Cupping Therapy

Cupping Therapy

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Cupping Therapy

Cupping therapy is a form of alternative medicine in which a local suction is created on the skin with the application of heated cups. Its practice mainly occurs in Asia but also in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. Cupping has been characterized as a pseudoscience. There is no good evidence it has any health benefits, and there are some risks of harm, especially from fire and wet cupping.

History

The origins of cupping therapy are unclear, but the practice most likely emerged from traditional Chinese medicine. The earliest recorded use of cupping is from the Ebers Papyrus, one of the oldest medical textbooks in the world, which describes the Egyptians' use of cupping, dating as far back as 1,550 B.C.

Types of Cupping

There are different forms of cupping therapy, including:

• Dry cupping (suction only)
• Wet cupping (combination of suction and controlled medicinal bleeding)
• Fire cupping (a cotton ball soaked in alcohol, lit, and placed inside the cup to create heat before placing the cup against the skin)

Procedure

In a typical cupping session, glass cups are warmed using a cotton ball or other flammable substance, which is soaked in alcohol, let, and then placed inside the cup. Burning a substance inside the cup removes all the oxygen, which creates a vacuum. As the substance burns, the cup is turned upside-down so that the practitioner can place the cup over a specific area. The vacuum created by the lack of oxygen anchors the cup to the skin and pulls it upward on the inside of the glass as the air inside the jar cools.

Potential Benefits and Risks

While cupping is considered relatively safe (especially air cupping, which does not include the risk of fire and heat), it can cause some swelling and bruising on the skin. As the skin under a cup is drawn up, the blood vessels at the surface of the skin expand. This may result in small, circular bruises on the areas where the cups were applied.

See Also

• Alternative Medicine
• Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Pseudoscience