The medical industry has turned over a new leaf these past few decades. If people were to choose between invasive and allopathic therapies and alternative medicine, why would even one choose the former over the latter that ensures them good health without the unpleasant side effects of allopathic therapies?
Cupping therapy is one such alternative therapy that has grabbed a lot of attention. While still a relatively novel treatment protocol in the United States, cupping therapy is actually very old and has been widely practiced for years in Egypt, Middle East, China, and Eastern European cultures.
So, What Exactly is Cupping Therapy?
In Cupping Therapy, a trained Chinese medicine practitioner uses heated cups on specified regions of the patient’s body, usually muscular regions like the legs, arms, stomach, and back. The cups used may be made of plastic, glass or silicone.
Cupping therapy can be administered in a variety of ways. The first is the “fire cupping” or “dry cupping” technique. In fire cupping, the practitioner soaks a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol or any inflammable substance. The cotton ball is lit with a match or candle and used to heat the cups. Some practitioners heat the cups with oil or water.
The cups are quickly placed on the skin of the patient once they are well-heated. The skin completely seals off the cups as it rises. The heat generates a vacuum causing the muscles and skin to produce a small puff. For a few minutes, the cups are allowed to remain in their position before they’re safely removed. In another method called “moving cupping,” the cups do not remain in a stationary position, but are smoothly moved over different parts of the patient’s body. The practitioner first applies cream or oil to the skin before the cups are placed. The reddened sites are caused by the expansion and suction of the blood vessels.
Wet cupping method is the second technique. The practitioner creates small incisions to the skin after using and removing the cups. The suction is done many times to extract small amounts of blood. The third technique combines acupuncture in Miami with cupping therapy. This technique is the most effective of all the three. It entails the insertion of needles before cups are placed on the skin.
Cupping therapy, as a mode of healing, works deep at the tissue level. Some of the benefits of this therapy include:
• Enhancing performance by activating the flow of energy throughout the body
• Strengthening immune function to help fight allergies, colds, and flu
• Eliminating toxins that have built up in the tissues
• Boosting blood flow which helps promote healing.
• Treating inflammation
• Relaxing the body by alleviating knotted and tensed muscles
Cupping Therapy and the Reduction of Pain
Cupping therapy is renowned for its various healing effects but its greatest use is for the reduction or cure of pain. Because of this, a lot of athletes swear by it for relief of pain and fatigue. Cupping is used for the following ailments:
• Decreased intensity of muscle and joint pains; which lead to the relief of muscle stiffness and injuries, neck pain, and back aches
• Alleviation of tension headaches and migraines
• For arthritis-induced pain and rheumatism, people suffering from these conditions can use cupping therapy as a long-term treatment
• It eases pain triggered by respiratory problems
• Surprisingly, cupping therapy can also be used to relieve toothaches
• Cupping therapy can be an effective alternative treatment for women who suffer severe menstrual cramps in lieu of pain medications.
As a type of alternative healing, Cupping Therapy can do so much for your body’s health. It can help with weight loss, promotes blood circulation, combats anxiety, relieves stiffness and pain, and aids in digestion. When combined with acupuncture, cupping therapy only makes the healing process much more effective.