Chiyang Daoren, Eastern Taoism
In the rainy season of early autumn, the body carries heavy dampness. If this dampness is not promptly expelled, it lodges in the spleen and stomach and can trigger illness.
Chinese medicine experts in China point out that gua sha (scraping) is an excellent way to dispel dampness, and that regularly scraping six health-preserving acupoints on the body is very effective at clearing it. It takes only 3 to 5 minutes a day and can easily be done while watching television or chatting.
1. The Fenglong point: On the front outer side of the lower leg, 8 cun (body inches) above the tip of the outer ankle bone, between the tibia and fibula.
Benefits: Chinese medicine holds that dampness inevitably produces phlegm. This point transforms phlegm and dampness and clears the mind. It suits people with pronounced damp pathogens and can help relieve chest and abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, dizziness, restlessness, facial puffiness, and other conditions brought on by phlegm and dampness.
2. The Xuehai point: Sit and straighten the leg; a hollow appears on the inner side of the knee, and the top of the raised muscle above that hollow is the Xuehai point.
Benefits: Can help relieve irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, rebellious qi with abdominal distension, eczema, itchy skin, anemia, and other conditions.
3. The Yinlingquan point: Sitting upright or lying on your back, the Yinlingquan point is on the inner side of the lower leg, in the hollow below and behind the medial condyle of the tibia.
Benefits: Scraping at the Yinlingquan point transforms damp pathogens internally. It also clears damp-heat, strengthens the spleen and regulates qi, benefits the kidneys and regulates menstruation, and opens the channels and activates the collaterals, helping to relieve abdominal distension, diarrhea, edema, knee pain, and so on.
4. The Diji point: On the inner side of the lower leg, 3 cun directly below the Yinlingquan point—that is, on the line joining the tip of the inner ankle bone and the Yinlingquan point—at the rear edge of the inner surface of the tibia.
Benefits: Strongly relieves spasm and pain and moves qi and activates blood. It can help relieve abdominal pain, diarrhea, edema, irregular menstruation, menstrual cramps, and other conditions.
5. The Zhongwan point: On the upper abdomen, on the midline 4 cun above the navel. Locate it lying on your back: it is the midpoint of the line joining the lower end of the breastbone and the navel.
Benefits: Works very well to relieve abdominal distension, acid reflux, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, and similar problems caused by summer-heat and dampness in the dog days, and also helps with insomnia from autumn dryness.
6. The Tianshu point: The Tianshu point is in the middle of the abdomen, two cun to either side of the navel. Lie on your back to locate it.
Benefits: While clearing stagnant pathogens, one must also give them a way out. Scraping this point speeds the expulsion of damp and toxic pathogens through the stool, relieving constipation, abdominal distension, diarrhea, pain around the navel, indigestion, nausea, and similar symptoms.