Prior to leaving Taiwan for the United States, I will admit: I over indulged in some things, like bubble tea, stinky tofu, night market games, and of course, massages. I am pretty sure I hit up at least three or four massage centers in the last month I was in Taiwan! I have always wanted to try cupping and scraping (yeah, call me crazy, I know I am) and I made it one of my goals to do that before I went home. So that’s just what I did.
Scraping, or Gua Sha as it is known in Chinese, is the art of rubbing massage oil on ones back and using a jade flat edge to massage your body. Usually, it’s done on your back and goes from the center of your body to the outside, up to down on your backside. Honestly, it didn’t feel like much more than just someone scratching my back. But afterwards, you end up with some red marks (more or less depending on how ill or unhealthy you are).
Cupping, on the other hand, is known as Ba Guan, is the process of putting glass cups on your back and using suction to draw the toxins of your body. It sounds intense, and I will tell you: it is. It definitely hurt more than getting scraping done. And afterwards, my marks were much more intense. Like bruises that lasted a week before they stopped being sore.
Cupping can be done one of two ways: all at once or rotating, where they place them at different places every thirty seconds. My best friend had them all at once, whereas I got them on rotation, which was a whole lot better sounding than having all the cups on at once. In the beginning, it hurts, like someone is pinching a bunch of your skin, but then after a while, it feels rather nice. It’s what I like to call a good pain, and I felt awesome after we left the massage parlor.
In the West, it was (at least not when I was still living there) very common for people to engage in these Traditional Chinese Medicine therapies, but now I am all for it. I have sometimes had better luck when it comes to injuries or illness when I turned to TCM, sometimes far better results than when I used traditional medicine. And truthfully, the basis of TCM is nutritious food and the inner energy, known as the qi. As long you are feeding your body nutrient dense foods and you are moving your body in ways that you feel comfortable, consistent health is easier to come by.
Totally in no shape or form am I saying that everyone has to go to a Chinese Medicine clinic and partake in the suction of one’s skin or letting someone take a jade blade to their skin, but I hope for those of you who are considering TCM as a way to combat simple illnesses and aches, this is an article that helped you. I stand by my admiration of cupping and scraping, and I definitely, without a doubt, will do more of it in the future.
I wish you all good health and happiness, in whatever ways you choose to heal your body! Until next time,
