Cupping Massage

Cupping massage is an ancient therapy that is most commonly associated with Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM). When used in TCM it is mostly to stimulate and unblock meridians. It is a way to get rid of stagnation. The therapy is used by massage therapists, acupuncturist, and chiropractors to loosen muscle adhesions, increase blood flow to a specific area and draw out toxins.

In this therapy the practitioner creates a vacuum in a glass or plastic cup and puts it on various points on your body. Sometimes the cups are just left on you while you relax. Sometimes the therapist moves the cups around to massage you. The pressure of the vacuum in the cups can be light or quite intense. It just depends on the type of therapy you are getting.

I've never had this treatment myself, but hear that it is quite relaxing.

The History

The earliest evidence of the use of cupping is from Egypt in 1550 BCE. It is thought that the practice goes back even further though. Besides being practiced by the ancient Egyptians, cupping was used by the Greeks, and Chinese. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, practiced cupping on his patients. There is also evidence of the practice being used in across Europe and in the Middle East in later centuries. While cupping started to decline in popularity in the mid 19th century, but it seems to have experienced a resurgence in recent years.

In the past cups were made from animal horns, bamboo, copper, or clay. Now cups are made from glass or plastic.

How's It Done?

There are several methods the therapist can use to create the vacuum in the cup before placing it on your body. Simply heating the cup, placing it on the area to be treated, and allowing it to cool to create a slow gentle suction is one way. Another is to put a few drops of alcohol on a cotton ball, set the ball on fire, and put it in the cup for a few seconds to heat the air inside the cup and remove the oxygen. Then the cotton ball is removed from the cup and placed on your body where suction will occur. Other cups can be attached to a mechanical device that will suck the air out of the cup while it is on you.

There is also a type of cupping called wet cupping. In this therapy a small incision is made in the skin before the cup is put in place. The vacuum in the cup will draw blood out of the incision. This style is most popular in the Middle East.

Benefits

Cupping massage relaxes the nervous system. It increases circulation and helps draw toxins out of the body while increasing the amounts of nutrients provided to tissue. It works on deeper layers of tissue and is said to have similar effects as a deep tissue massage. It can be used to aid in the treatment of the following conditions:

• fibromyalgia
• headaches
• fatigue
• high blood pressure
• anxiety
• cellulite

What to Expect

You will be asked to lay on a massage table with the area that will be treated uncovered. The therapist will use one of the techniques listed above to put cups of various sizes on your body.

Sometimes the cups are simply left on you and you are left to relax. If you are receiving a true cupping massage the therapist moves the cups across your skin giving you a massage.

When the treatment it over the therapist breaks the seal of the cup, releasing the vacuum so it can easily be removed from you body. After the cups are removed the therapist may apply lotion, oil or essential oils to the skin and give you a brief massage.

If your treatment was severe you may experience bruising in the area the cups were after the treatment.

Risks

As with all treatments it is important to seek treatment from a therapist who is properly trained in cupping massage. If cups are allowed to get too hot they can burn you. This should not happen if you are working with an experienced practitioner.

If you are pregnant or have a problem with blood clotting you should not receive this therapy.