cupping-therapy

CUPPING THERAPY

What Is Cupping Therapy?
Cupping is an alternative therapy that involves suctioning the skin with glass, plastic, or silicone cups. It may help improve blood flow, boost immune function, remove toxins, and reduce pain.
Greek physician Hippocrates, often called the “father” of medicine, even compiled descriptions of cupping techniques.
Cupping increases blood circulation to the area where the cups are placed. This may relieve muscle tension, improving overall blood flow and promoting cell repair. It may also help form new connective tissues and create new blood vessels in the tissue.

Is it scientifically proven?
Cupping alleviates symptoms by promoting peripheral (close to the skin) blood circulation and improving immunity. The effects of cupping therapy include:
- promoting the skin’s blood flow
- changing the skin’s biomechanical properties
- increasing pain thresholds
- improving local anaerobic (without oxygen) metabolism
- reducing inflammation
- boosting cellular immunity

Does cupping remove toxins?
Cupping may remove toxins by stimulating the immune response, both locally and systemically.
It may also eliminate uric acid, a natural waste product from the digestion of certain foods. Uric acid buildup can lead to high levels of acidity in the blood and urine.
Cupping may also have a positive effect on the lymphatic system, which is partially responsible for eliminating your body’s waste.
When the flow of lymph is interrupted, it can cause fluid buildup and prevent the body from properly eliminating toxins. Lymphatic drainage massage is one solution to this issue. Similarly, cupping may help increase the flow of lymph and prevent fluid buildup.

What are the different types of cupping?
Cupping was likely first performed using animal horns. Later, cups were made from bamboo and then ceramic. Suction was primarily created through the use of heat. Cups were originally heated with fire and then applied to the skin. As they cooled, the cups drew the skin inside. Modern cupping is often performed using bell-shaped glass cups. They may also be made of plastic or silicone.

There are four main categories of cupping performed today:
- Dry cupping: a suction-only method
- Wet/bleeding cupping: may involve both suction and controlled medicinal bleeding
- Running cupping: involves moving suctioned cups around the body after applying oil to massage the desired area
- Flash cupping: involves quick, repeated suction and release of cups on an area of the body

Cupping may also involve the use of:
- acupuncture needles
- moxibustion, or the burning of mugwort leaves
- magnets
- laser therapy
- electrical stimulation
- water
- herbs

Subsets of cupping include:
- facial cupping
- sports cupping
- orthopedic cupping
- aquatic cupping

What conditions can cupping treat?
Cupping therapy may help with the following conditions, among others:
- lower back pain
- neck and shoulder pain
- headache and migraine
- knee pain
- shingles
- facial paralysis
- cough and dyspnea
- acne
- lumbar disc herniation
- cervical spondylosis
- brachialgia, the pain produced by a trapped nerve in the neck
- carpal tunnel syndrome
- hypertension
- diabetes mellitus
- rheumatoid arthritis
- asthma

Side effects:
There aren’t many side effects associated with cupping. The side effects you may experience typically occur during your treatment or immediately after, such as:
- circular marks where the cups have been
- discoloration
- dizziness

Other risks include:
- scarring of the skin
- hematoma (bruising)

Cupping shouldn’t be done on:
- veins
- arteries
- nerves
- skin inflammation or lesions
- body orifices
- eyes
- lymph nodes
- varicose veins