Abstract
Treating, diagnosing, and prognosing various diseases and discomfort by scrapping the skin surface to induce petechiae rash (Gua-sha) has a long history in China. In had been mentioned in the “Test of Yellow Emperors Classic of Internal Medicine” first published in 100 B.C., though the practice existed long before it was recored. Not considered as effective and pin-point accurate as acupuncture, the method, nevertheless, brought impressive clinical results and resolution of many illness. The wide-spread practice of such a popular procedure among the lay people may be due to little advene side effects the procedure can cause. The scrapping generally covers a much larger surface than acupuncture although it follows the acupuncture meridian system. Therefore, the Ah-Shi point or the exact acupuncture points used for treating certain diseases would hardly be missed by the scrapping procedure, whereas, during acupuncture treatment, if a point is completely missed, the acupuncture may not render desirable clinical outcome.
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