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