CUPPING THERAPIES

Cupping was established as an official therapeutic practice in the 1950s across hospitals in China after research conducted by Chinese and former Soviet Union acupuncturists confirmed cupping’s effectiveness. Prior to the 1950s, cupping had also been for centuries been practiced as an auxiliary treatment method in traditional Chinese medicine

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Cupping is the term applied to a technique that uses small glass cups or bamboo jars as suction devices that are placed on the skin to disperse and break up stagnation and congestion by drawing congested blood, energy, or other humors to the surface. In dry cupping, the therapist will simply place the suction cups on the skin. In wet cupping, the practitioner will make a small incision on the skin and then apply the suction cup to draw out small amounts of blood.

There are several ways that a practitioner can create the suction in the cups. One method involves swabbing rubbing alcohol onto the bottom of the cup, then lighting it, and putting the cup immediately against the skin. Suction can also be created by placing an inverted cup over a small flame, or by using an alcohol-soaked cotton pad over an insulating material (like leather) to protect the skin, then lighting the pad and placing an empty cup over the flame to extinguish it. Flames are never used near the skin and are not lit throughout the process of cupping, but rather are a means to create the heat that causes the suction within the small cups.

Once the suction has occurred, the cups can either be either left in place, or gently moved across the skin (often referred to as “gliding cupping).  Medical massage oils are sometimes applied to improve the movement of the glass cups along the skin. The suction in the cups causes the skin and superficial muscle layer to be lightly drawn into the cup. Cupping is much like the inverse of massage – rather than applying pressure to muscles, it uses gentle pressure to pull them upward. For most clients, this is a particularly relaxing and relieving sensation.    Cupping Therapy can also be used to reduce both the texture and appearance of surgical, or other, scarring on the body.

Medi-Cupping sessions combine the benefits of manual lymphatic drainage with a gentle, dynamic vacuum cupping therapy (no marks!) for a soothing and highly effective treatment with noticeably impressive results.  Clients have reported a sensation of lightness, increased energy, improved athletic performance and reduction of all-over pain (specifically in cases of Fibromyalgia and Lyme Disease).

Just some of the conditions benefitting from treatment by Cupping and Medi-Cupping include:

Anxiety

Arthritis

Athletic Performance

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Cellulite Reduction (the appearance of)

Circulatory Issues

Fibromyalgia

Inflammation

Insomnia

Lymphatic Stagnation

Restricted Mobility

Muscular Pain (and Myofascial Release)

Plantar Fasciitis

Pre- and Post-Op Conditions

Reproductive Concerns (Menstrual cramping, Menopause)

Scar Treatment and Mitigation

Sciatica

TMJ

Wrinkle Reduction

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