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I was introduced to Gua Sha - a way to release stuck Chi - in 1998 in California from Yuan Zhi Fu, a lovely Chinese doctor practicing near Laguna Beach.
In California to teach a class, this gua sha thing looked intriguing.
First we spread the skin with Vicks (as a UK substitute for special Gua Sha oil), to penetrate, heat, cleanse and promote blood circulation. Then we scrape with the special tool - a flat surfaced tool with rounded corners and edges, about the size of a credit card. Sometimes a Chinese rice bowl or ceramic spoon may be used. The skin is scraped either until all the stuck Chi is released, or until the place being scraped stops hurting. Did I mention Gua Sha can be quite painful at times? It can. However, it is also very effective in the release of both chronic and acute pain, as well as fatigue. The treatment also leaves marks like hickeys as the stuck chi releases through the surface of the skin, which can be quite alarming, but which fade within a few days.
Photo of the marks on the skin raised by a gua sha treatment 
Well, obviously, I'm a Reiki Master who practises Reiki every day. There couldn't possibly be any stuck chi in my system. Except there was. Lots. As a child I had suffered pretty much daily from fibrocitis (apparently now known as fibromyalgia. Who knew?), manifesting as an intense burning sensation in both shoulders. Hadn't had a problem with it for years, except occasionally. On application of gua sha across the neck and shoulders, there was all that deep purple stuck chi being released to the surface. This is not unusual, so even if you're not having pain now, if you've had chronic pain in the past, there will still be stuck chi waiting in the system to manifest again.
You understand that for the reasons outlined above - the very alarming looking marks that appear during and after a gua sha treatment - you will be required to sign a very comprehensive disclaimer before it!
According to Yuan Zhi Fu, Gua Sha is an ancient Chinese folk treatment that fell into disuse with the rise of Western Medicine in China. However, because health costs were rising, the government reintroduced its use in the 1990s for self help and community health care.
Being a cynical sort, I have asked several acupuncturists whether they have heard of Gua Sha. They have, but are not keen on giving people Gua Sha because of the marks it leaves on the body.
Vietnamese people have a similar treatment, where they rub the skin with coins in order to release pain and fever. When the Vietnamese first came to the West and sent their children to school with these marks on their skin, social services were often called by schools, whose teachers did not understand that this was health care, not abuse.
If you have pain and would like to try gua sha for it, pick up the phone and contact me to arrange an appointment.
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