Cupping therapy Chinese Medicine

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What are the suction cups?

Cupping treatment is a traditional millenary technique which has been practised in the Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. Despite this association, cupping has been used by other cultures from Northern and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North America and Asia. 

As you can see, they have been around for quite some time as a therapeutic tool. Suction cups have been made throughout all this time from different materials: bamboo, animal horn, shells, glass and nowadays, of course, plastic!

What does a cupping treatment look like?

The suction cup or cupping cup works by generating an air vacuum in the area to be treated.There are two ways of generating such a vacuum:

• With fire suction cup, the vacuum is generated by applying a flame to the inside of the suction cup immediately prior to its placement. The suction cups, in this case, are made of glass.
• With suction cup by suction, the vacuum is generated after the suction cup is placed on the skin. In this method, plastic suction cups with a valve are used and the suction is done by pumping the air mechanically with a special gun.

There is no one method better than the other. At Energetic Acupuncture Barcelona We mostly use the second because it is more comfortable and safer. In both methods, prior to the application of the cups, the points to be treated will have been selected either on the basis of Chinese medicine diagnosis and acupuncture points or on the basis of muscle tension and affected areas.

Techniques used

At Energetic Acupuncture Barcelona, we usually work with suction cups in two ways:

• Mobile suction cup, consists of perform a massage along the area to be treated by the slipping of the suction cup and with a variable degree of suction.
• Fixed suction cup, the suction cup remains static five to ten minutes on the area to be treated.

Cupping treatment is generally combined with tuina massage and/or acupuncture.

What are its effects?

Cupping therapy has important benefits, among them:

• Increases the blood circulation in the area.
• Promotes the lymphatic drainage, therefore helps to eliminates toxins and reduces oedema.
• It has an anti-inflammatory effect.
• Reduces pain
• It has a muscle relaxant effect, therefore, it helps to solve themuscle contractures.
• Helps myofascial release.
• Facilitates cell repair.

Given that cupping can also be applied to acupuncture points to achieve a similar effect to acupressure, the technique is likely to be effective in treating problems commonly treated by acupressure and acupuncture.

Who benefits?

Cupping therapy would be especially beneficial for:

• Muscle aches and pains.
• Inflammation in tissues and joints, as in arthritis and fibromyalgia.
• Circulatory problems.
• Dermatological conditions such as acne.
• Facial paralysis.

Contra-indications

Cupping therapy is not recommended for:

• Pregnant women, due to lack of studies on the effects of cupping in pregnancy.
• Blood coagulation disorders.
• In the case of wounds and skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

If you would like to have more information about this beneficial ancient technique, please don't hesitate contacting us
.