Is scraping good in winter

Gua Sha is a traditional Chinese medicine treatment that can regulate Qi, improve fatigue, increase immune function, and has many benefits to the body. Winter is the peak season for colds, mainly because the weather is cold and it is easy to catch a cold. Gua Sha in winter is a good way to relieve cold symptoms. It can expel cold and moisture from the body, warm up the body, and resist the arrival of certain diseases.

Can I do scraping in winter?

You can do scraping in winter.

Gua Sha is a traditional Chinese natural therapy based on the skin theory of traditional Chinese medicine. Regular scraping can adjust the meridians, relieve fatigue and increase immune function.

Winter is the season when colds are most prevalent. Gua Sha can help relieve cold symptoms. When cold symptoms appear, you can scrape the back, which is the Du meridian in the middle and the Taiyang Bladder meridian on both sides. Because all the acupuncture points of the internal organs occupy a "place" on the back, scraping the back can also adjust the various internal organs and expel the "poisonous gas" in the body.

The benefits of scraping in winter

1. Promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis

Gua Sha can regulate the contraction and relaxation of muscles, so that the pressure between tissues can be adjusted to promote blood circulation around the scraped tissues. Increase tissue flow, thereby playing the role of "promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis" and "removing blood stasis and promoting new blood".

2. Adjust Yin and Yang

Scraping has a significant effect in adjusting the balance of yin and yang in the internal organs. For example, for those with hyperperistalsis, using scraping techniques on the abdomen and back can suppress the hyperperistalsis and restore it to normal.

On the contrary, for those with decreased intestinal motility, it can promote their motility to return to normal. This shows that scraping can improve and adjust the functions of internal organs and balance the yin and yang of the internal organs.

3. Relax muscles and dredge meridians

Muscle attachment points and damaged soft tissues such as fascia, ligaments, and joint capsules can send out pain signals, which through the reflex action of nerves put the relevant tissues in a state of alert. Muscle contraction, tension, and even spasm are reflections of this state of alert. Its purpose is to reduce limb activity and thus relieve pain. This is the body's natural protective reaction.

4. Eliminate toxins

The scraping process (using scraping to produce sha on the skin) can cause local tissue to become highly congested, the blood vessels and nerves are stimulated to dilate the blood vessels, blood and lymph flow are accelerated, phagocytosis and carrying power are enhanced, waste and toxins in the body are eliminated faster, tissue cells are nourished, and the blood is purified, which increases the body's resistance, can alleviate the disease and promote recovery.

How to use the scraping board

angle

It refers to the angle formed by the scraping board and the skin. When the scraping board is perpendicular to the skin, the stimulation to the skin is the strongest, and sha is most likely to be produced, and it is also more likely to cause pain. When the angle between the scraping board and the skin is less than 90°, it is not as easy to produce sha as when scraping perpendicular to the skin, and it is not as painful as scraping vertically. Generally, keep the angle at 60°.

direction

Refers to the direction of force acting on the scraping board. When the force comes from the back of the scraping board and the pushing force is used, the skin will be strongly stimulated and it is easier to produce sha; when the force comes from the front of the scraping board and the pulling force is used, it is not easy to produce sha, but the patient will feel more comfortable.

Dynamics

Refers to the force used with a scraping board. The greater the force used, the easier it is for sha to appear, and the more sensitive the patient is; the lighter the force used, the shallower the scraping board cuts into the skin, the less likely it is for sha to appear, and the less sensitive the patient is.

Using too much force may cause local skin ulceration, while using too little force will not achieve the therapeutic effect. Therefore, the requirement for strength is "heavy but not stiff, light but not floating".

speed

Refers to the speed at which the skin is scraped. The faster the scraping speed, the shallower the depth of the scraping board into the skin, and the slower the sha appears; conversely, the slower the scraping speed, the higher the sensitivity, and the faster the sha appears. When using a scraping board, the key to the technique is to master and control the strength and speed.

Gua Sha is a very popular health care method nowadays, but it is not as simple as we see. So what are the precautions for scraping? How should I scrape my feet properly? What is the best time for scraping? Let's take a look at the article with these questions!

The foot is not only an organ for movement and walking, but also has a very close connection with various organs of the human body. Chinese medicine experts believe that the foot is the second heart of the human body. Hence the saying that “people’s legs age first, and their feet hurt first when they are sick.”

