Chapter IV: Sha and Self-Healing
What is “ Sha”?
Sha (痧; pinyin: shā): “Poisonous blood” in the body; it is a word unique to the Chinese language. Establishing its occurrence and coining the term “Sha”, as well as using it to diagnose and treat diseases, is a perfect case demonstrating the wisdom of ancient Chinese.
There are four types of toxins in “Sha”:
1. Toxins as a result of external environmental forces such as chills and “warm - dampness”;
2. Toxins from diseases;
3. Drug toxins from prolonged medication. Chemical odours detected during Paida are evidences of detoxification;
4. Toxins produced by negative mindset and emotions. These are far more toxic than drug toxins, and are the main cause of diseases.
During Paida, slapping the skin forces toxins in the blood to cling to the walls of blood vessels. Reflected on the skin as colours and bumps, the “Sha” will not appear on healthy parts of the body, but will only surface on those parts or acupoints with diseases and latent illnesses.
Self-diagnosis by colour of Sha
There are three general principles in self-diagnosis through the colour of Sha:
1. Sha appears only where diseases are present;
2. The amount of Sha surfaced indicates the severity of diseases;
3. The intensity of Sha colour indicates the amount of toxic Qi
in the body.
Sometimes, Sha may appear with lumps. Regardless of the disease name, when agonies are relieved and Sha is purged through
Paida and Lajin , the self-healing power is at work.
The colour of Sha has the following implications:
Flushed skin: healthy, normal;
Red: “wind - heat”; more commonly found in people of sub-health conditions;
Purplish red: “stagnant heat”, prone to soreness;
Cyan: “phlegm - dampness”, prone to fatigue;
Purplish black: congestion and inflammation; toxins have accumulated in the body and the meridians are heavily clogged;
Black: appears mostly in those with chronic or critical illnesses, or those having prolonged medication.
Sha appears only where diseases (or latent diseases) are present, indicating problems with organs corresponding to meridians at those areas, and that treatment has begun and detoxification of the corresponding organs is underway. Hence, Paida and Lajin are both diagnosis and treatment. The more seriously clogged the meridians, the faster Sha appears (e.g. within a minute of Paida) and the darker the colour of Sha. The amount of Sha surfaced indicates the amount of toxic Qi in the body, i.e. the darker the colour, the more toxins, coldness, heat and other pathogenic elements are present. Some Sha travels around the body. This indicates that Qi and blood circulation is well-regulated, and proves the efficacy of Paida. Some may have red Sha at first, and after continued Paida, darker spots, patches or lines will appear, and in severe cases even dark, hard lumps will emerge. In other cases, especially in the seriously ill, Sha may not surface easily because the patient’s Qi is weak and fails to stimulate blood circulation. In such cases, Paida is to be repeated several times with higher intensity and longer duration before Sha can be gradually drawn out. Finally, there are those with weak Qi and blood circulation but rough skin and thick flesh where toxins are buried deep within, hence, they will have a harder time getting Sha to appear.
Sha may cease to emerge after a few Paida sessions, but can re-appear after several more attempts. This indicates that the body’s condition is constantly changing, and that toxins are moving around in the body. If Sha appears only when one is receiving Paida by others, but not when one is slapping oneself, then the intensity of self-help Paida is too weak and the duration too short to reap significant efficacy. Those fallen ill will have Sha appear where it previously had not, and Paida hurts more as well. Others have considerably more Sha only after intense Paida or when receiving Paida. This phenomenon is known as “Qì Chōng Bìng Zào”, where past diseases and injuries are brought to the surface to be thoroughly healed.
“Sha”from the perspective of anatomy
Appearance of Sha often makes people (even some "TCM doctors”) suspicious and terrified, prompting them to assume Sha to be blood from ruptured blood vessels, and that Paida is harmful. This can be huge misinformation. Blood vessels behave somewhat like a rubber hose : When cleared of pollutants or blockages, patting or pressuring it makes the water flow from high pressure areas to low pressure areas. In the absence of toxins and congestion in blood vessels, clean blood is free to flow from the spots of Paida, which explains the lack of Sha in healthy people or healthy parts of the body. Blood vessel walls are a tight, mesh-like structure, toxins and other pollutants make the blood highly viscous and dense, substantially slowing down its flow. Some toxins are almost solid, and do not slip away easily when pressured. Thus,
Paida on a congested spot exerts pressure on the blood vessels, forcing the mesh openings to expand and the thick toxins to cling onto the walls and be squeezed through the openings to be expelled. As such, persistent Paida continually expels toxins in the form of Sha without rupturing blood vessels.
