The Cupping Cure

Golden beauty Gwyneth Paltrow stepped onto the red carpet in 2004 for a movie premiere and after she turned her back to the cameras, the media quickly forgot which movie she was promoting and zoomed in on a group of mysterious bruises littering her porcelain skin. Gwyneth dismissed the hype and was quick to tell reporters that it was nothing more than a form of acupuncture called “cupping,” and that she was too concerned trying to hide her post-baby belly than to worry about her recent circular, natural health-related bruises. While cupping is a form of acupuncture, the special technique has been honed for centuries through Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and is now becoming more popular in Europe and the United States.

Cupping uses suction to draw blood to a specific point on your body, allowing the circulation of that blood to heal certain organs and body parts related to “meridian lines” running along your neck, legs, hands, and back. This three-thousand-year-old therapy has been called many things and each technique has been a little bit different.

In ancient China, it was first called “horn therapy” because healers used hollow animal horns on the body to get rid of pus. Bamboo cups have also been popular and are inexpensive to make but since the use of a glass cap was started for cupping, nothing else has rivaled it because the transparent nature of the glass makes it easier for the technician to see the state of the skin trapped inside of the rim. Traditional use involves a bit of alcohol in each cup before being lighted by fire (hence the alternate name “fire-cupping”) in order to warm but not burn the skin. Conventional “air” cupping usage nowadays strays away from open flames and focuses on the safety of the patient by using a pump mechanism to secure the vacuum instead of burning the oxygen out of the glass.

By using warmth and the pressure of the device creating a vacuum, cupping promotes the flow of blood and “qi”—also known as chi, Chinese for “natural energy from the Universe”—helping to decrease swelling, get rid of fever, comfort pain in the lower back and extremities, stomachaches, vomiting, diarrhea, asthma, and lung disease among others. Another less well-known type is called “wet” cupping where the skin is pierced before the cup is placed over the area allowing a small amount of blood to collect and is thought to relieve certain conditions. This is also known as blood-letting alongside the regular cupping process in most alternative medicine definitions.

Pulling toxins out of the body is not a new idea and with restorative health through natural remedies on the rise, sucking out poison from the body by using the chi in conjunction with a glass cup is not the strangest form of therapy I have heard. By moving the cups along the skin before the suction is stabilized with the help of massage oils, pulls the muscles and is akin to acupuncture by targeting pressure points in order to release tension and pain.

While cupping is not intended for everyone—people with severe skin problems like eczema or inflamed skin, and more sensitive conditions such as convulsions, or people on blood thinners—should not consider this type of treatment and should always consult his or her physician before trying any new or complementary course of action. Pregnant women should not allow cups on their legs or lower back to ensure the safety of the baby. Air cupping is the safest option because there is no chance of blood loss or reactions from heat such as burns or irritation.

With every type of cupping there will be bruising and swelling that lasts from a couple of days up to a week depending on the severity of the marks and the sensitivity of your skin. If you are considering this therapy, research your options and make sure you choose a trained healer or licensed natural physician to help ease your troubles and restore your energy. If you happen to see Gwyneth Paltrow before I do, since she raves about the wonders of cupping, ask her how she is feeling and form your own opinion of this ancient methodology.