How to Choose a Gua Sha Practitioner

Gua sha is a Chinese healing method performed with a tool that looks like a ceramic spoon. The technique involves the practitioner scraping the patient's skin in certain areas until a rash appears. The goal is to clear any illnesses or toxins and force blockages from the body. While this is considered a safe alternative treatment, it's important to choose a gua sha practitioner who's knowledgeable and properly certified.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Learn more about gua sha treatments. Gua is the process of scraping or rubbing and sha is the rash on the skin raised after the scraping. The back, neck, shoulders, buttocks, arms and legs are the most common spots for treatment and can help treat pain, fever, nausea and other disorders.

2. Check the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) web site to choose a gua sha practitioner in your area who meets the national requirements for board certification.

3. Find out what specific licenses and qualifications a gua sha practitioner in your state is required to possess by checking the state search engine on the NCCAOM website.

4. Search for schools of Oriental medicine in your state and ask for a list of graduates, a great source for referrals. These schools often offer gua sha treatments for the public provided by their staff or students at reasonable prices.

Tips & Warnings

• Visit the website of the National Center for Biotechnology Information to review qualified studies on the use of gua sha.
• Check with your doctor before having gua sha performed if you have any special health concerns.

Resources

• National Certification Commission for Oriental Medicine
• General information about gua sha
• National Center for Biotechnology Information

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