Are blood vessels damaged when Sha appears?
In very rare cases, Paida may cause capillaries under the skin to rupture. If the palm used for slapping is found to have mucus or traces of blood on it, then capillaries have indeed ruptured. This, however, is a good sign which indicates better healing effect. Healthy skin normally does not get broken during Paida. When capillaries rupture, this means the skin of that area needs to be broken in order to be healed. This is known as “Diao-Shang
(drawing out old injuries)” in Taoism, where old injuries and deeply buried toxins are surfaced and expelled. This is very much like “blood-letting” in many major traditional healing practices. As such, when capillaries are ruptured, on top of Paida benefits, additional healing effects from blood-letting are also gained.
I have encountered many bleeding cases in Paida sessions. A patient with severe heart disease had jet black Sha emerging on his inner elbow the first time it was slapped. Blood seeped out from the Sha, and he immediately felt his tightened chest relieved. His blood pressure dropped soon afterwards. In another patient, after a few moments of Paida, the area along the pericardium meridian on his inner elbow turned purple-black. His tightened chest was relieved shortly after continued Paida and the palm used for slapping was covered with blood. His chronic heart disease greatly improved after that session, and other symptoms like headache, chest pain and palpitation all disappeared. There was another person who liked slapping for others. I let him slap my shoulder heavily so as to experience the pain of being slapped with the greatest intensity. At the end of the session, on his palm where the pericardium meridian is located, a large bloody blister had developed, and in a short while, many of his heart disease symptoms significantly improved, the dark colouration on his face and lips also subsided.
In some diseases such as psoriasis, better efficacy and faster detoxification can be achieved when the disease nidus is slapped until there is bleeding and mucus excretion. When scab forms and new skin develops, the disease is healed. Many people with similar diseases have experienced these Paida effects, so there is no need to worry.
“Sha”, Qi and blood
Sha appears in various shades, colours and patterns. It may look horrifying, but it is “Qì Chōng Bìng Zào”, and is actually a recovery reaction. In more severe cases, Sha will appear in darker shades of red or purple, and may swell. These are signs indicating good self-healing effects. It is normal for some Sha to be hurting when touched or rubbed. The first Sha that appear in Paida reveals that yin toxins have surfaced. When the slapping is continued, the slapped spot and the entire body will gradually warm up, this is an effect of rising yang-qi. When yang rises, yin subsides; when yin subsides, diseases are cured. This process balances the yin and yang in the body. The effect is the same as effects in Gua Sha (skin scraping) and Ba Guan (cupping), where the condition improves along with the subsiding of Sha and swellings.
If the Sha swells up and hurts when touched, this shows that the meridians at that area are heavily clogged. The Sha that swells or bleeds should not be viewed in the same light as bruises or injuries from accidents or fights, as Sha is in effect a desirable effect of detoxification.
What should be done after Sha appears when doing Paida?
The best thing to do is to continue slapping until the Sha subsides.
Sha produced during the Paida process is a good reaction, which indicates where the disease nidus is located. It shows that hidden toxins in the body are brought to the surface and treatment is in progress. Slapping should not be stopped after the initial appearance of Sha; otherwise, treatment efficacy will be greatly reduced. The colour of Sha will darken when slapping is continued. With continued slapping, the colour of Sha will lighten and fade away faster, and normal skin colour will be restored. You can try it yourself by comparing the Sha on your arms or knees, where slapping is continued on one side and stopped on the other side.
The Sha on the side receiving continuous slapping will subside faster. The conclusion is, longer period of Paida delivers better efficacy and eliminates Sha faster.
Paida gathers more Qi and improves blood circulation at the slapped areas, contributing to better detoxification. If slapping stops once Sha appears, the colour will still fade away in a few days — it just takes longer. Sha subsides faster in children, youngsters and those in good health, compared to the elderly and the seriously ill.
