Stone Age Therapy for Modern Man
(Chinese Guasha)

Neolithic

Early man - from Paleolithic to historic times - disposed of basic methods in dealing with injury and sickness. Empirical (self)observation was the main factor for the development of “primitive” medicine. First of all there was the spontaneous reaction to an infliction. For instance licking wounds or trying to stop bleeding. Additionally, methods were developed through imitating the behavior of animals. Apart from the above-mentioned methods a “basic set” came into being, including bloodletting in case of plethora - copied from menstruation - eating emetic grass in case of indigestion or poisoning, rubbing of injured or itching parts - like sheep do - putting cold on painful parts, putting mud or clay on certain areas, sucking the skin or exerting pressure. The astonishing thing is, that the principles upon they were based, were keeping their validity throughout the ages. Through early Woman Healers, Egyptian physicians, Hippokrates and Galen they entered the mainstream of Western holistic medicine, until this very day. One technique in particular has our interest: it is the rubbing or scraping of certain bodily areas with a special stone. The rediscovery of this therapy is sensational. It appears, that one of the oldest methods of mankind is unsurpassed in improving e.g. curing conditions - especially pain syndromes - that are related to the lifestyle of modern man.

Asian/Chinese

Folk medicine in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia all know and cherish methods in which the skin, the underlying connective tissue and the muscles are vigorously rubbed by an object, usually a stone or a coin. In Vietnam this is called Cao Gio and in Indonesia Kerokan. “A coin is dragged diagonally across the skin, leaving livid lines as the masseur works on the back, neck, shoulders, backside, stomach and sometimes feet. Kerokan is painless if correctly administered”. But the main development in the Far East comes from China. There the method is called “Guasha”, meaning “scraping things out”. Like in European old times, the method in China originates in pre-historic times. Because Traditional Chinese Medicine very soon after became the dominant system of medicine, with acupuncture as its main practice, methods like Guasha were degraded into “folk medicine”. It was only with the collapse of the communist system - with the disappearance of state sponsored free health care - that the people were forced to rely on their own (again). Ever since Guasha is flowering, having hundreds of thousands enthusiastic practitioners. What is thus the secret of its success? First of all oil is put on the area of the skin, that is going to be treated. Subsequently the therapist starts “scraping” that area with a beautiful shaped jade stone. The pressure is considerable, to such an extent, that soon “red spots” appear, not ON the skin, but IN the skin, in fact in the connective tissue beneath. Because the skin is covered with oil, it cannot be damaged by the rubbing. And this is the miracle: the more serious e.g. chronic the underlying disorder, the deeper the red - even turning into blue - of the spots will become. It corresponds with the idea of “getting accumulated waste products e.g. toxins” out. Correspondingly, tension, inconvenience and pain will be diminished or entirely disappear.

Modern

In the West holistic medicine is largely based on the Hippokratic tradition. One of the systems is called “flow system therapy”. It is a system aimed at optimizing health, rather than treating symptoms or diseases. Health proves to based on the “dynamic equilibrium between input, processing and output” of food, water, air and toxins. The former can be divided in the following basic metabolic functions, e.g. nutrition, digestion, blood circulation, cell metabolism, detoxification and elimination. By just improving these functions - without paying attention to the specific disorder - health can be restored e.g. optimized. In many cases this balance is disturbed though. There is too much (and wrong) input, poor processing and low output. One of the consequences is the accumulation of waste products and toxins in the body. Sooner or later this may lead to all kinds of problems. Jade Stone Therapy can do miracles here. Its effects are a.o. detoxification, de-acidification, improvement of blood circulation, stimulation of the immune system, activation of organs and functions e.g. regeneration, pain relief and body- mind relaxation, everything in one simple treatment. Not surprisingly thus, that Jade Stone Therapy covers some 400 different indications, from arteriosclerosis to migraine, from osteoporosis to high blood pressure, from indigestion to bronchitis, from diabetes to sleeplessness etc…..In practice we prefer to help those in pain though. Almost all pain syndromes can be treated. The indications are RSI, osteoporosis, neck, shoulder and back pain, lumbago, sciatica, fibromyalgy, muscle and joint pain, PMS, migraine and other headaches, post traumatic pain, sports injuries and others. Our approach is “to help you how to help yourself” through:

1. Simple self-help directly related to your complaints and/or

2. A self-help day course, also including nutrition and inner body cleansing. If you would like to treat others we offer

3. A basic course, which usually takes 6 days. After completion you will receive a certificate, entitling you to treat healthy people with minor complaints,

4. An advanced clinical follow-up course for those with sufficient experience, giving you the opportunity of treating all kinds of chronic disorders,

5. An additional course for those, who would like to become Guasha teachers,

6. Regular reschooling days with the latest first hand developments from China and exchange of experience,

7. If you wish, you may become member of the International Guasha Network. Through it reductions are offered on products, together with study trips to China.

You just may visit us, where you can get an impression of how Guasha/Jade Stone Therapy works, its history e.g. application in China, together with a display of our Jade Stones, the oil and relevant books. You are very much welcome!

Han Marie Stiekema, M.D. and MeiMei Yu, M.A.

For contact:
freewhc@yahoo.com

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Last update: 01/09/03