5 Things You Should Know About Cupping

Thanks to Michael Phelps and the Olympics, cupping has become a household term. While the benefits of cupping can be tremendous – just ask the most decorated Olympian of all time – it’s important to remember that cupping is a medical treatment complete with benefits, intricacies and side effects. With that in mind, here are 5 things you should know about cupping.

How Cupping Works

CuppingCupping is an ancient Chinese Medicine treatment used to purge toxins and “invasions” from the body and to treat muscle tension, pain, injury and overuse. The objective is simple: get the stagnant qi (energy) and blood moving. Special glass or rubber suction cups are placed over the affected areas. The cups draw blood to the soft tissue, allowing it to permeate the tissue fibers and increase blood circulation. The cups are removed after 4-8 minutes if they left stationary, or after up to 20 minutes if a sliding cups method is used.

Potential Benefits

The treatment itself causes minor injury to the area, which triggers the body’s natural healing mechanisms. Bodily fluids, blood and qi are sent to the area to jumpstart healing. When the treatment is used on athletes like Phelps before competition, it can loosen up muscles and tendons by getting fresh blood and energy flowing to the area. Muscles are more limber and less prone to injury. After competition, cupping can accelerate the body’s natural healing process to repair and replenish tissue, which lessens recovery time.

What to Expect

ad-side-02Cupping hit the media after Phelps proudly displayed the telltale circular red marks before diving in the pool. The body’s natural reaction to the treatment is what causes the red marks: blood vessels bursting near the skin. These marks last up to five days. Slight muscle soreness may also occur, usually lasting just one to two days.

Side Effects and Hazards

While the benefits are big, there are side effects and the treatment is not safe for everyone. Cupping is a purging process – just like vomiting, diarrhea, sweating and bleeding – so too much can be depleting. And if you are already weak from illness or poor general health, cupping can really be harmful. Dangers include making you weaker; spread of infection; spread of blood and fluid-borne diseases; sudden drops in blood pressure causing dizziness and lightheadedness; muscle cramping; and excessive bleeding and bruising (especially if you are on blood thinners or have a blood disease). Even convulsions are possible. If you are pregnant, you should never be cupped on the abdomen, low back or several other locations of the body – miscarriage or premature child birth is possible.

Who Provides the Cupping Treatment?

The cupping treatment itself is very easy to do. But the question is, how does the cupping practitioner know when it’s right or not? Choosing a practitioner trained to diagnose health conditions and one who understands the signs and symptoms of disease is essential. Cupping may not be the right approach, and a trained professional will be knowledgeable in alternative therapies that also increase blood and energy flow and initiate the body’s healing process, like acupuncture, tuina massage, therapeutic massage and even electro stimulation.

At WholeSelf Acupuncture in Scottsdale, cupping is primarily used as an adjunct treatment and only when it’s appropriate. Before any cupping treatment with a new patient, Chinese Medicine practitioner Linda Lofaro performs a complete intake to understand if it’s the best approach and to what degree. If you think you may be a good candidate for cupping, schedule a consultation with Linda. If cupping is not the right treatment for you, she’ll know what is!