Gua sha is a healing technique of traditional East Asian medicine. Sometimes called ‘coining, spooning or scraping’, Gua sha is defined as instrument-assisted unidirectional press-stroking of a lubricated area of the body surface to intentionally create transitory therapeutic petechiae called ‘sha’ representing extravasation of blood in the subcutis.

NUTRITION

Food is medicine, and in the Chinese medical model we implement dietary changes to optimize our healing potential. As with all things Chinese medicine, changes in nutrition are suggested depending on the patient’s constitution. While one patient may have a dominance of internal cold and damp, another may suffer from heat and dryness. The Chinese have constructed a framework to talk about the nature of foods. Some foods are warm in nature, while others are cold in nature. Some are dry, while some are damp. Additionally, foods may have one or more of the five flavors: sweet, spicy, salty, bitter, and sour that are used as guidelines for determining the best dietary guidelines for the individual.