What is Cupping?
Cupping is a traditional Chinese Medical treatment that has been around for thousands of years but has gained notoriety here in the West more recently as celebrities and athletes like Michael Phelps have shared their cupping marks with the world. Cupping involves placing cups on the skin to create suction which is said to improve blood flow, reduce pain and muscle tension, and promote healing. Cupping is usually performed by a trained practitioner, who will heat the air inside the cups to create the suction, then place them on the skin.
An example of wet cupping/gliding cupping with fire (Photo taken with permission)
There are several different types of cupping and styles of cups that are available. Dry cupping, also known as stationary cupping, is when there is no lubricant/oil that is put on the skin prior to the cups being suctioned on the skin so the cups don’t move from the part of the body that they are suctioned on to. Wet cupping, also referred to as running cupping, involves putting an oil on the skin and then suctioning the cup to the skin and gliding the cups across the skin, providing a massaging of the fascia through the movement of the cups.
An example of both silicone and glass cups. (Photo taken with permission)
Cups can be made of various materials, including glass, bamboo, and silicone and have different purposes depending on what they are made of. For example, silicone cups are suctioned on by a pressure pump or by hand where as glass cups require heat in order to suction on the skin. As an East Asian Medical provider, I will choose to use the glass cups which require heat on patients with cold conditions or constitutions as the added warmth provides extra comfort and healing. If a patient is extremely hot and just needs heat to be released from their body, I may choose to use more of the suction silicone cups paired with a cooling oil. Although cupping has wonderful benefits on it’s own, I tend to recommend doing it in combination with other therapies, such as acupuncture, to enhance it’s effect.
Does Cupping hurt?
The level of pain depends on various factors such as the person's pain tolerance, the level of injury present at the site, the type of cupping used, and the length of the session. Most patients absolutely love cupping and equate it to feeling similar to receiving a deep tissue massage, however, a small percentage of patients find cupping to be uncomfortable or painful at times. I recommend discussing any concerns about pain with your healthcare provider before undergoing cupping therapy and finding a skilled East Asian Medical provider that you trust to perform cupping on you.
What about the bruising?
Circular bruise marks, which I affectionately call “Octopus hickies”, are a common result of cupping therapy. Cups are placed on the skin and a vacuum is created, which causes a pressure differential that lifts the skin and underlying tissues into the cup. The pressure causes blood vessels in the area to break and bleed, which results in the formation of bruises or petechiae. The bruises from cupping can vary in size and intensity depending on the strength of the suction and the length of the session, and can last from a few days to several weeks. As an East Asian Medical Provider, the color and length of stay of these bruise marks can help serve as a diagnostic tool to help narrow down certain patterns. For example, if the bruise marks are dark purple and stay present for a long period of time, I would suspect there is severe blood stagnation in that area or muscle. If the cup marks have excess water being pulled out of the skin, I would think about dampness in the body. If the marks were very pale, I would consider qi and blood deficiency as a pattern and would likely make dietary and herbal recommendations. Different bruising colors and healing times serve as both therapy for the patient, but also are a diagnostic data point for the provider.
Example of cupping marks immediately after treatment (Photo taken with permission)
