What is cupping therapy?
Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine in which a therapist places special cups on your skin for a few minutes to create suction. It was developed thousands of years ago and though the techniques have modernized, the original philosophy remains the same. People receive cupping therapy for many purposes, including to help with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation and well-being, and as a type of deep-tissue massage. The cups may be made of glass, bamboo, plastic jars, silicone, or earthenware.
How does cupping therapy work?
Cupping therapy creates a vacuum by suctioning out the air. The underlying tissue is raised within the vacuum inside the cup. The purpose of cupping is to enhance circulation, help relieve pain, remove “heat” and pull out the toxins that linger in your body’s tissues.
You usually will feel a painless, tight sensation in the area of the cup. Depending on your comfort and your practitioner’s assessment of the problem, cups may be moved around or left in place. Each treatment is unique to you on that particular day. One very common area to be cupped is the back, although cups work well on other fleshy sections of the body too.
Cupping causes the skin to temporarily turn red, blue or purple for anywhere between a few days to a couple of weeks. Once the marks have cleared, the procedure can be repeated until the condition or ailment is resolved
Cupping is often combined with acupuncture into one treatment, but it can also be used alone.