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After the Qingming Festival, as the spring thunder begins, the weather gradually warms up, and it is finally the season to properly practice gua sha, promoting the flow of qi and blood throughout the body for a comfortable transition through the seasons.
However, after each publication, many friends leave comments asking: Why doesn’t gua sha produce any marks? If I have purple and blue marks all over my body, does that mean I am sick?
Looking at the large sha bumps on my body, many friends feel anxious, worrying that they have some “incurable disease”.
Clearly, there is no significant discomfort in the body, so what is going on?
So in this issue of 100 questions, let’s discuss the nine major signs of sha!
Let me tell you quietly, this knowledge cannot be found online!
To write this article, I gua sha-ed all my friends around me, and they were all scared by me 
~
Hurry to the end of the article and click [Share], [Like], [View] to give some encouragement to the “guinea pigs”~
01. What is the sign of sha? 
Sha is actually the bad blood that seeps out from the blood, going down the wrong path.
The sign of sha is a display of our body’s condition. According to years of clinical experience, the location, color, and size of the sha have certain regularities related to the causes and locations of diseases.
Gua sha is like sweeping mines, it can illuminate our disease sites one by one.
Isn’t it amazing? Let’s take a look below~
The Nine Major Signs of Gua Sha
Different people produce different sha, and the same person will produce different sha in different areas.
The darker the color of the sha, the more severe the condition.
The better the health status, the smaller the shape and area of the sha produced, so let’s see what type of sha you have~
Different Colors of Sha
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① Red
Generally, healthy individuals do not produce much sha. If you produce red or light red sha, congratulations, your body is relatively healthy and there are no major issues.
② Purple Red
If you produce purple red sha, there’s no need to worry too much. Like the young lady in the last video, she faces the computer for long periods, often looks down at her phone, and has poor sitting posture, which has led to excessive pressure on her shoulders and neck, resulting in purple red sha.
This color of sha actually serves as a reminder to change some of your daily bad habits and to strengthen your physical exercise~
③ Purple
This summer, many friends are crazy about wearing short tops, and one of my colleagues is among them. They look good, but they are very prone to catching a chill.
A few days ago, I gua sha-ed her, and sure enough, purple sha appeared. Upon inquiry, she admitted that her stomach had been uncomfortable and she often had stomach pains.
This indicates that cold evil qi has entered the internal organs, and the body is showing symptoms of disease, so more protection is needed.
④ Purple Black
The purple-black color is not friendly at all. Friends with this color may need to reflect on themselves, as they might have ignored some minor ailments, thinking that if they endure the pain, it will be fine. However, enduring can easily lead to major illnesses.
We say that by using the color of sha to judge the severity of the disease, the darker the color, the longer the stagnation of the meridians.
The enemy has already invaded the organs, and action must be taken; immediate hospital examination is necessary.
⑤ Black
Black sha is rare. If you produce black sha, it is time to sound the alarm and seek external help.
At this point, simple conditioning methods will not be very effective, as the evil qi has severely infiltrated the internal organs. This could lead to worsening diseases or even endanger life and health, requiring medication treatment.
Different Shapes of Sha
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Level One: Small Dots
If you produce red small dots, don’t be too happy; this level is the least concerning, indicating that your body is still relatively healthy, and minor issues can be adjusted with gua sha.
Level Two: Patchy
Friends with a fear of dense patterns may feel extreme discomfort seeing connected patches of red sha, as this is full of accumulated toxins~
What type of people does this patchy sha like to find?
Older individuals, those in a competitive environment, and those with irregular lifestyles.
Level Three: Sha Bumps
Sha bumps usually come prepared, producing medium-sized purple or purple-black sha indicates that it can no longer be contained, and disease may be about to arise or has already developed.
Level Four: Large Patches
Reaching level four indicates the most severe stage. At this point, purple or blue-purple lump-like sha is an emergency signal.
Hurry to seek medical attention; if you have shoulder and neck pain, check the shoulders and neck; if there are lung issues, check the lungs; if there are heart issues, check the heart.
02. Does not producing sha mean it’s ineffective?
No!
Due to individual differences in constitution, the occurrence of sha will vary, and there is no need to force it.
Some friends scrape hard to produce sha, making their skin red, but this does not produce sha; instead, it causes subcutaneous bleeding, which is detrimental to health.
Situations where sha is not easily produced:
⊙ Patients with deficiency syndromes and insufficient qi and blood may not easily produce sha or may produce little sha.
⊙ Overweight individuals or those with developed muscles may not easily produce sha.
⊙ The face, head, and abdomen are not easily produced areas for sha.
Gua sha merely expels the evil qi from the body, achieving both health maintenance and conditioning.
The presence or absence of sha is not necessarily related to disease, but it is at least a signal that informs us about the body’s condition, allowing us to treat accordingly for better results~
Alright, that’s all for this issue of 100 Questions on Gua Sha~
Thanks to the friends who contributed their “arms” for this article; everyone remember to give them a little encouragement by clicking [Like], [View]~
If you want to learn more about gua sha, remember to let me know in the comments section~
References
[1] Meng Xianwei. Illustrated Signs of Sha: Learning Gua Sha from Scratch [M]. Jiangsu Science and Technology Publishing House, 2017:10-57.
[2] Jiang Rongrong, Yang Tao, Xu Guihua, Wang Qiulin, Yan Shuxia, Chen Hua. Research Progress on Gua Sha Signs [J]. Chinese Modern Nursing Journal, 2021, 27(09):1253-1255.
[3] Zhao Dong, Lu Chunxia, Huang Guan, Cui Jin. A Brief Discussion on Gua Sha Phenomena and Effect Analysis [J]. Journal of Guiyang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2018, 40(02):1-2+66.
[4] Hu Zhijun, Tang Zhanying, Yang Qiangling. Clinical Application of Gua Sha Therapy [J]. Journal of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2013, 15(08):26-28.