Fire Cuppping
What is fire cupping?
Fire cupping is a Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment used to detoxify and disperse the stagnation of qi and blood. This technique uses small glass cups that are placed on the skin to create suction.
Cupping is used to help with:
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Muscle tightness
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Chronic pain
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Circulatory dysfunction
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Respiratory symptoms
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Sports-related injuries
How does it work?
There are various cupping methods and techniques; with wet cupping, the doctor makes a small incision on the skin and then applies the suction cup to draw small amounts of blood, whereas with dry cupping, your doctor will simply place the cups on the skin.
To create suction, TCM doctors can employ different techniques. Suction can be created by swabbing rubbing alcohol onto the bottom of the cup, lighting it, and placing it immediately on the skin. Doctors may also create suction by placing an inverted cup over a small flame, using an alcohol-soaked cotton pad over an insulated material to protect your skin, and then light the cotton pad and place an empty cup over the flame to extinguish it. This treatment is performed safely, and flames are never lit near skin or throughout the cupping process.
Once suctioned on, the cups are gently moved across the patient’s skin, oftentimes with the help of medical massaging oils so the cups can glide smoothly. The suction gently draws the skin and superficial muscle layer into the cups, working as a kind of an inverted massage; instead of applying pressure to muscles, cupping uses light pressure to pull them upward.
The cups are then left in place for about ten minutes while the patient rests. This treatment usually provides a relieving, relaxing sensation for the patient. After the treatment, the cups may leave red or purple marks that indicate areas of blood stagnation and will usually fade within one to five days. Your doctor will apply antibiotic ointment and bandages if needed to prevent any infection.
Cupping treatment is quite gentle and is rarely painful at all.