Some people may use moxibustion, acupuncture, pricking, Ba Guan (cupping) or other methods to accelerate the subsiding of
Sha, but I still suggest continued Paida, as it is the simplest, most convenient and effective method.
Is Sha absorbed by the body?
Many people are puzzled by the disappearance of Sha. To this, Chinese medicine has a clear explanation: Sha is a product of poisonous Qi of yin nature in the body. Paida brings Sha to the surface, and further slapping warms the body, i.e. stimulating the yang to rise. When the yin is neutralised by the yang, diseases are cured. Symptoms like itchiness, rashes, lumps, odours, belching, farting, vomiting, heavy stool and urine odours are manifestations of detoxification, also known as “Qì Chōng Bìng Zào” or recovery responses.
Gradual lightening and disappearing of Sha colour is not a process where poisonous blood is absorbed into the body; instead, it is a process where poisonous blood is decomposed and expelled from the body by cells with immune functions.
Various defence factors are present in the blood, such as lymph and interstitial fluids, which can locate and eliminate alien substances, i.e. abnormal or foreign tissues. Lymphocytes in the immune system and phagocytes in the blood are such defence fighters. The identified alien substances are neutralised, engulfed and decomposed biochemically. They are expelled out of the body via various channels.
Sha produced during Paida are poisoned blood removed from the meridians, it lies under the skin, in the interstitial spaces outside of the blood vessels. The interstitial blood is identified as alien substance by lymphocytes and phagocytes, and is thus decomposed and excreted from the body through breathing, sweating, urination and other channels. When lymphocytes and phagocytes are functioning normally, Sha is decomposed quickly, otherwise the decomposition will take more time. Regular Paida enhances the immune functions of these cells. Modern medical science has found that the process of removing harmful alien substances can stimulate the functions of the immune system, improve the body’s capability to handle stress and to repair damaged tissues. As such, Paida not only instantly improves circulation and clears meridians, the process of Sha elimination is in effect a DIY serum antigen therapy, which makes the use of injections unnecessary. It can improve the body’s ability to remove alien substances and enhance immunity.
This is an additional benefit of Sha treatment in Paida , also known as the “after-effects of Paida.”
What is “ Sha”?
Sha (痧; pinyin: shā): “Poisonous blood” in the body; it is a word unique to the Chinese language. Establishing its occurrence and coining the term “Sha”, as well as using it to diagnose and treat diseases, is a perfect case demonstrating the wisdom of ancient Chinese.
There are four types of toxins in “Sha”:
1. Toxins as a result of external environmental forces such as chills and “warm - dampness”;
2. Toxins from diseases;
3. Drug toxins from prolonged medication. Chemical odours detected during Paida are evidences of detoxification;
4. Toxins produced by negative mindset and emotions. These are far more toxic than drug toxins, and are the main cause of diseases.
During Paida, slapping the skin forces toxins in the blood to cling to the walls of blood vessels. Reflected on the skin as colours and bumps, the “Sha” will not appear on healthy parts of the body, but will only surface on those parts or acupoints with diseases and latent illnesses.
Self-diagnosis by colour of Sha
There are three general principles in self-diagnosis through the colour of Sha:
1. Sha appears only where diseases are present;
2. The amount of Sha surfaced indicates the severity of diseases;
3. The intensity of Sha colour indicates the amount of toxic Qi
in the body.
Sometimes, Sha may appear with lumps. Regardless of the disease name, when agonies are relieved and Sha is purged through
Paida and Lajin , the self-healing power is at work.
The colour of Sha has the following implications:
Flushed skin: healthy, normal;
Red: “wind - heat”; more commonly found in people of sub-health conditions;
Purplish red: “stagnant heat”, prone to soreness;
Cyan: “phlegm - dampness”, prone to fatigue;
Purplish black: congestion and inflammation; toxins have accumulated in the body and the meridians are heavily clogged;
Black: appears mostly in those with chronic or critical illnesses, or those having prolonged medication.
