Have you ever had cupping done? What does it do?

Question

I saw this on a TV show today, and wondered what its purpose is, if it helps pain, and what it is all about.

Answer 1

I've had cupping done in conjunction with acupuncture treatments for chronic pain and for asthmatic/lung congestion symptoms. I find that it's pretty effective for me, especially in terms of treating lung congestion quickly without drugs. Its efficacy in terms of treating pain in my case is less obvious, and took awhile longer.

Cupping is another method, like acupuncture, of freeing stagnant qi, in Chinese medicine, so it is something that follows along Chinese medicine theory. I'm not as well versed in it as I could be, but essentially, energy (qi) flows along in your body in lines called meridiens. The qi can stagnate at any point, and this can cause ailments. Chinese medicine doesn't recognize illnesses and diagnoses as we would in Western medicine. Theoretically, then, cupping would work to free qi to move along the meridiens and help your body's processes to work better.

If you try cupping, I recommend highly that you book a few sessions with a licensed pracititioner of Chinese medicine. Expect to have a fairly lengthy intake session with some odd questions (usually, they ask you about your digestion, your bowel habits, etc.) because this is how Chinese medicine does its diagnosis. A good Chinese medicine practitioner will probably also ask to see your tongue, because tongue examination yields a lot of information in Chinese medicine. It may seem odd, but it's part of the process.

Cupping itself can be a bit painful, particularly if you have it done over a painful area. For example, I have back and neck pain, and cupping over my back in pain will hurt. They put the glass cups over your back and light the match and the vacuum formed by the loss of oxygen in the cup will adhere them to your back. This suction can hurt a little (or a lot, if your back is in spasm). It does alleviate the chronic pain over the long term, but sometimes the sessions did hurt me, I won't lie. They weren't always pleasant, but I was raised in a culture with acupuncture and Chinese/Japanese medicine, so it was a very natural resource for me and it works for me. I stuck with it.

Answer 2

Cupping is a technique where a cup with a lit match is placed on the skin...as the match extinguishes and the heated air inside the cup contracts, negative pressure draws the skin in toward the cup...much like a suction cup.

It is a form of traditional medicine mostly used by those of different Asian heritage. It is thought to draw out toxins of the body to help with a variety of ailments.

I have had patients use it in conjunction with their traditional physical therapy...I didn't mind as long as it wasn't interferring with our treatment...I think whether or not it "helps" with the pain is highly dependent on a patient's belief system and values.