Pediatric Gua Sha for Allergies, Coughs & Colds with Video

Pediatric Gua Sha or Scraping Massage is effective for treating allergies, coughs, colds, and fever in children.
It can be used for kids ages 4 and up with a modification to use less pressure. In my experience, I've found that children respond really quickly when I use gua sha in addition to a regular treatment.
Focus on the Upper Back
To treat these conditions focus the gua sha on the Urinary Bladder Channel along the upper back.
To start, be sure to rub a small amount of almond, apricot kernel, or jojoba oil on the upper back. In older kids I often use Po Sum On Oil - just check to make sure they're ok with a little tingle on their skin.
Kid-Sized Gua Sha Tools
Smaller gua sha tools that work on children are available at most acupuncture suppliers but go here for my favorites from Lhasa OMS. I got the heart-shaped jade tool in the video is at Lhasa OMS.
Side Note: I occasionally give these out as fun little holiday gifts and they go over really well.
Here are Some Quick Tips for Doing Gua Sha on kids:
- Use a firm but gentle pressure
- Check in to see how the pressure is
- Watch body language - if they squirm the pressure is probably too hard
- Change sides periodically so one side doesn't get sore
- Aim for turning the skin pink
- Kids won't necessarily have any petechia (unlike adults)
Watch the Video Below for a Pediatric Gua Sha Demonstration
3 comments
Leave a comment