Sha appears only where diseases (or latent diseases) are present, indicating problems with organs corresponding to meridians at those areas, and that treatment has begun and detoxification of the corresponding organs is underway. Hence, Paida and Lajin are both diagnosis and treatment. The more seriously clogged the meridians, the faster Sha appears (e.g. within a minute of Paida) and the darker the colour of Sha. The amount of Sha surfaced indicates the amount of toxic Qi in the body, i.e. the darker the colour, the more toxins, coldness, heat and other pathogenic elements are present. Some Sha travels around the body. This indicates that Qi and blood circulation is well-regulated, and proves the efficacy of Paida. Some may have red Sha at first, and after continued Paida, darker spots, patches or lines will appear, and in severe cases even dark, hard lumps will emerge. In other cases, especially in the seriously ill, Sha may not surface easily because the patient’s Qi is weak and fails to stimulate blood circulation. In such cases, Paida is to be repeated several times with higher intensity and longer duration before Sha can be gradually drawn out. Finally, there are those with weak Qi and blood circulation but rough skin and thick flesh where toxins are buried deep within, hence, they will have a harder time getting Sha to appear.
Sha may cease to emerge after a few Paida sessions, but can re-appear after several more attempts. This indicates that the body’s condition is constantly changing, and that toxins are moving around in the body. If Sha appears only when one is receiving Paida by others, but not when one is slapping oneself, then the intensity of self-help Paida is too weak and the duration too short to reap significant efficacy. Those fallen ill will have Sha appear where it previously had not, and Paida hurts more as well. Others have considerably more Sha only after intense Paida or when receiving Paida. This phenomenon is known as “Qì Chōng Bìng Zào”, where past diseases and injuries are brought to the surface to be thoroughly healed.
“Sha”from the perspective of anatomy
Appearance of Sha often makes people (even some "TCM doctors”) suspicious and terrified, prompting them to assume Sha to be blood from ruptured blood vessels, and that Paida is harmful. This can be huge misinformation. Blood vessels behave somewhat like a rubber hose : When cleared of pollutants or blockages, patting or pressuring it makes the water flow from high pressure areas to low pressure areas. In the absence of toxins and congestion in blood vessels, clean blood is free to flow from the spots of Paida, which explains the lack of Sha in healthy people or healthy parts of the body. Blood vessel walls are a tight, mesh-like structure, toxins and other pollutants make the blood highly viscous and dense, substantially slowing down its flow. Some toxins are almost solid, and do not slip away easily when pressured. Thus,
Paida on a congested spot exerts pressure on the blood vessels, forcing the mesh openings to expand and the thick toxins to cling onto the walls and be squeezed through the openings to be expelled. As such, persistent Paida continually expels toxins in the form of Sha without rupturing blood vessels.
Are blood vessels damaged when Sha appears?
In very rare cases, Paida may cause capillaries under the skin to rupture. If the palm used for slapping is found to have mucus or traces of blood on it, then capillaries have indeed ruptured. This, however, is a good sign which indicates better healing effect. Healthy skin normally does not get broken during Paida. When capillaries rupture, this means the skin of that area needs to be broken in order to be healed. This is known as “Diao-Shang
(drawing out old injuries)” in Taoism, where old injuries and deeply buried toxins are surfaced and expelled. This is very much like “blood-letting” in many major traditional healing practices. As such, when capillaries are ruptured, on top of Paida benefits, additional healing effects from blood-letting are also gained.
I have encountered many bleeding cases in Paida sessions. A patient with severe heart disease had jet black Sha emerging on his inner elbow the first time it was slapped. Blood seeped out from the Sha, and he immediately felt his tightened chest relieved. His blood pressure dropped soon afterwards. In another patient, after a few moments of Paida, the area along the pericardium meridian on his inner elbow turned purple-black. His tightened chest was relieved shortly after continued Paida and the palm used for slapping was covered with blood. His chronic heart disease greatly improved after that session, and other symptoms like headache, chest pain and palpitation all disappeared. There was another person who liked slapping for others. I let him slap my shoulder heavily so as to experience the pain of being slapped with the greatest intensity. At the end of the session, on his palm where the pericardium meridian is located, a large bloody blister had developed, and in a short while, many of his heart disease symptoms significantly improved, the dark colouration on his face and lips also subsided.
In some diseases such as psoriasis, better efficacy and faster detoxification can be achieved when the disease nidus is slapped until there is bleeding and mucus excretion. When scab forms and new skin develops, the disease is healed. Many people with similar diseases have experienced these Paida effects, so there is no need to worry.
