How to Use Cupping Therapy to Heal Diseases

Cupping therapy is a useful healing method in Chinese medicine to treat diseases through making local blood congestion to adjust the circulation of the blood and qi. Cupping therapy is done using a cup or jar to attach to the skin. Different cups or jars can be used, including bamboo cups or jars, glass jars, and pottery jars. Cupping therapy is often used for syndromes such as arthritis, as well as numbness of the limbs, acute sprain, and other external diseases. It is also useful for infectious diseases such as common cold and cough, and internal diseases such as stomachache and abdominal pain.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Forceps
• Glass or bamboo cups or jars
• Cotton balls
• Alcohol
• Lubricant oil
• Matches

1. Soak cotton balls in 95% alcohol. Use forceps to hold a cotton ball that has been soaked in alcohol. Ignite the cotton ball with a match.

2. Hold the burning cotton ball inside the cup or jar for about 5 seconds and then take out the cotton ball quickly.

3. Attach the cup or jar to the selected region as soon as the burning cotton ball is taken out. The flame can remove oxygen inside the cup and generate the vacuum effect.

4. To treat a large area, several cups can be used. Repeat the above procedures for attaching other cups.

5. Let the cups or jars attach to the skin for about 10 minutes.

6. To take off the cups or jars, press the skin around the rim of a cup or jar with a finger to let air in. The cup or jar can then be taken off slowly.

7. Movable cupping: This method is used for treatment of a large area, such as the back, the lower back, the buttocks, and the thigh. First, apply lubricant oil on the skin before the treatment. Then, attach the cup to the skin using the procedures described above. Hold the cup with one hand, slide it around the affected area in circles or back and forth, until the whole area becomes red or congested.

8. Cupping therapy with acupuncture: Cupping therapy can be used together with acupuncture to improve qi and blood circulation and for better effects. First, insert a needle at an acupuncture point. During the retention of the needle, attach a cup over the needled area. When the therapy is finished, withdraw the cup first, then the needle.

Tips & Warnings

• Cupping therapy should not be used on patients with high fever, convulsion, or edema. It should not be applied at areas with large blood vessels, allergic skin, or skin ulcers. It should not be applied at the abdominal area.
• Cupping therapy should not be used on pregnant women.
• Be careful and do not burn the skin. The cup should not be retained at the treating area for too long, otherwise it may damage the skin.
• In case that the local congestion is very serious after the removal of the cup, do not apply cupping at the same area again.

Resources

• Chinese Medicine Databases

[cynvela]

on 11/24/2008 Excellent article about cupping! I've always wanted to try this. 5*

[Pixie1976]

on 7/11/2008 This is out of the world! Very interesting!