What is Cupping Therapy?
Cupping therapy is a form of holistic medicine designed to create therapeutic suction and massage on your skin. Although cupping has soared in popularity in recent years, cupping has been around for thousands of years and traces its roots to ancient Chinese and Egyptian medicine.
How does cupping therapy work?
The suction created by the cup encourages blood flow—and this increased circulation promotes healing and reduces pain. To create suction on the skin, the cups are either first heated with fire or using a suction device to pump out the air.
Cupping is used for:
Pain relief
Musculoskeletal injuries, such as strains, sprains, back injuries
Lower back pain, neck pain, and knee pain
Recovery from injury or surgery
Inflammation
Headaches
Digestion
…and more!
What to expect after a cupping session:
You will have temporary reddish and/or purple circular marks (resembling bruising) on the skin that fade in 7-10 days. Please note that these marks are NOT bruises — bruises are broken blood vessels. These markings are more like “hickeys” and are just places where stagnation has been pulled to the surface of your skin so the lymphatic system can flush it out. These marks can be sensitive but are not typically painful and, with more frequent cupping treatments, they become less noticeable or do not appear at all.
**Drink plenty of water after a cupping session.**
Cautions
Absolute contraindications to cupping therapy:
Cancer patients
Those suffering from any organ failure
Patients using a pacemaker or suffering from hemophilia or a similar blood disorder
Cupping therapy is not recommended for:
Geriatric patients
Pediatric patients
Pregnant and menstruating women
If you have these conditions, please discuss them with Dr. Vaughan before cupping:
High cholesterol
Deep vein thrombosis
Chronic diseases (like cardiovascular diseases)
Bleeding disorder
Using anticoagulants
Have an acute infection
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