Cupping bruises on the shoulder of star swimmer Michael Phelps at the Rio Olympics.
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They then use either heat or an air pump to create suction between the cup and the skin. ‘Cupping is mainly used to stimulate tissue and blood stagnation which can manifest itself as pain, congestion or swelling and can also be used to detox and rid the body of pathogens such as viruses, ‘ says Acupuncturist extraordinaire Ross Barr. The cup is then quickly placed on the skin in the area of distress.
The practice definitely leaves the person covered in polka dots, but beyond that, it’s unclear what it achieves.
The ECHO has not tried any of the below practioners – and if you want to undergo the therapy, recommends that you check the practioner is qualified to carry out cupping.
Among other things, that means the benefits could possibly be attributed to the placebo effect. The BMC review’s conclusions were backed up by systematic reviews published in Evidence Based Complementary Alternative Medicine in 2011, PlosOne in 2012, and, most recently, the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences in 2015.
Melamed also demonstrated the fire cupping method using an everyday mason jar, to show there was nothing “mystical” about the cups.
The stirring victory – televised in prime time back home in the United States – put Phelps back on the podium and thrust cupping therapy into the spotlight.
They’re the result of a type of therapy called cupping. It’s isn’t simply the case of weak studies on the subject; the research just isn’t there. So, we are getting the blood flow, the pain relief. In terms of physiology and anatomy, a non-athlete’s body is more or less the same as that of an athlete performing in Rio – humans have the same basic muscle groups and blood vessels and immune system. More likely, the process will be just as useless on a layperson’s as it is on an Olympian’s.
Most acupuncturists and some massage therapists, chiropractors and physical therapists pursue additional training to use cupping.
The Ebers Papyrus, written c. 1550 BC, considered one of the oldest medical textbooks in the Western world, describes how the Egyptians used cupping to help cure some frequent medical issues and how it was also sued by Saharan peoples. Others insist that it aids recovery, relaxes muscles and helps an athlete maximize performance. 3,000 years ago, cupping had an even greater significance to some Chinese practitioners, who would say that it, “helps open up channels of qi, or the body’s life force”.
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Cupping is a method of healing, said Dr. Lisette Miller a chiropractor and acupuncturist with First State Health and Wellness, one of the sites in DE that performs the procedure.
