What is the difference between Cupping 拔罐，Guasha 刮痧, Bojin 拨筋 and Tuina 推拿？
In my field of work which is currently mainly Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there are many treatment modalities that have been not regulated and commonly seen in salons below the HDB flats and massage parlours. Sorry but I have no other way of describing such phenomenon but to express it in a crude way that these are the ones that have ‘cheapened’ Traditional Chinese Medicine and whatever that falls under its umbrella. Basically these are the spoil marketers where they offer treatment methods in TCM and try to make their services sound professional and medical when they are just mere spas and massage parlours, yet they provide these services at a highly fish market rate of $38 and even $18. I always feel revolting and then walk by with a soft sigh when I pass by such promotion boards outside the shopfronts. Even some appear in really ‘attas’ high class spas but still I can tell you I bet the providers have no idea what they are doing and whether they are doing correctly.
Anyway, I’m not despising anyone who goes to such services provided by non professionals but I think I should educate you a little with what such non-regulated TCM treatment modalities that find their way into the spa markets are all about and what as a professional doctor I will use it for and for whom. Because there is always a reason why they are prescribed and the way they are executed varies from condition to condition. But let’s just stay simple for you so that you don’t get yourself injured or hurt or condition worsened the next time you opt to go for these at non-clinics by non-professionals.
Cupping 拔罐
What it is: Using fire or pump to create a vacuum in cups and placed over body parts. Marks or bruising can be created on the body parts with issues and blockages
Purpose: Detox, dampness clearance or 祛湿气
Read about Scientific Proof to how your Body React to Acupuncture for Sports Injury here.
Guasha/Scrapping 刮痧
What it is: Using plates made of horn, jade, bones etc to repeatedly move over a body part lengthwise till red ‘sandish’ like marks appeared on the skin surface
Purpose: Detox, soften hard tissues and myofascia
Side note: The Western IASTM method where they claim to use the plates made of surgical metal to soften deep tissues seen in a lot of sports massage therapy, physiotherapy stems from TCM Scrapping/Guasha. I have written a blog about how westerners took TCM methods and evolve them to make it as if they invented it. Guasha/scrapping is one of them, taking the look of IASTM in Western manual therapies.
Difference with Cupping: I have a lot of patients and friends always asking me about the difference of cupping and scrapping so I find it interesting to share the tip of a mountain here.
Basically, Cupping is warming, Scrapping or Guasha is cooling. That’s the main gist that I’m going to reveal here. Anything more please respect the professionalism of doctors and consult them properly for their advice.
Facial Guasha 面部美容刮痧
What it is: Using fine stones such as jade, quartz, gold etc to move over facial parts in specialised techniques
Purpose: Upliftment, anti wrinkles, anti aging, lymphatic drainage, clear pigmentation and acne, cure rosacea, aesthetic and beauty
Bojin 拨筋
What it is: Using rough pointed ends of horns or jade or stones etc to twiddle with the tendons and ligaments
Purpose: I noticed this becoming hot in the neighbourhood salons these few years and I guess because it is also unregulated practice so it found its way into the salons and parlours.
Mainly it can help loosen tensed and tight tendons and ligaments, but the salons and parlours have promoted it to help with facial beauty and reshaping the face, which is entirely BS, especially if you do it incorrectly, get ready to be bruised and de-symmetry your face.
Tuina 推拿
What it is: Using manual techniques with arms of practitioner to soften large areas of muscles. Specific bone manipulation techniques that aims to reset bones into the correct position are under this umbrella.
Purpose: For large body areas softening and repositioning of bones and tissue structures, correction of postures
Side note: This is the famous treatment modality that has been highly mistaken by the world that TCM is all about. In other words, people always think TCM is massage or Tuina, which is a definite NO. Tuina comes under TCM and Tuina is not just massage. It is purposeful manipulation with treatment effects, not general relaxation which is what massage is about.
I have my signature TCM Fengshui Facial Sculpting Regime which encompasses two of the above mentioned techniques, namely Facial Acupressure Bojin and Facial Guasha. They are of course done with skills and techniques suitable for the delicate facial tissues. Read more about my signature TCM Fengshui Facial Sculpting Regime here and book for a session to sculpt your face, up your life!