Something goes wrong every minute, what you do is fix it.
                                                                                                              ─ Lt. Gen. Gus Pagonis

Cupping therapy has been used in China and many countries around the world for thousands of years. The earliest record of cupping dates back to the Han Dynasty c.24 C.E. The first cupping tool used in China was cattle horn where the practitioner sucked the air with his mouth through a hole in the small of the horn to create negative pressure; and the length of the horn was the only protection afforded to the practitioner. Cupping was mainly used to withdraw pus and blood in the treatment of boils and carbuncles; it was later used as an adjunct to Chinese surgery. As time went on, cupping was employed for other diseases and over time it developed as a stand-alone therapeutic method.

Cupping regulates the flow of Qi and Blood. It helps to draw out and eliminate pathogenic factors such as Wind, Cold, Damp and Heat. Cupping is very effective when the external pathogen still resides at the level of Wei Qi or the Defensive and Protective level of the body. Through several thousands of years of accumulated clinical experience, the applications of cupping have become increasingly wide to include the treatment of Bi-syndromes (musculoskeletal pain), common cold, chronic cough, asthma, and indigestion. Common disorders treated with cupping include, but are not limited to, Abdominal pain, anemia, asthma, atrophy syndrome, back pain, boil and carbuncles, chest pain, common cold and flu, constipation, cough, fevers, lymphatic drainage, hypertension, stroke (wind stroke, facial paralysis), and tiredness.

In China, Vietnam, Korea, and Middle Eastern countries, and especially in Chinese hospitals, cupping is applied daily until the patient gets better. Ten sessions are considered as one course, and a week of rest is given between courses.

                    Do not get caught up in only one way of doing things; and don’t look at things from just one
                       point of view. If you try another way, or change your viewpoint, the results will be different.
                                                                                                                                                     ─ Chuang Tzu

SHA means ‘evil’ or in medical terms, toxin.  It’s a term unique to Chinese medicine referring to the stasis or stagnation of Qi and blood in main and collateral channels. GUA SHA brings toxins out from the body. The modality is performed by palpation and stimulation of certain parts of the body where the skin is pressured and stroked by a round-edged specialized instrument made of semi-precious stones like jade, rose quartz, or other semi-precious stones, or with a ceramic Chinese soup-spoon. The goal is to relieve stagnation and promote free circulation of blood and fluids. It is most used in the treatment of acute internal infections, such as the common cold, upper respiratory and digestive problems, stiffness, fever, chills, cough and nausea.

SHA manifests in red or purplish color in the body when scraped. The location of SHA reflects the nature of the disease, and the appearance or color of SHA when scraped reflects the severity of the disease. The SHA brought about by the scraping will gradually disappear within 5 to 10 days. Light color SHA indicates minor illness which can be recovered easily; extensive SHA in purple blood lumps indicates serious illness requiring frequent scraping for recovery.

The patient shall keep warm after GUA SHA. After scraping, the practitioner will wipe out the remaining oil with a clean towel, and urge the patient to clothe quickly and drink hot water. The benefits of GUA SHA are many; among others: relaxing tendons, invigorating the circulation of blood and eliminating pain, promoting the circulation of Qi and Blood, clearing inner heat, and smoothing meridians. Also, reinforcing the immunity regulation function, strengthening the body’s resistance to eliminate pathogenic factors, promoting metabolism, cleaning the internal environment for anti-aging and beauty care, purifying the blood, enabling skin cells to absorb nutrients more efficiently, and balancing Yin & Yang to help the body with chronic diseases.

TREATMENT METHODS

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________REFERENCES
-Personal classroom notes. 2005-2011.
-Teacher-written school book.2005.

-Above Article Written by Dr. Osorio, Gloria DAOM, L.Ac. 2012.