In this episode of the Gua sha Show, Clive takes you on a journey to look at the world in which Facial Gua sha comes from. He looks at different eras in Chinese history and at the beauty treatments available at the time to give the context in which Facial Gua sha was developed. He also looks at how Gua sha became an important treatment for serious febrile diseases like cholera and how, if we really want to do Gua sha right, we have to incorporate the knowledge of the ancient Chinese in any facial treatments we do. 

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In this episode of the Gua sha Show, Clive explains how Gua sha can have a great effect on acne vulgaris. It does this through its anti-inflammatory effect on the body and he shows how treatments on your back can make changes on your face and upper body. He takes excerpts from his first book on Oriental medicine and explains them so you can get a fuller understanding of the approach of Chinese medicine to acne and how it is usually seen more as an internal problem than a surface skin problem.

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How do you hold a Gua sha tool?

What's the best angle of the Gua sha tool?

In which direction do you stroke? 

In this episode of the Gua sha Show, Clive answers these questions and more as he explains in his own unique way how to use a Gua sha tool. He tells you about his vision of Gua sha and what he did with his patients and their family members in his clinic in North Africa and also gives you the benefit of his long experience of how to get the best out of treating with a Gua sha tool.

Would you love it if someone explained Gua sha to you? Here's the host of the Gua sha Show, Clive Witham, doing just that! This week he brings his expert knowledge to the benefits of Gua sha and looks at the two main effects which underlie all the others - the increased circulatory and the anti-inflammatory effects. He gives you tips about how to think about Gua sha when thinking about health and illness and he looks at recent research in China about exactly what conditions Gua sha is used for. If you want to stay up-to-date with what's happening in the world of Gua sha, then subscribe and listen!

Gua sha studies include 185 diseases and disorders in the body and include pain or discomfort, respiratory infections, feverish conditions, gastrointestinal problems, backache, sciatica, headaches, migraines, stiff neck, frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, digestive problems, constipation, insomnia, trigeminal neuralgia, dizziness, neuralgia, diarrea, ulcerative colitis, acne, hemorrhoids and hepatitis B.

So how can it be studied in the treatment of so many conditions? 

In this packed episode on the face, Clive Witham presents the techniques you need to know in Facial Gua sha. He starts with the traditional techniques used on the body in China and then shows you how facial treatments differ. He introduces the sweep, press and circle techniques and you get to follow him as he shows you two treatment points on your face to push with a Gua sha tool. He then goes through the depth of knowledge anyone serious about face treatments should know, including points, channels and musculo-tendino connections throughout the body. This is not to be missed by anyone interested in Facial Gua sha!

Most people suffer from back pain at some time in their lives and in this episode of the Gua sha Show, Clive Witham explores how Gua sha can help to relieve back pain. He looks at 2 recent reports on the treatment of lower back pain, one from Hongkong and one from Germany and then combines these with his own experience to show you how both to look at back pain and help to treat it. 

"Gua Sha appears to be an acceptable, safe, and effective treatment for patients with chronic low back pain."

"...shown to improve flexion, extension and bending movements of the lower back."

"What's missing, and what would be of great help, is a more nuanced understanding of back pain."

In this episode of the Gua sha Show, Clive Witham explains some of the key requirements for doing Gua sha. He presents them in the form of a recipe and looks at how you need the practitioner, Gua sha tools, skin lubrication, techniques and results all to be mixed together to the right degree in order to create the perfect Gua sha treatment.

"...you've got to have the special sauce which will bind all the ingredients together and that's the natural principles of the ancient Chinese."