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.
HOW DOES IT WORK
Here’s how it works: A practitioner will place a cup onto the surface of the skin to create a vacuum effect. “This sucks the skin and fat layer off the muscle, and sometimes even moves muscle layers off each other”. “Sometimes the cups are left in place and other times they are moved along muscle fibers to help relax tight muscles.”
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
WHY USE CUPPING THERAPY
Cupping has been used to treat a wide variety of conditions. It may be particularly effective at easing conditions that create muscle aches and pains.
Since the cups can also be applied to major acupressure points, the practice is possibly effective at treating digestive issues, skin issues, and other conditions commonly treated with acupressure.
Cupping therapy may help with the following conditions:
- lower back pain
- neck and shoulder pain
- headache and migraine
- knee pain
- shingles
- facial paralysis
- cough and dyspnea
- acne
WHAT ARE THE BENIFITS
DECREASE PAIN
INCREASE RANGE OF MOTION