A standard practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine, cupping provides a twofold of benefits. Not only does a cupping treatment provide relief and healing for the recipient, but it also provides the practitioner with a valuable snapshot of what’s happening inside the body! (A win-win for everyone.)
It’s no wonder then that cupping has also found its way into the healing practices of many other Indigenous cultures, spanning Northern and Eastern Europe, South America, the Middle East, and North America.
What is cupping?
Cupping is the process of placing silicon, plastic, or glass cups onto the skin while removing the air inside to create a vacuum on an acupuncture point or an area of injury for a therapeutic effect. While using fire with glass cups is the traditional method of creating suction, I prefer suction pump cups for ease of use, or silicone press cups for their comfort and ability to mould easily around joints.
What does cupping actually do in the body?
Cupping helps to remove stagnant energy from the body by assisting blood and lymphatic circulation. As a result, pathogens are cleared out of the system more quickly. This makes room for oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to flow back into the treated area.
What does cupping feel like?
Cupping creates suction, and it feels similar to placing your hand on the end of your vacuum nozzle. There is a moment, about 1-2 minutes into the treatment where you stop noticing the suction from the cups. Your body suddenly surrenders all of the tension it has been holding inside. Weightlessness sets in, and you feel as if you’ve been suspended from above, where time doesn’t exist.
It’s a glorious place to be!
Does cupping leave marks or bruises?
A cupping session can leave marks, but rest assured they are not at all painful, and they aren’t permanent!
While cupping marks might not be the prettiest, they actually hold a lot of information for us practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The marks are like little snapshots of what is going on inside your body. Cupping marks can pinpoint where an old trauma has settled, and indicate your body’s efficiency at healing and recovery. Darker circles tell us that a chronic issue is lingering, or that an acute trauma has recently occurred in that area. The speed at which the marks go away is a great indicator of blood and lymphatic fluid circulation and if more sessions are needed.
Newcomers to acupuncture often ask me if they have to get cupping during an acupuncture treatment. The answer is no — acupuncture is plenty powerful on its own. However, I love using cupping in my practice because of how it can enhance an acupuncture treatment.
Cupping is like the icing on your acupuncture cake, making you feel lighter in your body yet solidly grounded.
For more details on the benefits of cupping and what to expect, or to book an appointment, visit our booking site here.
[…] Cupping works similarly to acupuncture, but focuses on the superficial layers of the muscle. This treatment is wonderful for boosting the lymphatic system to help carry away pathogens out of the body. Removing physical stress from the body helps to rid us of unnecessary baggage that we carry around. Cupping can also help you feel more grounded. […]