In Traditional Chinese Medicine, what is Coining?

I'm cambodian and my family still practices coining. I'm not a doctor or anything, but I believe it's an equivalent of acupuncture, pulling blood and oxygen to certain aches and pain to the body.

It always works for me, since I recover in about a day. It will leave marks for a few days though. My niece whose family is more american says she rather get coined, than have the flu/cold for a few days.

I grew up familiar with coining as my family is originally from Vietnam. It seemed to almost always work in speeding up the recovery from upper respiratory infections and the common flu.

I am now a physician with three board certifications and am still a strong believer in coining as I still use it whenever I sense a flu or cold coming on. I still can't explain how it works but somehow it does in most cases. Don't expect a cure, just a remedy to help speed the recovery of minor ailments (common colds, viral flu, etc.)

I love a good coining. I am vietnamese and grew up with it. The scraping does not need to be hard. You only need to go over it more times in the same place. I enjoy it so much that I try to trick my mother to do it for me.

And you should not do that if there is no color or rather bruising, you are not really sick or rather the wind is not in you. I know this because my mother yells at me when she discovers that I am not sick. You should follow it up with some tiger balm.

When the body is sick, your body sends blood to those areas that need it and there is just intense wind there. Usually when you have a cold it's around the chest area. My ex BF had a stomach virus and the redness was on his lower back rather than his upper back. Hope this helps.

@ anon113694- I have always wanted to try coining. I have heard it is an intense massage. I have had cupping done though. This is equally as intense and can actually be a bit overwhelming after the first treatment. Essentially, the treatment begins with a massage and warm towels. After you are loosened up and relaxed, suction cups are placed on the back, thighs, calf, and shoulders. I watched my fiancée get the treatment and almost an inch or two of flesh was sucked into the cups. The cups are slid across the affected area, effectively pulling the skin up and down your body.

They say the darker the bruising, the more toxins that are released form your body. The marks are a little gross looking, but they fade after a few days. The pain and marks are worth it though because you walk away feeling rejuvenated and energized.

@ Anon113694- I have had coining done by my acupuncturist in Vermont and it was great. The pain of the treatment is only temporary, but it is very therapeutic, and the rush of endorphins/adrenaline/whatever is very intense. My doctor did not use a coin though. He used a specially shaped hard wood 'spoon' for lack of a better word. It had a smooth rounded edge similar to a coin, and he used it to dig deep into my back. The marks went away after about five days, but the effects stayed with me for much longer.

i actually tried coining a couple days ago and it worked! I had a terrible migraine that imitrex couldn't stop and it went on for days, until finally i gave it a try and boy, do you feel the results quick. I felt pressure being released from my body and the migraine was slowly going away and became just a regular headaches within an hour. There was some pain but it was worth it.