Guasha (& Skin Brushing)....Ancient Techniques For Modern Healing?

What if there was a daily regimen out there which had nothing to do with food, supplements, and even money, that could help you with the following:

 

- Improved lymphatic drainage (helping the body better regulate all fluid balance and better eliminate the toxins within them)

- Reduced muscle pain

- Reduced or eliminated cellulite

- Improved overall circulation 

- Reduction and/or elimination of symptoms related to TMJ

- Reduced overall inflammation 

- Improved complexion 

- Reduced or eliminated acne

- Improved blood circulation 

- Alleviation of nervous system disorders or their symptoms 

- Received muscle tension 

- Decrease in headaches and migraines 

- Lessened sinus congestion and reduced sinus infections 

- Improved overall immune system 

- Decrease in wrinkles 

- Less puffiness/redness of skin, especially in the facial region

- Improved relaxation of the mind

In Chinese medicine, practitioners of today and of antiquity practice on the belief that our bodies retain and use a certain energy called 'Chi'. When this Chi becomes stuck or stagnant, we get inflammation, pain, and even illness. All the usual culprits might cause our Chi to get stuck: (stress, toxins, poor diet) and so, just like any other regular daily habit (such as brushing our teeth), it is best to move along our 'stuckness' that we may or may not even be aware of so that our energy can flow once again, as it should. 

This has always made sense to me so, not too long ago, I began using a tool to perform, on myself, a technique known as 'guasha' (also 'gua sha'), an ancient East Asian method of healing. After using my chosen facial salve for the day, I pick up a small, somewhat heart-shaped stone and run it over various areas of my body, especially my face. 

The above claims, founded or not, are made in reference to the practice of guasha.

(There are certain stokes used in this ancient healing practice that I won't expand upon here, and I encourage you to check out the many video tutorials by gua sha experts in places like YouTube and on various professional websites.)

I also stopped using soap on various areas of my body (including my face) while showering and instead began using a dry brush instead, for the same purposes of using gua sha, but also to regularly shed the top layer of my skin (without adding the extra residue you might get from adding even the most natural form of soap).

(I also won't go into my results here as I want to focus on the studies below, but I will say that I don't see myself ever changing this routine for as long as I live...hint hint!) 

As always, I searched for studies on these methods and it seems that, oddly enough, THERE ARE NO STUDIES on skin brushing. So if you ever read 'there are no scientific benefits known to be related to the practice of skin brushing' written somewhere let be known, at least here, that that's not because science has disproved it, it's simply because no one has yet tried to find that answer using the standard scientific methods of the day. Instead we rely on anecdotal stories, a bit of common sense, general knowledge about how things work, and of course, our own personal experiences. 

When it comes to guasha, however, we've got studies. And not only do we have studies, we have studies and peer reviewed scientific papers actually concluding 'scientific' health benefits relating to the practice. 

And so that's where this post ends. 

Check them out below, read them thoroughly, and by all means, try out the practice for yourself!

YOU are YOUR BEST study.

And tell me what you think!

Happy reading. :-)

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