Cupping Therapy
“Where there’s stagnation, there will be pain. Remove the stagnation, and you remove the pain.”
Cupping is an alternative therapy used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It involves placing cups on the skin to create suction. The suction may facilitate healing with blood flow.
The suction removes stagnation and stimulates the flow of Qi. Qi is the life force energy circulating through the body and the world around us, if the Qi is disrupted or disturbed, it can create stagnation (blockages) or imbalances in the body.
A famous Taoist alchemist and herbalist, Ge Hong, reportedly first practiced cupping. He lived from A.D. 281 to 341.
Many Taoists believe that cupping helps balance yin and yang, or the negative and positive, within the body. Restoring balance between these two extremes is thought to help with the body’s resistance to pathogens as well as its ability to increase blood flow and reduce pain.
Different types of cupping
A therapeutic cupping treatment involves warming and placing cups, usually made of glass, on the skin. By warming the air within the cup, a vacuum is created, and when it is applied to the skin, the tissue is drawn up into the cup. This increases the blood flow, loosens the fascia or connective tissue, and is thought to stimulate healing. It is similar to the way deep tissue massage can be used to break up scar tissue and reduce pain. The cups are often placed on the back, neck, and shoulders or the site of pain. Cupping may cause temporary bruising and soreness, depending upon the degree of suction created by the vacuum and the level of internal stagnation. According to TCM, this would be a favorable outcome, suggesting the treatment has successfully removed toxins and stagnation. The cups are removed by lifting one edge, which allows air in and breaks the seal and vacuum.
Dry Cupping
The classic technique
The classic cupping technique is called ba guan zi, which is fire or dry cupping acupuncture. This involves placing the cup over an ashi (painful area) point or an acupuncture point along an energy meridian. The cups are left in place anywhere from five to twenty minutes depending on the nature of the individual's condition. A general course of treatment involves four to six sessions in intervals starting from three- to 10-day gaps.
Air Cupping
The alternative technique
With air cupping, an alternative to fire cupping, a handheld suction pump is used to remove air from the cups, creating the vacuum without heat. Some clinical research from China suggests this innovation in cupping technology is more comfortable for patients.
Sliding Cups Technique
The massage technique
The sliding cups technique is traditionally performed on large muscle groups of the back to treat pain and muscle spasms. Massage oil is applied to the skin prior to the cups being placed, which allows the cups to glide easily over the surface of the skin.
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Wet Cupping
Not Applicable at Be Positive + for safety reasons
Wet cupping combines an acupuncture technique called bleeding with cupping. A lancet is used to prick the skin before the cup is applied, which encourages a small amount of blood to flow from the area. This treatment is thought to dispel internal toxins. TCM practitioners in China use this technique for "cooling" inflammatory conditions.
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The benefits of cupping include local pain relief and muscle relaxation.
Cupping improves overall health by removing the energy blockages that TCM practitioners identify as barriers to the flow of healthy energy or qi. Cupping removes toxins and improves blood flow through the veins and arteries. For athletes, cupping may help increase blood flow to a particular muscle region or help reduce pain and to relieve muscle spasms.
Cupping’s detoxifying effect on skin and circulatory system is also significant, with a visible improvement in skin color after three to five treatments.
Cupping is traditionally used to treat lung disorders:
cough
bronchial congestion from a common cold
asthma
It is also traditionally used for
paralysis
digestive complaints
pain
Researchers have studied cupping, finding benefit in conditions such as:
back and neck pains, stiff muscles, anxiety, fatigue, migraines, rheumatism, and even cellulite, depression, varicose veins, high blood pressure, eczema, acne, fertility, arthritis, fibromyalgia, diabetes, anemia, shingles (herpes zoster), insomnia, gout, facial paralysis and cervical spondylosis,
Cupping also affects the digestive system. A few benefits include an improved metabolism, relief from constipation, a healthy appetite, and stronger digestion.
Cupping side effects which are marks on the skin. This is due to bringing blood to the surface, similar to a bruise. The bruises for cupping can last for a few days up to two weeks. It is expected that over several weeks of repeated cupping treatments the bruising will decrease as the stagnation resolves. This indicates a successful result of a cupping treatment protocol.