“Sha”, Qi and blood
Sha appears in various shades, colours and patterns. It may look horrifying, but it is “Qì Chōng Bìng Zào”, and is actually a recovery reaction. In more severe cases, Sha will appear in darker shades of red or purple, and may swell. These are signs indicating good self-healing effects. It is normal for some Sha to be hurting when touched or rubbed. The first Sha that appear in Paida reveals that yin toxins have surfaced. When the slapping is continued, the slapped spot and the entire body will gradually warm up, this is an effect of rising yang-qi. When yang rises, yin subsides; when yin subsides, diseases are cured. This process balances the yin and yang in the body. The effect is the same as effects in Gua Sha (skin scraping) and Ba Guan (cupping), where the condition improves along with the subsiding of Sha and swellings.
If the Sha swells up and hurts when touched, this shows that the meridians at that area are heavily clogged. The Sha that swells or bleeds should not be viewed in the same light as bruises or injuries from accidents or fights, as Sha is in effect a desirable effect of detoxification.
What should be done after Sha appears when doing Paida?
The best thing to do is to continue slapping until the Sha subsides.
Sha produced during the Paida process is a good reaction, which indicates where the disease nidus is located. It shows that hidden toxins in the body are brought to the surface and treatment is in progress. Slapping should not be stopped after the initial appearance of Sha; otherwise, treatment efficacy will be greatly reduced. The colour of Sha will darken when slapping is continued. With continued slapping, the colour of Sha will lighten and fade away faster, and normal skin colour will be restored. You can try it yourself by comparing the Sha on your arms or knees, where slapping is continued on one side and stopped on the other side.
The Sha on the side receiving continuous slapping will subside faster. The conclusion is, longer period of Paida delivers better efficacy and eliminates Sha faster.
Paida gathers more Qi and improves blood circulation at the slapped areas, contributing to better detoxification. If slapping stops once Sha appears, the colour will still fade away in a few days — it just takes longer. Sha subsides faster in children, youngsters and those in good health, compared to the elderly and the seriously ill.
Some people may use moxibustion, acupuncture, pricking, Ba Guan (cupping) or other methods to accelerate the subsiding of
Sha, but I still suggest continued Paida, as it is the simplest, most convenient and effective method.
Is Sha absorbed by the body?
Many people are puzzled by the disappearance of Sha. To this, Chinese medicine has a clear explanation: Sha is a product of poisonous Qi of yin nature in the body. Paida brings Sha to the surface, and further slapping warms the body, i.e. stimulating the yang to rise. When the yin is neutralised by the yang, diseases are cured. Symptoms like itchiness, rashes, lumps, odours, belching, farting, vomiting, heavy stool and urine odours are manifestations of detoxification, also known as “Qì Chōng Bìng Zào” or recovery responses.
Gradual lightening and disappearing of Sha colour is not a process where poisonous blood is absorbed into the body; instead, it is a process where poisonous blood is decomposed and expelled from the body by cells with immune functions.
Various defence factors are present in the blood, such as lymph and interstitial fluids, which can locate and eliminate alien substances, i.e. abnormal or foreign tissues. Lymphocytes in the immune system and phagocytes in the blood are such defence fighters. The identified alien substances are neutralised, engulfed and decomposed biochemically. They are expelled out of the body via various channels.
Sha produced during Paida are poisoned blood removed from the meridians, it lies under the skin, in the interstitial spaces outside of the blood vessels. The interstitial blood is identified as alien substance by lymphocytes and phagocytes, and is thus decomposed and excreted from the body through breathing, sweating, urination and other channels. When lymphocytes and phagocytes are functioning normally, Sha is decomposed quickly, otherwise the decomposition will take more time. Regular Paida enhances the immune functions of these cells. Modern medical science has found that the process of removing harmful alien substances can stimulate the functions of the immune system, improve the body’s capability to handle stress and to repair damaged tissues. As such, Paida not only instantly improves circulation and clears meridians, the process of Sha elimination is in effect a DIY serum antigen therapy, which makes the use of injections unnecessary. It can improve the body’s ability to remove alien substances and enhance immunity.
This is an additional benefit of Sha treatment in Paida , also known as the “after-effects of Paida.”
No comments:
Post a Comment