Maybe you’ve seen it, maybe you haven’t. It’s cupping therapy.
The dictionary defines it as “an operation of drawing blood to the surface of the body by use of a glass vessel evacuated by heat” (1). In more detail, cupping therapy originated in China as an ancient form of alternative medicine in which a therapist places cups (or glasses) on your skin for a few minutes to create suction.
While it has often been looked down upon, especially in today’s society, people use the therapy for a multitude of purposes, including: help with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation, well-being, and as a deep tissue massage (2). But what actually happens to your body during your typical cupping therapy session?
First of all, Don’t Try it at Home
First of all, it should be clarified that cupping is not something you should ever try at home. Leave it to the professionals. There is an intense risk of injury, infection, or simply doing more harm than good to your body if you attempt this procedure on your own. Finding a practitioner is relatively easy with a Google search or any cupping therapy website.
What Are The Benefits?
Now, the International Cupping Therapy Association says clearly that cupping can improve your health if you suffer from physical or mental health problems, such as the common cold, depression, arthritis, anxiety, sciatica, intestinal issues, muscle pain, and even things like cellulite and stretch marks (4). The main benefits of cupping include: deep tissue stimulation, inflammation relief, stretches muscle and connective tissue, encourages circulation, loosens scar tissue adhesion, and more (4).
5 Science-Based Facts About Cupping Therapy
While the ICTA might say one thing, it’s important to cross-check your facts. But even when examined scientifically, cupping therapy does prove to have many benefits! Consider the following list:
- Increased immune system function (4). After reviewing a wet cupping therapy technique, researchers say that cupping therapy could be a good treatment for increasing immunity of the human body. Research showed that cupping therapy increased the immune system function by 156% (4).
- Reduces chronic pain (4). In a study, the amount of pain that patients reported decreased by 34% after just one month of using cupping therapy, and it decreased by 59% after three months of therapy (4).
- Viral and bacterial illnesses defenses improved (4). These include herpes, influenza, viral hepatitis, acne, dermatitis, and cellulitis (4). Cupping therapy helps eliminate all of these things.
- Reduces the rate of cardiovascular disease (4). Studies showed a decrease in systolic hypertension, heart failure, vascular leg blood clots, myocardial ischemia and arrhythmia, heart attacks, and myocardial infarction as a result of cupping therapy (4).
- Decreased headaches (4). Migraine and headache pain have been entirely removed due to cupping therapy.
Conclusion
While cupping therapy may look pretty gross, seem a little weird, and make some people uncomfortable, the health benefits are flowing in. If you find yourself struggling with any of the these issues, maybe it’s worth checking out!
Keep in mind that cupping doesn’t work for every problem for everyone. So whenever you are about to go through any kind of procedure, it is best to consult your doctor first.
