1. What is cupping therapy?
Cupping therapy is described as a technique that uses cups placed over the skin to create negative pressure through suction¹; the discoloration is due to broken blood vessels just beneath the skin, much like a bruise. Dry cupping is non-invasive with no bloodletting; the most common seen in Australia is dry cupping.
Cupping therapy has been popular in Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures going back thousands of years, but increasing numbers of people worldwide have been adopting it recently years.
2. What is cupping supposed to do?
The specific mechanism in which cupping exerts its therapeutic effect has not been identified¹.
Cupping is supposed to promote healing and has been used extensively for sore muscles and varies conditions². Cupping has also been used for
- back and neck pain
- Hay fever, sinusitis condition
- asthma
- skin diseases
- migraines
- knee arthritis
- Improving immune function.
3. Are there risks involved with cupping?
Most experts agree that cupping is safe. It’s quite unusual that cupping causes any serious problems (though, rarely, skin infections have been reported).
4. Contraindications²
- cancer
- organ failure
- using a pacemaker
- hemophilia or a similar blood disorder
Cupping therapy is not recommended for geriatric patients, pediatric patients, and pregnant women.
If you have any conditions mentioned above, please book an appointment with cupping therapy online or contact Dr Sujie.
References
1. Furhad S, Bokhari AA. Cupping Therapy. [Updated 2019 Feb 11]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538253/
2. Shmerling RH. What exactly is cupping? [Updated 2016 Sep 30]. In: Harvard Health Blog [Internet].Harvard Health Publishing; 2019 Jan-. Retrieved from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-exactly-is-cupping-2016093010402