What is cupping?
Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine in which a practitioner creates suction in a cup which had been placed on a patient’s skin for a few minutes, and by doing so, the extravasated blood under the area gets pulled up to right beneath the skin, accelerating the circulation of gas exchange, making the blood cleaner again. People get it for many purposes, including to help with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation and well-being, and as a type of deep-tissue massage.
The very first cupping method used in human history traces back to prehistoric age, as seen in ancient murals. The Indians and the African Indians administered it amongst themselves but used an ox horn instead of a cup.
Effectiveness
In modern society, people live with a lot of stress. Many diseases attribute their cause to mental stresses, such as chronic shoulder pains and muscle pains. A cupping treatment will relax the extravasated blood and also soften the hard muscles, temporarily relieving the stresses and the pains, etc. The treatment can be administered as often times as the patient needs it. The treatment can be used not only to cure temporary pains or to help the blood circulation, but also to cure all types of untreatable diseases or to improve a general health.
The Cupping method is excellent in curing the following ailments: High blood pressure, hardened artery, ulcers, heart valve problems, rheumatic arthritis, asthma, pediatric urination problems, constipation, neuralgia, diabetes, liver diseases, gastric diseases, obesity, cold and gout. However, a patient should refrain from receiving the treatment when the body has been considerably weakened, has a skin disease, suddenly becomes comatose, or when he/she has paralysis symptoms in his/her limbs, or when there’s a sudden swelling in veins, the heart area, the nipples, or a tumorous spot.
Types of Cupping treatment
There are two methods of cupping treatment, the wet cupping method and the dry cupping method. In the wet cupping method, the practitioner first punctures the skin and let out the extravasated blood accumulated under the skin. This method is often used to cure a bruise or a swollen joint with pains, where the capillaries are ruptured causing the tissues to swell, or to cure the chronic pains & hardness in particular body areas. In the dry cupping method, unlike the wet method, the blood isn’t let out of skin but the practitioner simply applies the cups on the skin so that the extravasated blood can be pulled up to right underneath the skin thus helping cleanse the circulation system.
Contraindications for Cupping Therapy
While cupping therapy is very safe, your therapist may choose not to give you treatment under certain conditions. When you come in for a consultation, your therapist will ask to rule out medical issues such as:
Pregnancy and menstruation
Skin conditions like dermatoses, skin allergies, injuries, and lesions
Conditions of uncontrolled bleeding like in hemophilia, leukemia, and blood spots on the skin caused by allergies
Heart disease
Kidney disease or failure
Hernia
Slipped disc
Cancer
Varicose veins, among others
Reaction
Less skin reactions are found in healthier people when cupping is administered. But some patients, such as people with hardened muscles, can be left with red marks at the cupping spots of skin. In some worse cases, the patient may develop blisters. From lesser reaction to severe, the colors of the marks are various from light pink to red to purple and to dark blackish red.? To heighten the effectiveness of cupping treatment, increase of natural foods in your diets such as brown rice, fresh vegetables, and seaweeds, is highly recommended.
