Traditional Gua Sha and Cupping: A Simple Solution for Pain

by Rosemary Scavullo, Dipl. ABT, BA

Oftentimes muscular pain cannot be explained. It seems to come out of nowhere, and then we may try
to guess at what we did to provoke the pain. There are many reasons or explanations that we give in the
West such as muscular strain or inflammation. In Traditional Asian medicine and culture there is yet
another way to interpret and manage pain. Pain comes from the stagnation of "chi" and/or blood (e.g.,
poor circulation), or invasion of cold and/or wind. These are familiar qualities to the Asian medical
practitioner who studies these qualities to form a basis for treatment. Chi is also known as "ki", "prana",
energy, or life force, but there is no true English translation for this concept.

One basic principle in Asian medicine is to find ways to encourage the body's own innate ability to heal
itself. Gua sha and cupping assist in this process. Gua sha is a method of stimulating the skin in an area
or on an acu-point repeatedly. Cupping is a process of using suction cups on acu-points. Both bring
toxins to the surface of the skin and help with lymph drainage as well as blood circulation, which, of
course, is fundamental to healing. The Chinese refer to this as relieving the outside so the inside may
recuperate.

As an Asian bodywork therapist, my specialty is shiatsu, which is a system of manual therapy using the
meridians and acu-points you may know from acupuncture. I have found gua sha and cupping very
useful in relieving many pain conditions (as well as congestion). Gua sha is especially good for non-
abrasive injuries as well as acute and chronic pain¹ and cupping for non-heart-related unspecified chest
pain, or abdominal pain, as well as a variety of other forms of pain.²

Here are two examples:

A 60-year-old woman came to me with a small area on her upper back where she could get no relief
from her unexplained pain. It was not the usual stress of the trapezius muscles most people feel. The
cause was undetermined and massage was not effective in relieving the pain. After one gua sha
treatment her symptom was gone.

Another woman in her 40's who complained of upper back tightness as well as a history of asthma
found she had greater range of movement without pain and reduction in the frequency of her asthmatic
attacks after two 30-minute treatments. In this case I used a combination of gua sha, cupping and
shiatsu.

There are more many cases where this simple technique has helped, including fibromyalgia and
sciatica.

In most Asian cultures people recognize gua sha as a home remedy for colds and malaise. It is easy to
administer and requires very little training to be effective. Cupping, on the other hand, requires more
training and is generally performed by Asian medical practitioners but is also easy for non-Asian health
therapists to learn. Gua sha and cupping are effective on both children and adults and should be used
with caution by persons who are particularly feeble. I recommend that parents learn how to treat their
own children to help manage various childhood challenges.