Acupuncture - Cupping - Scraping

Had a unique appointment last night. We were going to go with the "Pattern 3" treatment consisting of the deep insertion of the needles in my hips, and back...prefferably to the bone. But, upon my curiousity...as we had been talking about cupping and scraping my back and shoulder area...we decided to go on with that.

Gua sha involves scraping the skin with smooth, pressured strokes. Doctors apply a lubricant to the skin and use a smooth edged tool to scrape the skin. My doctor used a piece of buffalo horn to scrape long stroke on my upper shoulders {trap areas}, middle back and lower back.


“Gua Sha is an East Asian healing technique. Gua means to scrape or rub. Sha is a ‘reddish, elevated, millet-like skin rash’ (aka petechiae).
Sha is the term used to describe Blood stasis in the subcutaneous tissue before and after it is raised as petechiae. Gua Sha is onetechnique that intentionally raises Sha rash or petechiae.
In Vietnam the technique is called Cao Yio, in Indonesia: Kerik, in Laos: Khoud Lam.
Gua Sha is used whenever a patient has pain whether associated with an acute or chronic disorder. . There may be aching, tenderness and/or aknotty feeling in the muscles.
Palpation reveals Sha when normal finger pressure on a patient’s skin causes blanching that is slow to fade. In addition to resolvingmusculo skeletal pain, Gua Sha is used to treat as well as prevent common cold, flu, bronchitis, asthma, as well as any chronic disorderinvolving pain, congestion of Qi and Blood.”

How cupping works
Acupuncturists use cupping for specific problems in the flow of qi. Cupping disperses and moves qi by exerting suction and pressure. Cupping is used when the qi is blocked at certain points, or when qi needs to be drawn to the surface of the body from deep within. For instance, cupping is used to treat lung infections and colds, because it is believed that the suction disperses and energizes the qi that has become blocked and stagnated in the lungs. Cups can also pull out "wind-cold" that in Chinese medicine is believed to cause lung infections.
Modern cups are made of strong glass. The cup is placed directly on the skin to create vacuum by using pumps to achieve the proper suction. Often, the skin inside the cup visibly rises. Cupping is generally a painless procedure.

Scraping first then the cupping....
A lubricant with cayenne pepper and Other "stuff" is put on the skin, you are scraped with the buffalo horn, glass cups are suctioned to you, creates a heat...blood draws to the surface, the cups taken off, your skin pricked with a needle, cups re-suctioned to that area...blood and toxins drawn out.

I feel better than I have in years....I'm NOT STIFF at all in the morning, hip is remarkedly better, shoulders {traps} are considerably less tight....can't remember my last headache!!! I'm DOING this again!!! I'm sold on it!!!