The medical industry over the last few decades has turned over a new leaf. People will usually go for alternative forms of treatment over invasive treatments and allopathic medications if they’re given a choice. I mean who wouldn’t if you’re assured of good health without the hassles of harmful and even dangerous side effects?
Cupping therapy is one alternative treatment that has caught a lot of attention quite recently. This healing method may still be a relatively novel form of treatment in the United States but it has been actually practiced for hundreds of years in European societies and thousands of years, in the Middle East, China, and especially ancient Egypt.
What is Cupping Therapy?
Heated cups are used by trained cupping practitioners and applied to targeted parts of a patient’s body, particularly muscular areas such as the legs, arms, abdomen, and back. The cups may be made of silicon, plastic, or glass.
Cupping therapy can be administered in four ways. One way is the method called “fire cupping” or “dry cupping”. In this procedure a cotton ball is immersed in a flammable substance, usually rubbing alcohol. The cotton ball is lit up and used to heat the cups. The cups are alternately heated in oil or hot water.
The cups are quickly set on the skin of the patient once they are sufficiently heated. The skin entirely seals the cup as it rises. A vacuum effect is generated by the heat causing the muscles and skin on the treatment site to develop a small puff. The practitioner allows the cup to stay in this position for some minutes prior to removing it safely. In another method known as “moving cupping”, the cups are moved slowly and gently over different parts of the skin and are left in a single position. But before setting the cups on the skin, the therapist first applies cream or oil on the skin to enable the smooth movement of the cups over the site of treatment. The treated body parts become reddened due to the dilation of the blood vessels and the suction effect.
Wet cupping is the third method and in this procedure, the practitioner makes small incisions on the skin after applying and removing the cups. The sucking procedure is repeatedly done to pull out small amounts of blood. The fourth style of cupping is a combination of acupuncture and cupping. Among the four types, this is the most effective. It entails the sticking of needles prior to the placement of the cups to the skin.
The following are some of the benefits you can receive from cupping therapy:
- Relieves knotted and tensed muscles and relaxes the body
- Alleviates inflammation
- Boosts blood flood which facilitates healing
- Eliminates toxins that have built up in the tissues
- Improves performance by invigorating the flow of energy all over the body
- Strengthens immune function helping combat allergies, colds, and flu
Pain Relief and Cupping Therapy
Well-known to be a versatile treatment for various maladies, cupping therapy is especially potent in the mitigation of pain. This is the reason why a great number of athletes swear by it. It is extremely efficient for various types of painful conditions.
- For women suffering from intolerable menstrual cramping, cupping therapy can be a very helpful alternative for painkilling drugs
- It is surprisingly effective for the relief of severe toothaches
- It relieves pain caused by respiratory problems
- People suffering from pain related to arthritis or rheumatism can find that cupping therapy can be a long-term answer to their problem
- Cupping therapy lessens the severity of muscle and joint pain allowing you to experience relief from muscle stiffness and injuries, neck pain, and back pain
- Cupping therapy helps alleviate tension headaches and migraines
As a type of alternative medicine, Cupping Therapy can do so much for your body’s general well-being and health. It can help you lose weight, promote blood circulation, relieve anxiety, alleviate stiffness and pain, and facilitate digestion. Combined with acupuncture in Reading, cupping therapy can be an extremely effective form of cure for various illnesses and pains.