Every week there is another diet, workout, or pill that claims to help you get the body of your dreams. What they fail to mention is that the most important aspect of fat loss and muscle building is the recovery process. This means what you do in the time after you workout matters just as much as your time actually spent working out. Which is where Gua Sha comes in.
One of the oldest recovery methods that began in Eastern Asia, is Gua Sha (pronounced gwahshah), or muscle scraping. This method was used in the earliest forms of traditional medicine and what doctors relied on to break down scar tissue and connective tissue, as well as move energy around the body.
What is Gua Sha?
Gua Sha is the method of scraping or applying pressure to the skin in a way that improves circulation and flushes out toxins. This is traditionally done with a stone tool, and has also been called skin scraping or spooning.
In traditional Chinese medicine, this method is said to aid in moving around your "chi," which is your energy that flows freely about your body. Many believed that in order to live a healthy and balanced life, your chi must be balanced.
Modern medicine credits Gua Sha for helping decrease, blood stagnation, which is the source of most chronic pain.
Applications of Gua Sha
Gua Sha is used for a very wide variety of ailments, some of which include back pain, shoulder pain, carpal tunnel. This method of recovery also benefits the immune system by reducing inflammation. So people used to, and still use it, to shorten the life span of a fever, cold, or any other health issues that affect the lungs.
The reason it's so beneficial to recovery is because connective tissue can get strained and kind of stuck without proper stretching after exercise, especially with weight lifting. Gua Sha helps break up that sticky connective tissue and make lifts feel lighter and well as increase flexibility again.
The best part is that there is a way to incorporate the Gua Sha practice from the comfort of your own home. With TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) technology, you can now experience all the benefits of the ancient practice and recover at home. When looking for an electrical stimulation machine, it's hard to find one that has the settings to match the Gua Sha intensity. We recommend The VPod, which has 24 different features (one of which is Gua Sha) as well as 20 intensities to customize your recovery session. Visit VPod.Life for more information about the wireless unit and app (available in the Google and Apple App Store).
Happy Healing!