External Injury Workshops
Read Bruce's latest essay on Gua shaThe External Injury Workshop brings to the fore, two valuable treatment methods used for many centuries by the Chinese. These are:
- Gua Sha
- Chinese Herbal Medicine for External Injury and Trauma
During Day One we explore the methods and practical applications of Gua Sha, otherwise known as 'spooning'. By drawing a smooth edged instrument, such as a porcelain soup spoon - or far better still, an instrument made from water buffalo horn - across the skin where an injury or imbalance resides, a distinctive reddening of the skin, known as sha, is observed. This is a positive response and brings the immediate and lasting benefit of reducing inflammation, coldness, tightness and pain from both the superficial and deeper levels of the body.
Typically, gua sha is very effective for treating all forms of injury, as well as heat syndromes, dizziness, chills and aches. In short, it has been said that "if there is illness, gua sha treats it; if there is no illness, it strengthens our bodies".
On Day Two, our focus is on Chinese Herbal Medicines for the treatment of external injuries and trauma. The Chinese have developed a wealth of knowledge and an extensive repertoire of herbal applications to enhance recovery from sports injuries and other forms of trauma. You will learn which herbs to select for different injuries and how to prepare liniments, soaks and poultices to either massage in or cover an injury to support the natural healing process. Chinese injury herb medicines dissipate swelling and bruising, promote circulation and mend injured tissue. Importantly, this adds up to deep healing, so afterwards there is a greatly reduced risk of recurrent weakness or rheumatism.
"Through the red door, into the pantry, the external injury workshop has been my first stepping stone into the wonderful world of traditional Chinese medicine." Tina P. Remedial Massage Therapist
"Extremely informative, motivating and heaps of fun". Danielle G. Remedial Massage Therapist
"Eye-opening, informative - had a great time" - Christine M. Remedial Massage Therapist
"All of the studies in the External Injury Workshop were brilliant. I learnt a lot of material not covered in previous studies"- Angus M. Registered Chinese Herbalist
"The skills and information I have gained in the last two days I 'm sure I could not gather elswhere in a week. The hands-on experience was sensational" - Nadine T. Homeopath and Traditional Thai Massage therapist
"Bruce's workshops give therapists relevant and very useful skills while remaining true to the philosophical integrity of TCM. Very enjoyable and very beneficial" - Pam F. Remedial Massage Therapist
"Thanks Bruce for an inspiring and educational weekend learning new techniques for use in the treatment of external injuries. I can immediately introduce these practices into my remedial massage clinic, thus providing me with a great competitive advantage in a very competitive market" - Sue B. Remedial Massage Therapist
..and recently Ian Cork, a Remedial Massge Therapist and former student of ours in Brisbane wrote (unprompted) saying:
"The more Gua Sha I do, the better I am finding it. I think I told you about a client who had had a cortisone injection to his shoulder that I treated with Gua Sha. He ended up with a fiery little dot where he had the injection and said that it felt like he was having the injection all over again, and then his shoulder problem went away. I had a similar story from a colleague. I also recently treated who used to do Judo in his younger days. He had experienced a number of throws onto hard surfaces to the extent that his break falls produced inflammation of the distal triceps (where he used to slam his arm down during the break fall) and had to give up the sport. I gave him Gua Sha treatment 45 years later and 'problem solved".
BACKGROUND: One of Bruce’s favourite interests in Taiwan was going outside formal hospital settings to study with street–level practitioners and martial artists who specialise in treating external injuries. "My introduction to these practitioners and their knowledge of treating injuries came about during my early days in Taiwan. It was recommended by a friend that i should go to see an injury specialist for a martial arts injury. The results of their multi-pronged approach - using massage, herbs, moxa and gua sha brought about exceptionally good results. From that time on over the next five years, I spent as much time as i could studying with a number of great practitioners". Bruce has also studied with other expert gua sha therapists including Dr Lee, the gua sha specialist at the Shanghai Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Mr Trang Le, who as a young boy in Vietnam was apprenticed to a wandering Buddhist monk and instructed in a rare lineage of medicine known as the Buddhist Wandering Monk Medical Tradition. Bruce spent a weekly four hour class over twelve months with Mr Le as his only student. The latter instruction included exceptional information on gua sha practices. In 2002, Bruce was also employed as a full-time researcher for the Victorian state government (Australia) to conduct an in-depth research and write-up his results in a 180 page submission on "Folk Medical Practices in the Vietnamese Community". Once more, further excellent and otherwise difficult to obtain information, especially on gua sha (known in the Vietnamese community as cao gio) was obtained.
This workshop is an excellent new skills program for those who deal with sports and pain related injuries.
- Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association (AACMA)
- Australian Natural Therapists Associaiton (ANTA)
- Australian Traditional Medicine Society (ATMS)
- Australian Association of Massage Therapists (AAMT)
- Association of Remedial Masseurs (ARM)
- Association of Massage Therapists (AMT)