Why Gua Sha Benefits Us?
Gua Sha is a natural therapy that uses a gua sha tool to apply pressure and gently scrape areas of your body. It helps the flow of blood and qi (energy) to circulate smoothly throughout your body.
TCM views stress or anxiety to be too much energy trying to move at one time and that causes qi to be overloaded. When it is overloaded, stagnation and obstruction occurs that reveal muscle knots, tension and pain.
When qi (energy) is insufficient, it causes fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath and generally weakened resistance to pathogenic factors.
Gua Sha helps:
- Improve circulation; it stimulates blood flow in the affected area.
- Relieve tension and muscle pain; it helps to untangle knotted areas and release built-up muscular tension.
- Promote lymphatic drainage; it can eliminate fluid build-up, which can in turn reduce puffiness
- Produce slimming effect; the movement of the scraping will break down the fats that are actually cellulite-causing build-ups. Improve the texture of your skin, toning it while stimulating the muscles and distributing the fat evenly throughout your body, producing the slimming effect.
Gua Sha Helps in Peri-menopausal Weight Loss as well.
In East Asia, Gua Sha therapy is widely used in patients with peri-menopausal obesity. It promotes full body toning by removing toxins that cause cellulite and loose skin. Besides, gua sha slimming stimulates qi, which helps to improve the digestive system and rebalances the functionality of our internal organs. It is believed to accelerate the elimination of water retention and fat accumulation in lower part of body such as belly, hips and thighs, which are the common complaints among peri-menopausal women.
Aimin uses Acuflex, another signature weight loss treatment in Singapore. This is a combination of TCM’s gua sha slimming treatment and modern use of heat energy to reduce fat. The process involves scraping the skin layers with a heated skin scraper to activate the muscles and so as to promote collagen production.
Any side effects for gua sha treatment?
As a natural therapy, gua sha is safe. The procedure causes light bruising, which often appears as purple or red spots known as petechiae or sha.
What is Petechiae (Sha)?
Petechiae(sha) represents poor circulating blood and metabolic wastes which temporarily congest the surface tissues and muscles. Please don’t be alarmed if you see millet-like skin rash or minor bruises after treatment as it only takes 7-14 days to disappear.
What Does the Color of the Petechiae(sha) Indicate?
- Light colored- Deficiency of blood or qi
- Bright /intense red- Recently contracted condition (acute)
- Purple or black- Stagnation (slow flow of blood)
- Brown- Lack of oxygen and poor blood quality
- Dark/deep red – Heat in the blood (due to inflammation, fever or agitation)
The importance for disinfecting
It is important to disinfect gua sha tools before and after use as risk of transferring blood borne illnesses if any bleeding takes place.
Who Should Avoid Gua Sha Therapy?
If you’ve had any surgery in the last eight weeks, avoid gua sha therapy treatment.
If you are taking blood thinners or clotting disorders and are diabetic, it is advisable to avoid gua sha therapy.
