Cupping: A Healing Therapy

While you may not have experienced cupping therapy, you might have noticed the temporary markings it can leave behind on famous athletes and the like.

Most famously, the marks from cupping (which look like round bruises) were noticed on Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps during the 2016 games. But what is it exactly?

Cupping’s origin is in China and Egypt from nearly 3,000 years ago. Back in those times, it was used to treat lung conditions like bronchitis and pneumonia. Most commonly, glass cups are heated with fire and suctioned to the skin to improve a health issue or in chorus with other therapies to promote healing by reducing inflammation. Sometimes, cups are manually pumped to create the suctioning effect.

The process of cupping helps the body’s capillaries to expand, aiding the flow of fluid and moving nutrients and oxygen through the body more easily. It also stimulates the blood and lymph fluid.

Benefits Abound

Cupping offers a whole host of benefits, including addressing issues like joint pain, muscle pain, cramps, respiratory issues, migraines and other headaches, fatigue, scar tissue, anxiety, depression, stomach pain, bowel issues, loss of appetite, water retention, pinched nerves, infertility, stress, congestion…the list goes on…and on! Cupping can help the body to reabsorb fluid and move swelling (aka: inflammation) out of an area.

Common Questions

Because of the marks it can leave behind after a session, many who have not experienced cupping wonder if it hurts. It should not, but it may leave behind temporary marks which should not last beyond a 10-day period. Relief from cupping is felt relatively quickly. Sometimes sessions can happen as frequently as 2-3 times weekly, or as needed, and cupping is a good complementary treatment depending on the health issue being addressed.

At Core Health Chiropractic, our mission is to make Berks County healthier one spine at a time, through chiropractic care. We are dedicated to educating and empowering the families in and around our community to make informed decisions about their health. Our goal is to set people free from their current health conditions and to help them reach their optimum potential through neurologically-based chiropractic care. Call us at 610.750.9131 or visit corehealthberks.com.