The interest in Chinese cupping therapy has soared after the famous athlete Michael Phelps and the Hollywood star Jeniffer Aniston have proudly shown off the purple blotches on their bodies. This wellness trend of Chinese cupping therapy seems to never fade away. But what is Chinese cupping therapy all about and why is it so popular? It is an ancient Chinese method to fix pain or cure an injury that may occur due to poor blood/energy flow in our body. It has been used for more than two thousand years to speed up recovery, facilitate relaxation and reduce inflammation.
The cups used in this therapy are made of bamboo, glass, earthenware, and silicone. There are two types of cupping – wet and dry. While conducting this therapy, the therapist places flammable substances such as paper, herbs, and alcohol inside a cup and spark off the fire. Once the fire extinguishes, the therapist places the cup upside down on your skin. As the air begins to cool, it eventually creates a vacuum. The vacuum causes your skin to inflate like a balloon and redden as the blood vessels underneath the skin expand. The cup is normally placed for up to two to three minutes. Some therapists use different types of cupping such as rubber pump, silicone cups, and bamboo cups to create the vacuum effect instead of lighting a fire inside the cups.
Top reasons as to why you should try the Chinese cupping therapy
1. To Soothe Your Body
The Chinese cupping therapy has a proven track record of inducing a positive effect on the physical and mental well being of a person. In this cutthroat world of competition, all of us crave for a little time for rejuvenation. The continuous stress can lead us to various health issues including depression and anxiety and we all seek to escape from this stressful life. This is where the therapy may provide you with much-needed relief. The therapy helps to remove the stress from your tense muscles and make you feel relaxed by soothing the central nervous system.
2. To Heal Skin Conditions
This ancient therapy can help you to cure several skin conditions such as eczema, acne and skin inflammation. The cups are placed on the affected area in case of treating acne and, at the top end of the spinal cord for treating eczema.
3. To Relieve Digestive Disorders
If you are suffering from irritable bowel syndrome or any kind of digestive disorder, this ancient cupping therapy would definitely lead you to a healthier digestion system. Anxiety and stress can make you feel constipated and bloated. Here, the use of this ancient cupping therapy can reduce bloating and other manifestations of stress, so that your system acts normally again.
In conclusion, the traditional cupping therapy believes that diseases result due to blockage of the meridians in the body from where the positive energy flows through. The removal of that blockage would eventually result in the body to recover itself.
As health practitioners and researchers continue to study the benefits of cupping, this traditional alternative care technique will gain further acceptance as an effective treatment for a wide variety of ailments.