Gua Sha Therapy for Menstrual Pain: Caring for Women's Health
Throughout history, women have been the embodiment of greatness. They nurture new life and raise generations of Chinese children. The respect we have for women is sometimes beyond words, yet the pain they endure is known only to themselves. Through a chance experience, I learned of the daily pain many women face. This led me to research Gua Sha therapy specifically for women's health. Now, I am sharing one of these methods: Gua Sha therapy for menstrual pain.
I. Causes and Main Clinical Manifestations of Menstrual Pain:
1. Often caused by exposure to cold or consumption of cold drinks during menstruation, leading to the stagnation of blood vessels and the retention of static blood in the uterus, obstructing menstrual flow. It can also result from emotional depression, causing qi stagnation and obstructed menstrual flow. Main symptoms include difficult menstrual flow, severe pain in the lower abdomen that is tender to the touch, purplish-red menstrual blood with clots, and relief of pain after passing clots. For blood stasis, the pulse is deep and slow; for qi stagnation, distention is more pronounced than pain, or the distention extends to the chest and hypochondrium, and the pulse is wiry.
2. Caused by a naturally weak constitution, or by a severe or prolonged illness, which gradually depletes qi and blood, leading to an empty "sea of blood" and malnourishment of the uterine vessels. Main clinical manifestations include pain that often begins after menstruation ends, with a dull, persistent pain in the lower abdomen that feels better with pressure. Other symptoms include reduced menstrual flow, soreness in the lower back, limb fatigue, decreased appetite, dizziness, heart palpitations, a pale tongue, and a wiry and thin pulse.
II. Gua Sha Therapy for Menstrual Pain:
1. Gua Sha the Three Yin Meridians of the Foot: Starting at the Xuehai (SP10) point, scrape down along the inner side of the leg, passing through the Yinlingquan (SP9), Ququan (LR8), Diji (SP10), and Sanyinjiao (SP6) points, down to the Taixi (KI3) point.
2. Gua Sha the Taiyang Bladder Meridian of the Foot: Starting at the Geshu (BL17) point, scrape along both sides of the spine, passing through the Ganshu (BL18), Pishu (BL20), Shenshu (BL23), Zhishi (BL52), and Guanyuan shu (BL26) points, down to the Ciliao (BL32) point.
3. Gua Sha the Du Meridian: Starting at the Zhiyang (GV9) point, scrape down along the spine, passing through the Mingmen (GV4) and Yaoyangguan (GV3) points, down to the Yaoshu (GV2) point. Gua Sha the Ren Meridian: Starting at the Zhongwan (CV12) point, scrape down along the anterior midline, passing through the Qihai (CV6), Guanyuan (CV4), and Zhongji (CV3) points, down to the Qugu (CV2) point.