Cupping

From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, cupping is used to release stagnation in the body and improve the flow of qi. It is typically used for muscle problems, but can also help with colds or digestive problems.

Cupping therapy is not specific to Chinese medicine, but has been used for a long time all over the world. The first bamboo or metal cups appeared as early as 1000 BC.

Today, glass cups are most commonly used, in which a vacuum is created using fire. Silicone cups are great to use on your own body due to their easy application.

How are cups used

The standard use is to place the cup and let it do its job on a suitable place. However, the method has various modifications. For a more extensive and regenerative use, a "moving cup" can be used after applying the oil. A "water cup" is especially useful for dry coughs - during application, in addition to air, there is also a small amount of water in the cup. Cupping can be combined with the insertion of an acupuncture needle, or by draining a few drops of blood at a specific place directly before application (if a heat pathogen is present). The method is primarily of a draining nature, but with a weak suction it can also be used for tonification.

Cupping leaves behind characteristic circular “hickeys”. These tell us two things:

1. We know that the desired effect has been achieved – harmful substances in the body have reached a more superficial layer, from where the body can eliminate them more easily.
2. V závislosti na zabarvení lze určit, jestli v organismu převládá patogen horkosti – jasně červené zbarvení, chladná škodlivina – na červeném podkladu, který bude přítomen vždy, prosvítá i modrá barva, nebo je přítomna stagnace – fialové odstíny.

These cupping scars may look scary, but the application is painless. The biggest disadvantage of this method is therefore aesthetic, and even that is only temporary. The hickey will disappear after a few days.

Examples of use

The following pictures show the progress after applying cupping to shoulder joint pain caused by overload during sports (badminton). Not only did the "sucking mark" disappear, but most importantly the pain and the shoulder mobility improved.

This time-tested method is also used by professional athletes:

Swimmer Michael Phelps with cupping marks. Bernd Thissen/EPA

Does cupping look interesting to you and would you like to try it out for yourself? I would be happy to meet you at the office.