severe heart disease, blood disorders, anemia, regular use of aspirin (due to a blood thinning effect), being intoxicated.

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