Cao Gio

History

Over a 20 year span, the massive migrations of Southeast Asians to the United States brought along their traditional ideas of health and forms of healing. The most common practiced by the Vietnamese immigrates was called Cao Gio (Coining). Most of the Southeast Asian countries to practice this were Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Cao Gio is also incorporated into the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine which has been practiced in china over 3,000 years. The exact origin isn’t known due to lack of record keeping of the Asian culture.



Belief

The beliefs about health and the causes of illness in Southeast Asian cultures differ from those of traditional western medicine. Cao Gio is translated to "catch the wind”. Illness is believed to be cause by the unbalanced or excess wind in a human’s body. Cao Gio is however used to release this wind and restoring the balance to the body. This belief system derives from the Chinese concept of yin and yang but the Vietnamese and Cambodians translated to the hot and cold.

How to Perform Cao Gio

1. Obtain mentholated ointment or oil. Peppermint oil, wintergreen oil, eucalyptus oil, Tiger Balm or any other warming ointment with camphor are all appropriate

2. Choose a good coin. In the U.S., the quarter is the coin of choice because of its size. Remember to choose a coin that has been smoothed down by wear over the years rather than a freshly minted quarter.

3. Talk to the patient about what you are going to do before you do it. Inform the patient that there may be pain during the procedure and that there will be marks on the skin for 2 to 4 days following the treatment.

4. Prepare the patient by having him undress from the waist up. Coining is typically performed on the back, chest, shoulders and neck depending on the ailment.

5. Massage the skin with the mentholated oil or ointment to prepare it for the treatment. The massage irritates the skin and warms it so the coining treatment can be more effective in bringing blood to the surface.

http://altmed.creighton.edu/coining/methods.htm