What are the taboos of scraping in traditional Chinese medicine?

　　Gua Sha therapy is one of the traditional therapies in my country. Nowadays, most families will prepare a scraping board, and family members will scrape each other to achieve the effect of treating diseases and maintaining health. Although Gua Sha is simple and easy to do, there are also many taboos involved.

　　10 taboos of traditional Chinese medicine scraping

　　1. Keep the indoor air fresh and circulated, keep warm and avoid direct blowing.

　　2. After scraping, it is best to drink a cup of warm water (light salt water is better), avoid taking a bath within 30 minutes, and eat cold and greasy food; do not face a fan during scraping in summer, and keep warm after scraping treatment in winter.

　　3. Within 1-2 days after scraping, it is normal if there is pain, itching, insect-like sensation, cold/hot air, or rubella-like changes on the skin surface at the scraped area.

　　4. If it is used for beauty, you can use scraping oil or ointment with moisturizing and tightening effects, and the technique should be gentle.

　　5. The seventh cervical vertebra (Dazhui point) should be scraped gently.

　　6. It is forbidden to shave the chest.

　　7. Pregnant women are prohibited from scraping their waist and abdomen.

　　8. The elderly and infirm should scrape gently.

　　9. Do not scrape skin diseases such as ulcers, severe allergies, moles, unexplained masses under the skin, and fresh wounds.

　　10. It is forbidden to scrape the fracture site of patients with fractures.

　　Simple scraping technique

　　1. Make the patient comfortable, fully expose the treatment area, and wash the area with warm water.

　　2. Dip a spoon (or spoon, copper coin, etc.) with a smooth edge into sesame oil (rapeseed oil, peanut oil, soybean oil or water can be used), and scrape repeatedly in one direction on the area to be scraped.

　　3. The order of scraping is generally from top to bottom, or from the middle of the body to both sides, or from the inside to the outside every time, and no back and forth scraping is allowed. Each area needs to be scraped about 20 times each time until dark red spots appear on the skin.

　　4. The scraping area is usually only on the patient’s back or both sides of the neck. According to the needs of the condition, scraping can sometimes be done on both sides of the throat in front of the neck, on the chest, on both sides of the spine, on both sides of the arms, or on the inside of the knee. You can also choose the appropriate part for scraping according to the needs of your condition.

　　5. Each part can be scraped with 2 to 4 or 4 to 8 "blood marks". Depending on the location, the "blood marks" can be scraped into straight strips or arcs. After scraping, you should dip your hands in light salt water and pat the scraped area gently for a few times.

　　6. Use a smaller curette to perform surgery on acupoints. Commonly used acupoints include Zusanli, Tiantu, Quchi and some acupoints on the back. In addition to the therapeutic effect of scraping itself, scraping at acupuncture points can also dredge meridians, promote qi and activate blood circulation. This method is suitable for abdominal pain, irritability, gastrointestinal colds, nausea due to heat, and muscle or body aches caused by Sha.