Gua sha (刮痧) is a technique used by practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine. TCM shop in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. ...

Gua sha involves firmly rubbing a person's skin with a ceramic soup spoon or large coin. The goal is to relieve stagnation, or in other words, to clear some illness from the body by getting it to move. Gua sha is used commonly on respiratory illnesses, for example, where the skin of the upper back, neck, and chest may be rubbed. Gua sha is known for leaving red and purple marks on the skin that look painful but are not. Well-meaning practitioners of western medicine are sometimes shocked at the sight of these marks and fear that a child with the marks has been abused. For professionals in this position, it is helpful to be familiar with the appearance of gua sha marks and to understand its traditional therapeutic value. It is helpful to be able to make the distinction between gua sha marks and signs of abuse. Gua sha is not known to be harmful. The technique called cupping also leaves distinctive, bruise-like marks on the skin, but is also harmless. A section of Human Skin In zootomy and dermatology, skin is an organ of the integumentary system made up of a layer of tissues that guard underlying muscles and organs. ... It has been suggested that Gas exchange be merged into this article or section. ... Cupping is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy involving the placement of glass, plastic, or bamboo cups on the skin with a vacuum. ...

In 2001, a movie called "Gua Sha" (aka "The Treatment") was made addressing this practice and the cultural misunderstandings it causes. The movie stars Tony Leung Ka-Fai. The Treatment is a Chinese movie released in 2000 starring Tony Leung Ka-Fai. ... LAmant, or The Lover, starring Jane March and Tony Leung. ...

Gua Sha is practiced in some regions of China, in Vietnam (known as "cao gío"), in Cambodia, and in their immigrant communities abroad.

Cao Gio was introduced to the USA in 1975, when large numbers of Vietnamese were airlifted from from South Vietnam near the end of the military conflict between North and South. The practice was observed by military physicians who publicized the harmless nature of this practice. In 1980, it was found that many Vietnamese still distrusted US medical practitioners in part due to fear of being falsely accused of child abuse.

Yeatman GW, Dang VV. Cao gio (coin rubbing): Vietnamese attitudes toward health care. JAMA. 1980;244:2748-2749