Cupping therapy is one of the common treatment modalities that we use in our Cincinnati-based acupuncture and wellness practice.
And with its popularity increasing following the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, more and more of our patients are asking about cupping.
Cupping Therapy is a healing modality which uses small glass cups as suction devices on the skin. The skin and muscle are gently pulled up into the cup. The suction pulls stagnant blood and energy to the surface where it can more easily be dispersed. The cups can be left in place (stationary cupping) or they can be moved over an area (drag or moving cups). Cupping can loosen stiff muscles, improve blood flow, and calm the mind and body. Cupping is useful to treat a wide variety of conditions from sore and stiff neck and shoulder muscles to coughing and asthma.
One of the most unique aspects of cupping therapy is the fact that it is utilized by people from all over the world from a wide range of cultures, as part of their folklore healing traditions, dating back thousands of years. The earliest form of cupping used hollowed out animal horns and a flame to create suction (today we use glass cups with a pump).
There are records of ancient Egyptians and Sumerians using cupping. Later on the Greeks also began the practice and noted physician philosophers such as Hippocrates and Herodatus were proponents of cupping.
Muslims call it Al-Hijama and it is referenced in the Koran. Today it is still widely practiced in the Middle East and throughout the Muslim world. Cupping is called Bankes in Yiddish and it is an important part of the Judaic healing folklore.
Does it hurt?
Although cupping can leave bruises, it is not painful. The bruises usually go away within a few days. Most of our patients find it relaxing and some compare it to getting a massage.
Many of our patients find cupping to be their favorite part of the treatment.
What do you use cupping for?
- Pain and tension
- Lung issues such as chest congestion, phlegm, cough and asthma
- Sports injuries (acute or chronic)
- Sore, achy neck and back muscles
- Low back pain
- headaches and migraines
- upper back pain and mid-back pain
- Strained or pulled muscles or muscle spasms
- and more
In the style of acupuncture we practice, Non-Somatic Extraordinary Vessel acupuncture, we use cupping as an important adjunct therapy to support the principal acupuncture treatment.
Give us a call today at (513) 834-8173 if you would like to try cupping!
