What Is Cupping?
Cupping has been around for millennia in the Middle East and Asia. However, Western nations have only begun to embrace cupping. So what is cupping and why does it work? Explanations range from massaging sore muscles to flow of Qi. Here are some highlights from an article from the University of Minnesota’s University of Minnesota’s Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing.
Cupping applies suction to the surface of the body to draw out pathogenic factors or to invigorate the flow of Qi at the surface of the body.
Cupping is usually done by inserting a flame into a small glass cup to remove the air and create a vacuum. The cup is then deftly inverted onto the surface of the body where the cup is held firmly in place by the suction created by the vacuum effect. This method is called “fire cupping.” There are also specially designed cups fitted with air lock valves that allow practitioners to remove the air with a hand-held pump.
Frequently, the practitioner will apply a lubricant to the skin before placing the cups, and then move the cups back and forth across certain area of the body. This combines the effects of cupping with dermal friction therapy (gua sha) and is called “sliding cup” technique.
Source: Cupping | Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing
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