Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine in which a therapist puts special cups on your skin for a few minutes to create suction in an attempt to ease pain. People get it for many purposes, including to help with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation and well-being, and as a type of deep-tissue massage. A provider places cups on your back, stomach, arms, legs or other parts of your body. Inside the cup, a vacuum or suction force pulls skin upward.

Cupping therapy might be trendy now, but it’s not new. It dates back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures. One of the oldest medical textbooks in the world, the Ebers Papyrus, describes how the ancient Egyptians used cupping therapy in 1,550 B.C.

Experts are still exploring how cupping eases pain and disease symptoms. There isn’t a lot of research on the therapy.

Suction from cupping draws fluid into the treated area. This suction force expands and breaks open tiny blood vessels (capillaries) under the skin. Your body treats the cupping area like an injury. It sends more blood to the area to stimulate the natural healing process. Some people theorize that cupping clears the pores and releases toxins.

There are different methods of cupping, including:

• Dry
• Wet

At Dr. Jacobsohn Chiropractic we only offer dry cupping as this is the safest way to get significant results.

The doctor will place the cup upside down on your skin and use a device to suck all the air out of the cup. This causes your skin to rise and redden as your blood vessels expand. The cup is generally left in place for up to 3 minutes. Sometimes the doctor can move the cups from place to place on your skin for a massage-like effect.

People mostly use cupping to relieve conditions that cause pain. Some people say it also helps with chronic (ongoing) health issues. Cupping may ease symptoms of:

• Arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis.
• Back pain, neck pain, knee pain and shoulder pain.
• Breathing problems, such as asthma.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel disease(IBD).
• Headaches and migraines.
• High blood pressure (hypertension).

The suction force from cupping breaks open tiny blood vessels under the skin. You will have round bruise-like marks that fade in a week or two.

There aren’t many high-quality studies about the effectiveness of cupping. And researchers don’t know a lot about why or how cupping might help people. Cupping may provide a placebo effect, meaning it helps because people believe it does.

What is cupping in a massage?

A therapeutic cupping treatment involves warming and placing cups, usually made of glass, on the skin. By warming the air within the cup, a vacuum is created, and when it is applied to the skin, the tissue is drawn up into the cup. This increases the blood flow, loosens the fascia or connective tissue, and is thought to stimulate healing. It is similar to the way deep tissue massage can be used to break up scar tissue and reduce pain. The cups are often placed on the back, neck, and shoulders or the site of pain. Cupping may cause temporary bruising and soreness, depending upon the degree of suction created by the vacuum and the level of internal stagnation. According to TCM, this would be a favourable outcome, suggesting the treatment has successfully removed toxins and stagnation. The cups are removed by lifting one edge, which allows air in and breaks the seal and vacuum.

What does cupping therapy do?

TCM teaches that it is the stagnation of qi and blood that causes pain and disease. Cupping invigorates local circulation of qi and blood in the area being treated, resolving swelling, pain, and tension. By drawing impurities to the surface, it removes toxins. From a Western physiology perspective, cupping loosens connective tissue or fascia and stimulated blood flow to the surface. Cupping stimulates tissue relaxation and better cell-to-cell communication. The research of U.S. physiologist and acupuncturist Helene Langevin has documented cell-level changes using an ultrasound camera. She has demonstrated that techniques like cupping, acupuncture, and massage relax tissue and reduce markers of inflammation. Inflammatory cytokines (chemical messengers) are reduced, and cytokines that promote healing and relaxation are increased.

What are the benefits of cupping?

The benefits of cupping include local pain relief and muscle relaxation. Cupping improves overall health by removing the energy blockages that TCM practitioners identify as barriers to the flow of healthy energy or qi. For athletes, cupping may help increase blood flow to a particular muscle region or help reduce pain. Numerous athletes from the Olympics in Rio 2016 used cupping. This was easily seen by circular markings on some of the U.S. swim team members.

Researchers have studied cupping primarily in China, finding benefit in conditions such as anxiety, depression, back pain, varicose veins, high blood pressure, eczema, acne, fertility, arthritis, fibromyalgia, diabetes, anaemia, shingles (herpes zoster), insomnia, and gout.

While the quality of some of these studies are not up to standard, the findings of actual benefit are significant, especially given the low risk of the side effects.

How long do cupping bruises last?

The bruises for cupping can last for a few days up to two weeks. According to TCM practitioner Casco, it is expected that over several weeks of repeated cupping treatments the bruising will decrease as the stagnation resolves. This indicates a successful result of a cupping treatment protocol.