Traditional Chinese Medicine 101: What is Cupping?
I love cupping
It’s one of my favourite modalities to introduce patients too. It’s joined the zeitgeist in recent years thanks to celebrities and athletes; its revival is exciting, but there is still a lot of confusion. As a practitioner who uses cupping in my practice, I’d like to take this moment to clarify and enlighten.
Cupping is a technique that uses small glass or silicone cups as suction devices that are placed on the skin to disperse and break up stagnation by drawing congested blood, Qi or other humors to the surface. Once the desired suction has been achieved, the cups can be gently moved across the skin referred to as gliding or moving cupping. Cupping is much like the inverse of massage; instead of applying pressure to muscles, it uses gentle pressure to pull them upward. Once suctioned, the cups can be left in place for further therapeutic relief; typically for a few seconds to minutes.
Cupping can be applied almost anywhere over the surface of the body; if it sticks, it stays
I even use small silicone cups during cosmetic acupuncture treatments gently gliding them along the face and around the eyes. It can feel especially soothing for those with tight jaws or eye strain. Clinically, I’ve found that silicone cups are more tolerated on the legs and arms as they are more flexible, and their suction isn’t as strong as glass
On the back, cupping not only helps to relieve pain and sore muscles, but it can give me a deeper insight into the health of a person’s organs. The Back Shu points are very special, as each point correlates to a different organ in the Chinese Medicine cannon. If I have a theory about whether an organ is functioning improperly, due to the signs and symptoms gathered during the intake, I’ll place glass cups on the back shu of said organ and see if any congested blood comes to the surface. The colour and density of the marks left by the cup will be clinically significant to me and will help shape my treatment protocol.
If pain is the result of obstructed or irregular flow in the body, cupping is a method of breaking up the blockage to restore homeostasis. I need to make this abundantly clear - the marks ARE NOT BRUISES. Bruises are caused by impact trauma by use of force; remember, cupping utilizes suction.
The colours that arise possess a diagnostic meaning
Black, Deep Purple or Deep Blue = An injury or illness has resided in the body for a long time
Fresh Red Color = A recent traumatic injury with accompanying heat, i.e. inflammation
Small Red Dots = Recent heat in the body due to an illness, i.e. cold/flu or a sign of fluid congestion and toxin accumulation
Pale or Blanching = The blood supply to the muscles is inadequate and the pain will most likely return.
The marks can take anywhere from 3 to 7 days to disappear. If it takes less or longer to fade, tell your practitioner as this diagnostic information that will guide them.
I’ve found cupping to be effective when treating pain and inflammation in the traditional sense as it disperses congested lymph, circulates fluids, releases heat and returns mobility back to the body. Cupping is a great alternative to massage as the experience is quite relaxing.
Clinically, when I use silicone cups, I do it purposefully to help relax someone whose nervous system is running on high ticking into the fight or flight mode. Performing a light form of cupping for relaxation can help to restore a patient’s vitality and spirit after illness or emotional distress