What is Cupping Therapy?

Cupping therapy is when cups are placed on the skin and a negative pressure is created through suction.

 

What is Cupping Therapy used for?

Cupping is used for pain relief. It is a powerful detoxifying and energy building modality that people all over the world use for health maintenance.

 

What happens when the cups are on the skin?

The cups create an increase of blood flow to the muscle while decreasing the muscle tension and bringing the toxins to surface.

 

How long are the cups left on for?

The cups are left on between 5-20 minutes.

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Does Cupping Therapy Hurt?

Cupping therapy does not hurt, it feels similar to having the head of a vacuum suctioning up your muscle. A lot of people forget the cups are even on after a few minutes into the treatment.

 

What are the marks left on the skin after the cups are taken off?

The marks left from cupping therapy are discolorations of toxins that have been brought to surface. The discolorations are not a bruise. The discolorations can vary depending on how much toxin build up a client may have and will last anywhere from a few hours to up to as long as 2 weeks.

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Why is a Massage Cupping Therapy session beneficial?

Massage therapy and cupping therapy compliment each other well. When combined, multiple areas of the body can be getting worked on at once. The massage uses pressure and provides manipulation of the tissue with light, medium or firm pressure.  Cupping therapy uses a negative pressure of the cups. The overall feeling is amazing as the muscles relax down, blood flow is increased and toxins are brought to surface and not being held within the body. Many clients express that they feel “light and completely relaxed and rejuvenated”.

 

Benefits of Cupping Therapy

 

Cupping therapy is one of the oldest forms of medicine that is a powerful detoxifying, pain relieving and energy building modality that people all over the world use for health maintenance.

 

• Releases muscle tension

• Increases blood flow and drains fluids

• Relieves Inflammation

• Nervous system sedation

• Breaks up and expels toxin congestion

• Stretches muscle and connective tissues

• Loosens adhesions

• Pulls blood supply to the skin

• Facilitates the movement of blood systemically and locally

• Treats muscle and joint pain, stiffness, and arthritis

• Strengthens the immune system by promoting the flow of lymphatic fluid

• Treats excess heat conditions, fever, stress, depression and anxiety

• Cleans the blood and lymph and helps to balance PH levels

 

Clients say “It feels great, like a vacuum is suctioning up my muscles and reducing my tension”

 

• Cupping is very beneficial for many conditions such as high blood pressure, anxiety, fatigue, chronic headache, fibromyalgia and neuralgia

 

• Cupping therapy uses a negative pressure that feels great, and is not an irritant to the skin or body. It draws the bodies inflammation out, yet does not add to it. The pulling action engages the parasympathetic nervous system, thus allowing a deep relaxation to move through the entire body. It is not unusual to fall asleep when receiving this treatment. Clients are surprised at how relaxed, warm and light they feel – hours... sometimes even days afterwards.

 

• Cumulative Cupping treatments increase muscle endurance, circulation, lung capacity, lymphatic drainage and health maintenance during strenuous activities. Many professional athletes incorporate it into their training to enhance their overall performance, agility and ability to recover from their sports.

 

What's the explanation of the marks or discolorations that sometimes occur as a result from suction cup therapy?

One of the common and unfortunate misconceptions concerning cupping is the misinterpretation of the discoloration. “Bruising” is caused by impact trauma with breakage of capillaries and reactionary rush of fluids to the damaged area from the tissue compression/injury. There is no compression in properly employed suction cup therapy. Although it is quite common during Stationary Cupping (left static for 5 - 20 minutes) to achieve dramatic 'marks' or 'discolourations', the less aggressive action of moving the cups, minimizes the intensity and duration of the discolorations.

Often, when a condition exists within deeper structures where sufficient pathologic factors and stagnant fluids (toxins, blood and lymph) are dredged up during treatment, discoloration will appear on the skin. This is the therapeutically desired effect – the more this is visible, the greater the level of stagnation and toxicity. The discoloration will fade over a few days. As treatments cummulate and the release of stagnation and buildup has been thixolated, dispursed and drained – (usually by the 3rd or 4th treatment) no discoloration is likely to occur at all. Even though each time the cupping may have been focused on the same area for the same duration and with the same amount of negative pressure. This is clearly the result of having internal unwanted toxins systematically purged.

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What can I expect as far as physical effects from suction cup therapy?

The after effects of Cupping are most intense at the beginning of receiving treatments, and lessen dramatically as your system becomes accustomed to the treatments as they cumulate. Besides the effects Cupping provides for specifica conditions, injuries and illnesses, some of the general after effects include:

• the need for sleep
• intense hunger (munchies)
• no appetite
• similar to post deep tissue massage
• nausea
• euphoria
• feelings of being "hung over"
• increased bowel elimination
• stronger body odor (detox) 
• "best nights sleep in years"
• inability to sleep
• vivid dreams

• night sweats
• heightened senses (smell, sight, sound)
• craving for certain foods
• thirst and cotton mouth
• emotional release 
• stronger than normal bowel & urine odors
• skin surface warmer than normal
• chills
• restless (wanting to clean, organize, etc.)
• soreness, like after strenous exercise
• feeling of reduced mass, increased height
• headachey

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