Foot reflexology massage therapy has a unique therapeutic effect on human health. It has a history of more than 5,000 years and is a precious heritage of traditional Chinese medicine.

Precautions for foot scraping massage

To maintain the indoor temperature, pay attention to keeping the exposed skin of the feet warm in winter. After the operation, the exposed part of the feet should be wrapped with a dry towel, especially to avoid cold wind blowing directly on the skin of the feet.

The patient should wait half an hour after meal before receiving foot massage.

The practitioner should use enough force to make the patient feel soreness, numbness, swelling or pain in the reflexology area of ​​the foot (within the patient's tolerance). No violence should be used. For those who are young, have good physique, and have strong foot muscles, the force can be slightly stronger; for those who are weak, old, and have thin and weak foot muscles, the force should be gentle.

The practitioner should maintain regular communication with the patient, or observe changes in the patient's expression at any time. He should tell the patient that possible reactions such as soreness, numbness, swelling, and pain are normal, and adjust the strength and speed of the technique according to the patient's reaction. The practitioner should make the patient feel normal reactions such as soreness, numbness, swelling, and pain, without making the technique too light or too heavy, which is a normal state.

A small number of patients may experience local or systemic sensations such as crawling sensations, itching, cold or hot air, or fatigue on their feet after receiving scraping massage. These are all normal phenomena.

After the operation (within half an hour), it is advisable for the patient to drink 300 to 500 ml of warm boiled water or warm mineral water.

The operator should clean and disinfect his hands before and after the operation to prevent cross-infection of germs.

How does foot scraping massage work?

Unblocking the meridians and blood

Meridians have the function of connecting internal organs and limbs. The human body's internal organs, tendons, bones, skin, flesh, five senses, nine orifices, limbs and other tissues and organs mainly rely on the meridian system for communication to make the body coordinated and unified.

Meridians have the functions of circulating qi and blood, nourishing the whole body, resisting external pathogens, and protecting the body. The meridians belong to the internal organs and the limbs externally. They communicate between the internal organs and the body surface, connecting the internal organs and tissues of the human body into an organic whole.

Among the twelve meridians in the human body, six meridians reach the feet, namely the three yin meridians of the foot (the spleen meridian of the foot Taiyin, the liver meridian of the foot Jueyin, and the kidney meridian of the foot Shaoyin) and the three yang meridians of the foot (the stomach meridian of the foot Yangming, the gallbladder meridian of the foot Shaoyang, and the bladder meridian of the foot Taiyang). Through foot scraping and massage therapy, the meridians can be dredged, pain can be relieved, the functions of the internal organs of the human body can be regulated and restored, and the functions of the disordered and diseased internal organs can be repaired and adjusted, thereby achieving recovery.

Improve blood circulation

Blood flows through the circulatory system consisting of the heart and blood vessels, transporting nutrients and excreting waste. Improving blood circulation is extremely important to the health of the body.

Every healthy person has a pair of feet, but have you ever thought about how much pressure the feet are under? With every step, a 68 kg person will bear 260 kg of pressure on his feet.

On average, your feet are subjected to 2.6 million kilograms of pressure every day. This figure is roughly equivalent to the pressure exerted by 40,000 people stepping on your shoes.

The feet are farthest from the heart in the human body. If the peripheral circulation in the feet is obstructed, it can easily cause poor blood circulation, which in turn causes poor metabolism and decreased function of tissues and organs throughout the body.

Foot scraping massage can smooth the blood circulation in the feet, enhance blood circulation throughout the body, accelerate the body's metabolism, replenish nutrition, and make your body healthy and function normally.

Regulates the nervous system

The nervous system is the dominant regulatory organ in the body. Nervous tissue is distributed throughout the human body and plays a very important role in controlling and regulating body activities.

The important and complex physiological functions of nervous tissue are all completed through reflex activities, and the basis for completing this activity is neurons.

Through reflex activity, neurons ensure the internal unity of the body and enable the functional activities of various organs to better adapt to changes in the external environment.

The foot is rich in nerve tissue. By effectively stimulating the reflex zones on the soles of the feet, the functions of the corresponding tissues and organs can be regulated, making normal ones stronger and abnormal ones improved and restored.