GUA SHA Scraping away your headache
If someone told me years ago that scraping a soup spoon along my skin would help a
headache, I would have raised an eyebrow and smiled wryly while dismissing it as yet
another crackpot idea to come out of ‘alternative’ medicine.
How on earth can a spoon help anyone get better unless full with some unpalatable
medicinal syrup?
Do people really get taken in by these quite clearly unscientific and irrational beliefs?
Whatever next?
And with a shake of the head to represent my exasperation with the state of the world I
would think no more about it.
So what I am going to try to do now may surprise you.
The idea of scraping
I’m going to try to convince you that while you may be tempted to share my reaction
to the spoon, you would be wrong.
So, so wrong.
You would be passing up a great healing technique that was passed down to us by
our ancestors and one which costs virtually nothing to do.
So grab your spoon and listen carefully because the next time you reach for the
painkillers, you might just be able to do something about your headache yourself.
Grab your spoon
So How does it work?
The first thing you need to know is that Gua
sha is an ancient technique for scraping the
surface of the skin with a blunt, rounded-
edged instrument (hence the Chinese soup
spoon) and that this can produce a reaction
under the skin whereby red or purple dots
appear in close proximity to each other,
making it appear like you have a bruise or a
local trauma.
In fact, it is not actually either.
It is the release of blood cells from the tissue
bed and not damage to capillaries as would
normally happen if you hit a part of your
body. This means even light scraping over an
area can create this reaction.
So you may be wondering why you would want to make a part of your body appear
like you had an accident of some kind. Well, the answer lies under the skin.
Oriental medicine has long held that in addition to our more modern ideas of the
nervous system, circulatory system etc there is another system which while it may be
more difficult to see under a microscope, is still perfectly valid. This is the system of
which we might term Qi (chee) or Ki (kee). It is the ancient idea that there is a
circulatory system for this energetic phenomenon which runs over much of the body
and is connected to each of the main organs.
When we have good health this circulatory system is
functioning correctly but often when we have aches
and pains or illnesses, there is an obstruction
somewhere along the line. This is one of the main
functions of Gua sha to remove this obstruction and
help the circulation improve both of Qi and of blood.
Stopping the obstruction
So what does this mean in practical terms? It means that there are some conditions
that can be helped by this improvement in circulation.
Take headaches for example. The cause of many headaches is not actually in the
head but in the body. Put simply, the pain you may feel in your head is often a
symptom of an obstruction further down the body.
How does it help a headache?
A common cause of headaches is an
accumulation of tension in the neck and
shoulders often brought on by stress.
Massaging this area is tricky to do yourself, so
let us look at how you can treat this area and so
relieve some of the symptoms of a headache.
As far as equipment goes, it could not be simpler.
You need an object with a rounded edge - there are many types that can be
bought although the Chinese soup spoon will do just fine
Lubrication in the form of massage oil if scraping directly on the skin, or you
can avoid this by scraping directly over clothes.
To avoid issues of cross-contamination it is best not to share the tool with
another person.
What do you need?
Any area of skin you scrape over of
course needs to be free from recent
trauma, broken skin, varicose veins or
swellings and should be avoided in
anyone with blood clotting
limitations or weak, thin skin. It is
also important not to scrape over
any raised skin features like moles
and spots.
How do you do it?
Hold the tool with your dominant hand and use the side to lightly scrape down the
muscles at the side of the neck. Strokes should be short and smooth, and gradually
increase in pressure each time you scrape in a downwards direction. Scrape into the shoulder muscles towards the arms but stop short of the bony shoulder joint.
Step 1
Next use short up and down strokes to relax the neck muscles just below the
bottom of the skull at the back of the head. Start below the ear area and go
straight across the back of neck to below the other ear. Make sure that the
strokes are short and firm and in the muscle not on the bone.
Step 2
Scrape down the back of the neck into the upper back being careful not to
scrape hard over the vertebrae.
Step 3
Lastly, lift up your arm and rest it on your opposite shoulder. Use your
other hand to scrape down the trapezius muscle at the side of your body,
below the shoulder joint.
Step 4
Of course what I have given here is a simplified version of something infinitely
more complex but that is the beauty of Gua sha. You do not have to be an expert
in oriental medicine to use this technique to protect your health and alleviate
suffering. All you need are a few simple rules and treatment tips and you just
might be able to help that headache.
More information
To find out more, read
Gua Sha: A Complete Self-treatment Guide
by Clive Witham published by Mangrove
Press (ISBN: 978-0956150738).
Available in paperback and ebook formats.
The information in this article is given in good faith and is neither
intended to diagnose any physical or mental condition nor to serve as a
substitute for informed medical advice or care. Please contact your
health professional for medical advice and treatment. The author cannot
be held liable by any person for any loss or damage whatsoever which
may arise from the use of this article or any of the information herein.
Disclaimer