Chinese Gua Sha Scraping Therapy

Chinese Gua Sha Scraping Therapy Dr. Drew Ordon: Well, we have our next patient here. Dr. Travis Stork: I hope you don’t use Moxibustion. Don’t, Andrew don’t. Dr. Jim Sears: I know there’s going to be fire involved here. Dr. Travis Stork: Don’t let Chris doMoxibustion on Jim’s back because it’ll light on fire with all of that hair. Dr. Jim Sears: No. Dr. Drew Ordon: So our next treatment is Gua Sha, correct? Dr. Chris Kleronomos: Correct. It’s Gua Sha therapy. It’s a traditional scraping therapy. Dr. Jim Sears: Scraping? Dr. Drew Ordon: Like scraping particles— Dr. Chris Kleronomos: Exactly, so it’s only going to be excruciating, it would be painful for a few seconds. Dr. Jim Sears: Oh, okay, good. Dr. Chris Kleronomos: I’m teasing you. It’s actually going to feel quite good. Also use for a variety of conditions. Traditionally, there’s lot of different tools used from Buffalo horn to coins, there’s seashells even. This here is a more modern tool obviously. Okay, so a little massage oil. Dr. Jim Sears: This just feels good. Dr. Chris Kleronomos: Well begin to this part? Dr. Jim Sears: Yeah, it’s just fine. Dr. Chris Kleronomos: All right, and then the tool. Dr. Drew Ordon: The scraping or the rubbing that’s what the Gua Sha means, okay. Dr. Chris Kleronomos: Absolutely, I’ll just go ahead and scrape down the muscles. In this case the calves and so what we’re doing is we do this until what’s— Dr. Drew Ordon: We’re looking for some pinpoint, some petechiae, right? Dr. Chris Kleronomos: Absolutely, that’s actually called the “Sha” and so we do this until we raise petechiae. Dr. Drew Ordon: Are we -- are you getting some here? Dr. Chris Kleronomos: Maybe. Dr. Travis Stork: Because you’re actually breaking the capillaries in the skin? Dr. Chris Kleronomos: It’s more of a transition bringing the blood to the surface but there probably is some capillary rupture in the small superficial aspects. Dr. Drew Ordon: And specifically where are you training? Dr. Travis Stork: How are you Jim? Dr. Jim Sears: It’s not comfortable. Dr. Travis Stork: Can I interrupt for just one minute and say you’re looking at Jim’s face. This is the one of those things where -- we talked about this on the show we’re highlighting alternative treatments, but if you go somewhere and you’re getting shoot with that and it hurts, you’ve got to speak up. Dr. Lisa Masterson: Right. Dr. Drew Ordon: Absolutely. Dr. Travis Stork: And Jim— Dr. Jim Sears: It doesn’t hurt. It’s just, it’s not comfortable. Dr. Drew Ordon: It is like a little — Dr. Jim Sears: -- deep massage. Dr. Drew Ordon: Kind of like a deep tissue massage. Dr. Jim Sears: Yes. Dr. Travis Stork: Obviously looking at that as a doctor, I’m thinking well—that not only hurt but do we have to worry about infections and other issues? Dr. Drew Ordon: I mean is it really helping. Dr. Lisa Masterson: Sorry. Dr. Chris Kleronomos: Right. Well, it’s safe if done by a trained person. Obviously, you don’t want to break the skin ever. Dr. Drew Ordon: Do you want me to do a little for you Jim? Dr. Travis Stork: Go for it. Dr. Chris Kleronomos: The intensity of the reaction traditionally is said to be based on how deep or how severe the pathogen is. So the more severe it is the more reaction you’ll see.