Cupping

The use of cupping in medicine is not exclusive to Chinese Medicine. Many indigenous cultures across the planet have, within their medical practices, techniques resembling or replicating the practice of Cupping within them. This technique is found in many folk medicines of Latin America. The practice of placing cups in various locations of the body have served the purpose of removing and/or moving problems of the interior through exterior means.

In Chinese Medicine it is no different. The use of cups can move stagnations within the body, whether it is blood or Qi stagnations, that allow the body to resume regular functioning of areas where pain was previously present. Cupping is often used in cases of back pain and strain, as well as other areas of trauma related injuries. Some people will describe it as a "reverse massage" where instead of pressing into the body, as in the case of regular massage, tissue is pulled upwards by the cups. This upward pulling action tugs on the musculature and fascia allowing it to release tension and stagnant fluid, such as blood, to move away from the injured area and new blood to pull healing nutrients in. From a Chinese medical view, as this stagnant blood is moved along so is the stagnant Qi that accompanies it.

There are basically two types of Cupping used by practitioners of Chinese Medicine. One involves the use of plastic cups placed on the body and a pump-type device that pulls the air through a valve at the top of the cup, causing reduced pressure inside that pulls the tissue into the cup. The other is more of a traditional approach where a cotton ball moistened in alcohol is lit with a lighter and quickly inserted in and out of a glass cup before the cup is placed onto the surface of the body. The lit cotton ball never comes in contact with the patient, nor is the cup heated. The intent of the lit cotton ball is to burn off the oxygen of the air inside the cup before it is place onto the patient. Both procedures produce the same effect; negative pressure inside the cup that allows the tissue to be pulled into the cup.


Aside from treating pain through movement of Qi and Blood within the tissues using this technique, Cupping is also used to treat sickness as well. Traditional Chinese Medicine practice states that exterior pathogens entering the body can also be removed with Cupping technique. What this means to you is that early onset of certain colds and flu can be remedied and/or minimized using this technique. The placement of cups on the upper part of the back is said to be able to pull out those exterior factors that get you sick. Lancing certain places and placing a cup to draw out a few drops of blood is also said to clear heat in the body that causes conditions such as fever.


The uses for Cupping are many besides only pain relief of sore or stiff muscles. Ask you practitioner about the many other conditions that are effectively helped by this technique.