Have you ever been down at the beach and seen people with strange circular bruises on their backs and wondered if there was a giant octopus on the loose? Or maybe you spotted the Olympic swimmers covered in those circular purple marks and wondered what they were.
The answer is cupping, and it has been used for thousands of years in Chinese medicine to treat a wide variety of disorders from back pain to the cold and flu.
Recently cupping has been become more popular and works by a flame being briefly placed inside the cup to create a vacuum that when placed on the skin creates a gentle suction. The sensation for the patient is a gentle pulling or tightness that instantly begins to relieve tension in the area.
The cups can also be glided along the skin using oil mimicking a deep massage.
People are often put off by the dark marks sometimes left after cupping assuming that it’s a painful experience but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Most people love the sensation and describe it as being extremely relieving.
Studies have shown that cupping increases localised pain thresholds providing immediate pain relief, which explains why so many people feel so amazing right after cupping.
The reason some people are left with marks afterwards is because the cups increase circulation and pull old blood and toxins to the surface so your body can then remove them. The purple colour indicates that the blood is no longer oxygenated and may suggest poor circulation in the area.
From a Chinese perspective the cups are used to treat pain by moving Qi and blood to alleviate stagnation in the body. Another traditional use for the cups is to release pathogens from the body so next time you feel a cold or flu coming on it might be a good idea to give a more natural approach a try.
Cupping is normally used in conjunction with other therapies such as acupuncture and massage and is a natural and safe method for the treatment of pain conditions.
5 other conditions cupping can help treat
- Migraines and headaches
- Cellulite
- Digestive issues such as IBS
- High blood pressure
- Asthma
We love incorporating cupping into our treatments at the Gentle Dragon and have a number of practitioners trained to use this therapy.
Call the centre today on 02 8076 5111 to find out how cupping can be added to your next acupuncture or massage treatment.
