By If you have ever walked by someone and noticed dark bruised circles on their back, they have enjoyed the relief of cupping. Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine in which plastic or glass cups are placed on your skin and the air is sucked out, causing your skin to dome within the cup. Once the air is removed from the cup, the suction loosens the fascia and muscles, while bringing the “bad blood” to the surface. Now, is cupping really sucking blood out of your skin, no. But it is bringing blood to the surface, creating more blood flow. Increasing blood flow has proven to aid in the body’s natural detoxification process and helps to relieve pressure and inflammation around your muscles. That is why you see a lot of athletes receiving this type of therapy.
The true power of cupping is the relief and benefits it offers related to the amount of time it takes to complete. Essentially, cupping therapy is very easy to do and only takes up to 10 minutes, once a week, to see the full benefits. Typically, cupping is done at the end of your acupuncture treatment or done completely on its own. The cupping therapist will use a muscle relaxing ointment or oil to help aid in the process. Each cup will be strategically placed based on the areas where you feel the most pain or where your muscles are the tightest. After the cup is placed, the therapist will suction out the air and the process has begun. In most cases, cupping is not painful, if anything it feels good. The instant relief comes when the cup is removed and your blood has a chance to flow freely again.
After cupping therapy, the darker the bruise, the more you needed the treatment. Typically, if you have poor blood flow and very tight fascia, your bruising will be more pronounced and last up to two weeks. As you progress through the therapy treatments, and your blood flow has increased, you will notice that your bruising will subside and potentially become non-existent.
Another important key aspect to mention is that at East Boca Acupuncture we only use suction cupping therapy. There is such a thing as heat suction therapy, however the risks outweigh the rewards in our opinion. We prefer to only administer therapies that we truly believe will help all our patients in the safest way possible.
For more information about cupping therapy at East Boca Acupuncture or to schedule an appointment, please click on the Book Online button in the header or call (561) 528-2021.