Cupping & Gua Sha Therapy
- Improves Circulation and Relieves Stress
- System Cleansing and Detoxification
- Effective for Pain, Stiffness and Tightness
- Special Treatment for Cold, Cough, Fever and Stomachache
Cupping Therapy
Cupping therapy is the method of using glass or plastic cups to induce localized suction pressure by creating a vacuum. This therapy has been widely used across many Asian cultures for centuries. Cupping therapy has been found in ancient records dating back 3500 years, and it is still used today by many alternative medicine practitioners. Ancient methods include introducing fire to create a vacuum inside glass or bamboo cups. Modern cupping sets use suction to create the vacuum. The vacuum inside the cups causes the blood to pool in localized areas, to bring about healing in the area being treated. Technological and material advancements have been integrated with cupping therapies which now incorporate many different treatments and applications.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, the meridians are pathways in the body through which the energy of life called Qi ("chi") flows. Qi also flows through every body part, tissue, and organ. Cupping therapy is mainly performed on the back because there are five main meridians that run through this area. When these meridians are opened, the internal energy is unblocked and therefore able to flow more freely throughout the entire body.
Another healing aspect of cupping therapy is through the release of toxins in the body. The suction from the cups can penetrate deep into the tissues causing the tissues to release harmful toxins. This triggers the lymphatic system, clears the blood vessels, and stretches and activates the skin.
Cupping therapy follows points along the meridians, in much the same way as Acupuncture and Acupressure. It is applied on different areas of the body to improve circulation and relieve stress. It is used to treat conditions such as pain, cough, and the common cold. Cupping therapy is also used in treating childhood asthma and diarrhea. The suction will leave some red marks on the body, but these will disappear within a few days.
Gua Sha Therapy
In Chinese language, the character Gua means to scrape or rub. Sha is a "reddish, elevated, millet-like skin rash”. Sha is also the term used to describe Blood stasis in the subcutaneous tissue, before and after it is raised as petechiae. Gua Sha is one technique that intentionally raises a Sha rash or petechiae. It is a traditional ancient Chinese healing technique that dates back over two thousand years.
Gua Sha therapy is still practiced by many TCM practitioners today. The technique involves the layering of Gua Sha oil on the skin. This oil is enhanced either with healing herbs or essential oils chosen to aid in the extraction of toxic waste. Depending on whether the treatment is for physical or emotional healing, the skin is then scraped in the area of discomfort, or at times on the entire body, using a specific Gua Sha tool.
In Chinese forms of healing, there are three types of bad or negative "Qi". The first type is dead "Qi", which refers to the stagnation of blood that has been in the body for a very long time without being released. This means the system is suffering from oxygen deprivation. Dead "Qi" is very harmful as it can encourage the growth of cancer cells. Cancer is anaerobic and cannot survive where oxygen is plentiful. The second type of bad "Qi" is stagnant "Qi". This can be caused by conditions such as lack of exercise, chronic heart, liver, kidney, spleen or lung conditions, and from obesity. Stagnant "Qi" is always associated with pain in various parts of the body. The third kind of bad "Qi" is toxic "Qi", where waste products or toxic residue accumulate in the system and when left untreated can result in very serious health problems.
Gua Sha creates suction on the skin that pulls stagnant intercellular fluid to the surface, removing toxic debris, and replacing it with fresh oxygenated, nutrient rich fluid, which in turn accelerates regeneration and revitalizes the region where unhealthy cells may or already have manifested. Gua Sha treats not only the meridian system but the entire system as well. This is why the Chinese utilize Gua Sha as their foremost treatment in the prevention of disease. Gua Sha can be used to treat, alleviate and heal chronic degenerative diseases, migraines, chronic neck, shoulder and back pain, bone spurs, strains and sprains, menstrual disorders, insomnia, heart disease, hypertension, vertigo, sinusitis, ear and eye disorders, chronic infections, sciatica, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis, neuralgia, asthma, cysts and tumors, carpal tunnel syndrome, stress, digestive disorders, muscle aches, breast pain, varicose veins, skin disorders, blood disorders and liver, spleen, kidney, bladder, and pancreatic disorders and much more.
Gua Sha treatments are not painful. As the body is scraped it pushes a build-up of fluid to the surface of the skin, and after it passes, it leaves an indention or vacuum behind which draws toxic fluid out from deep within the tissue. The toxic fluid (Sha), floods to the surface and can be seen in small red, deep purple or green pools of blood, it is also often hot on the area where the toxic heat is extracted. Red spots are an indication that toxins are being released. Where the area is deep purple, the blood is old and extremely stagnant. A dark green discoloration is a sign that stagnant blood and toxic "Qi" are being released from the system. Sometimes a clear fluid will draw to the surface in a form that resembles cellulite or goose bumps. Where the skin starts out with a green glow, which then turns red during the treatment; this is a sign that pain or stagnant "Qi" is being removed. The exposing of the Sha is literally removing disease from deep within the system.
Gua Sha Therapy, promoting "Qi" or vital life energy and blood circulation as well as the removal of toxic heat, stagnant blood and lymph fluid from the body, is an extremely important, almost miraculous method of improving one's health.
Gua Sha treatment is often used in the treatment of flu, skin rash, allergies, and cold symptoms. Practitioner use jade or ox horn Gua Sha tools with herb oil to rub patient's meridians to remove toxins and restore energy flow. It brings a great benefit for those patients who suffer from chronic pain, excess systemic toxicity, poor circulation, lymphatic congestion, Inflammation, fatigue, Infections, and physical or emotional stress.
