Quality of Life

Gua Sha for Pain Relief

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What is Gua Sha?

Gua Sha is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves “press-stroking” the skin with a smooth edged instrument to remove stagnation from the area of concern. “Gua” refers to the scraping action, where as the “Sha” refers to the petechiae (red marks) that are produced after the application.

What are the therapeutic benefits?

  • Improves circulation
  • Relieves pain
  • Removes stagnation
  • Breaks-up scar tissue
  • Stimulates the immune system
  • Eliminates toxins
  • Can be relaxing
  • “Up-regulates the HO-1 gene expression”(1) – helps to decrease oxidative stress.

What are the indications?

  • Pain
  • MSK Disorders
  • Breast Engorgement
  • Stress
  • Chronic injuries
  • Colds/flu
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Scar tissue

What does the research say?

  • After one treatment with Gua Sha, versus heat pack, to the posterior neck in patients with chronic mechanical neck pain, there was a statistically significant reduction in pain, increase in quality of life, and decreased pain with motion in the intervention group. Follow-up was one week later. (2)
  • Postpartum breastfeeding women with breast engorgement problems were assigned to a Gua Sha protocol or hot packs and massage for 20 minutes. The Gua Sha was statistically more effective at decreasing breast engorgement, breast temperature, pain, and discomfort both at 5 min and 30 minutes (3)
  • A systematic review showed that it may be beneficial for MSK pain (4)
  • A study of individuals with chronic neck pain and chronic low back pain reported decreased pain and improved quality of life following 1 treatment, BUT they were compared to those on the weight list (5)
  • In combination with other TCM therapies, Gua Sha caused a decrease in TSH levels in patients with Subclinical Hypothyroidism (6)
  • Many case studies exist for its application in other conditions such as hepatitis, headaches – migraine type, priapism, etc.

What are the Contraindications (when should Gua Sha not be used)?

Gua Sha should not be performed in the following cases:

  • Broken skin
  • Fractures
  • Contusions
  • Burns
  • Over moles or pimples
  • Over genitals

Caution should also be used, or Gua Sha not done in patients with any of the following:

  • Older patients with less “elastic” skin
  • Frail patients
  • Those taking blood thinner medication
  • Past history of abuse – the treatment can be misinterpreted as abuse

Please let your health care provider know if you have any of the following around the area that they will be treating.

What should be done after treatment?

  • Following the treatment, let the patient know that they:
    • May feel sore for several days
    • May have bruising or petechiae for several days
    • Should drink plenty of water to help their body flush out toxins and waste product
    • Keep body surfaces that have had treatment done to them covered (the treatment opens up pores, maybe susceptible to wind invasions)

Resources

  1. http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=00634f78-4ef4-404a-8ae0-815effdbe21e%40sessionmgr4004&vid=1&hid=4109
  2. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1526-4637.2011.01053.x/abstract;jsessionid=F0AB4AC624AF8F8728F4727D225E24D7.f01t03?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false
  3. http://journals.lww.com/jnr-twna/Abstract/2010/03000/Effects_of_Gua_Sha_Therapy_on_Breast_Engorgement_.aspx
  4. http://biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1749-8546-5-5.pdf
  5. http://worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/s0192415x1250067x
  6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22165143
  7. http://www.chinesemedicinetimes.com/section.php/307/1/gua_sha_a_clinical_overview

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC (416-498-9763), and let me help you achieve your health goals.

Nature Cure: Health Benefits of Nature

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2014-10-11 07.12.17From the beginning, humans have been surrounded by nature, and one cannot deny that humans have a connection to nature. Not only is nature beautiful to look at, but it also has some health benefits. These health benefits may be different based on your exposure or encounter with nature.

Viewing Nature

One does not have to be in nature to view it. The health benefits from viewing nature can even be obtained from viewing a picture on a wall of a scene involving nature, or looking out a window. The following list of health benefits can be obtained from simply viewing nature:

  • Decreased physical symptoms including headaches
  • Better test results (in regards to exams)
  • Better performance in attention demanding tasks
  • Decreased stress and quicker recovery from it
  • Increased well – being
  • Increased mood and faster recovery from mental fatigue
  • Increased job satisfaction
  • Improved immunity
  • Faster recovery following surgery

Being in Nature

Being in nature can involve many different things including sitting outside, playing outside, or working outside. The health benefits of being nature depend on what an individual is doing and how they may experience being in nature. As a result, this is not a comprehensive list, but can provide insight into the health benefits of being in nature:

  • Decreased severity of symptoms in children with ADD
  • Increased concentration
  • Improved cognitive functioning
  • Aid individuals recovering from substance abuse
  • Increase confidence (if performing different tasks in nature)
  • Increased physical activity, and subsequent health benefits from physical activity

Observing Plants and Gardens

Many communities have developed community gardens and many individuals have plants in their home. By observing either of these, one can experience several health benefits, including:

  • Increase feelings of peace
  • Improved psychological well – being

Observing or interacting with animals

Observing animals in nature can be very peaceful and tranquil, but there can be added benefit from also spending time with an animal (preferably a well – known animal) such as a dog or a cat:

  • Express intimacy and facilitate social connection
  • Decrease stress
  • Decrease blood pressure and heart rate
  • Decreased minor health problems
  • Improved mental health
  • Decreased cholesterol
  • Decreased triglycerides
  • Improved quality of life

With all of these different ways of interacting with and experiencing nature, I would encourage you to find your own way of interacting with nature and embrace the health benefits that can be obtained from that. The information from this article was derived from the following resource: http://www.georgewright.org/262maller.pdf. For more information please refer to this resource or ask Elisha Cook for more information.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC today and let me help you achieve your health goals.