What is your opinion and experience with Cupping Therapy?

Question

cupping therapy is one of chinese medicine and one of acupuncture technique but what about the experience, is it really work tell your story.

Answer 1

Hi!

I am an acupuncturist.  Cupping is a therapy used to release, such as a congested chest, tense muscles, and it can help you get rid of a cold quicker.  There is brusing that goes away like any other bruise.  It can take anywhere from a couple hours to a couple of days. But, THEY DO GO AWAY.  Any damage that has occured from cupping was done by someone who was not certified and did not know what they are doing.  It is a very helpful treatment that has benefited people with chronic illness like asthma, tendonitis, and muscle aches, just to name a few.

The procedure normally starts with the pracitioner asking about your aliment and what medications you are on.  Just a general getting to know you.

Next, if the practioner determines that they would like to cup  a certain area (for example your back) they will have you lay on a massage table face down and explain to you what they are about to do step by step so you know what is happening.

The practioner will take a cup and a cotton ball that has alcohol on it ( the cotton is not soaking wet, so it will not drip on you). Lit it and place it in the interior of the cup and then place it on your back.  The heat in the cup will help it "suck" on to your back.( Not all practioners use glass cups that have to be lit, there are cups that do the same job but don't require fire, ask the acupuncturist about it.)

Because  the lit cotton ball is placed inside the cup the part that comes into contact with you is never engaged by the fire, therefore, you will not get burned.

If the suction is to strong let the practioner know and they will loosen the cup.  The suction doesn't hurt, but it feels like a slight suction.  It is a different experience but with a qualified acupuncturist it can improve your health!

P.S.  I use it for my asthma and I have reduced how many times I use my inhaler.

Answer 2

It was popular in the 1400s through the late 1800s in European medicine, as was bleeding, purging,arsenic and mercury.

Then they became scientific and discovreed betterways to cure things.

Cupping can leave permanent blotchy pigment under the skin, like old bruises. It can also cause permanent damage to any nerves under the cupping spots.

And there's the man who had sevree burns because the burning alcoholthe practicioner was heating the cup with spilled all over his back.  

Answer 3

I've found the most talented Chinese doctors have no need to use cupping for it's stated purpose (they can do it without needing that tool), so I haven't felt it was necessary to be exposed to that frequently.

That said, I understand what it does (breaks apart energetic stagnation deep within the body, which is often quite hard to get to and deal with), and hence it makes sense to me why cupping has a purpose.

I've seen it used by plenty of less skilled people and get results (although I've never heart of creating injuries) both on myself and others.  Hence I support the therapy, but think it's a beginner's practice.

Answer 4

Hideous practice. Got a friend who now works in an ER in Arizona. Apparently there's a bit of enthusiasm for this thing around there. He's seen a good number of horrible blisters, burns and infections in said blisters. Seriously just one hideous practice, he brought pictures of some of the more spectacular screwups.

Somehow the nailgun + foot doesn't quite compare to a person's back covered in circular marks the color of burned bacon, with one of them blistered, bulging and leaking pus.

There's not even a good medical reason why this should do anything to benefit your health.