Gua sha, or scraping therapy, is a pseudoscientific practice in traditional Chinese medicine in which an object is used to scrape the skin for purported wide ranging therapeutic benefits, and it has been used for centuries across East and Southeast Asia. The practice is known by various names in English, such as spooning and coining, and in French as tribo effleurage, or friction stroking. While it is widely practiced for pain relief, relaxation, and treating symptoms like colds or fatigue, gua sha can cause adverse effects ranging from mild skin irritation to rare but severe complications.
Facts
Classification
StatusDiscontinued or Obsolete 1 FAQs
Why does gua sha leave red or purple marks on the skin?
Cleveland Clinic states that gua sha can cause small reddish-purplish spots to form on the skin. It describes them as petechiae, tiny spots of bleeding under the skin caused by broken capillaries, and says they may look like a rash. It adds that the thinking is that this triggers an anti-inflammatory response, prompting the body to promote healing in that area, but that this has not been scientifically validated.
Connections
Associated With
Gua sha is a technique of traditional Chinese medicine.
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation
Wikidata: Gua Sha
Wikidata Q1552556, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Gua sha (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gua_sha, lead sectionQuote, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gua_sha, lead section
Gua sha or scraping therapy is a pseudoscientific practice in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which an object is used to scrape the skin, for purported wide-ranging therapeutic benefits. Gua sha has been used for centuries across East and Southeast Asia.
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