Every human being who has ever lived has at one time or another experienced at least one form of body pain. Basically, pain is the body’s way of telling you that you suffer from some kind of imbalance or disorder brought about by certain internal or external causes. From the dawn of history to the present time, various forms of healing modalities and medicines have evolved to relieve different pains in different areas of the body. Many of the therapies used today are modern versions of ancient ones that utilize more sophisticated or efficient methods although the basic logic or concept behind them remains unchanged.
Cupping is a branch of Chinese medicine and is a 3500 year old or more practice used to treat body pain. It usually uses grass or plastic cups to generate a vacuum on the treatment site to help boost lymph and blood circulation on the tissues. Thousands of years ago, heat was created among the bamboo or glass cups that were placed on the painful area of the body. This heat promotes healing in that area.
Cupping therapy primarily influences the meridian channels. These meridians radiate all across the body reaching to all organs and tissues. The chi within our body exclusively moves through these channels. Any obstruction in this movement will bring about a certain type of disorder in the body. Cupping is exactly designed to eliminate the blockages in the energy pathways by increasing the flow of oxygen and blood and streamlining the function of the lymphatic system. It is primarily performed on the back as this is the body part where the most number of meridians (five) are found. Furthermore, cupping helps release toxins from our organs and tissues. The suction effect reaches deep in the body affecting the tissues and cells forcing the toxins to move out of the cells.
Cupping therapy can be conducted in two ways: Moving and Stationary. In both methods, oil is first applied the body to move the cups smoothly across the body. In moving cupping therapy, vacuum pumps are constantly moved on a wide area of the body. In the stationary method, the cups are left unmoved on a specific part of the body for five to seven minutes. Sometimes, practitioners apply five to six cups on various body areas all at once and then cyclically removed. This type of cupping called Flash Cupping.
You may feel tingling and some sensation deep in the tissues once the procedure is over. This is a sign that your blood is flowing rapidly in your body. Right after the therapy, it is recommended that you apply essential oils so they may reach inside the tissues. The oils nourish the skin and tissues making the skin shine and glow.
Chinese cupping therapy has several health benefits. It can:
• Boost the immune system giving the body the strength to combat disease
• Reduce weight gain
• Promote Healthy skin
• Eliminate skin problems
• Balances and regulates the hormones
• Relieve fatigue, headache, and back pain
• Treat constipation
• Help in ovulation in women
Visit a health center that provides a complete package if you are interested in trying this therapy for yourself. You can also go online to get instructions on how to perform cupping. You may need a cupping that you can buy online or from a medical supplier. Chinese cupping therapy is being used by a growing number of people due to its powerful and various healing effects.
Amy-SuiQun Lui, L.Ac. is a Board Certified and Licensed Acupuncturist in Cleveland, OH.