What is Cupping Therapy?
Cupping therapy is in addition to a massage, and is classed as an alternative medicine. A suction motion is created on the skin with the use of heated cups being placed on the body for a few minutes. It's believed to help people with pains, inflammation, relaxation and well-being. Cupping is also described as being similar to a deep tissue massage.
What Happens During Cupping Therapy?
The therapist will place cups on your back, stomach, arms, legs or other parts of the body. As the cup performs the suction movement, the force pulls the skin upwards. The suction allows fluid into the area that has been treated. The pressure from the suction makes tiny blood vessels expand and break open underneath your skin. You will feel the pressure from the suction. The cups may be heated before use or your therapist may choose to use them without the heat. Your body responds by treating this area like an injury, and sends more blood to the area to aid in the healing process. It's an ancient treatment from traditional Chinese and Middle Eastern medicine.
What Should I Wear For Cupping Therapy?
Generally for therapies and treatments, clients are asked to wear looser fitting clothing where they can roll their sleeves and trousers up. Therapists also advise you to bring a long sleeve top or jacket that you can wear after your session to cover up the marks left by the cups. If they need to access anywhere like your chest or glutes, they will give you a towel or a sheet you can cover yourself with.
Benefits of Cupping Therapy
There are lots of benefits to receiving cupping treatments and therapy, we'll list just a few for you! Cupping treatments increase blood circulation to where the treatment has been performed. This can additionally help to reduce muscle tension, which will overall improve your blood flow and help cells to repair. It is also known to help with lots of different conditions including back, neck and shoulder pains, headaches and migraines, acne, cough, hypertension, asthma and many more. As the cups are placed directly onto the skin, it's thought that it helps skin and digestive issues also.
What Happens After Cupping Therapy?
It's perfectly normal to have some side effects after this type of treatment, but don't worry as the symptoms usually clear away within a few days. You can expect to see circular marks and lines where the cups were used in your treatment, as well as discolouration and dizziness. These side effects can also happen during the treatment, but if you feel uncomfortable at any moment, just let your therapist know and they can provide you with some remedies to make your session more comfortable for you. It's also perfectly normal to feel more tired after the treatment and even cold or flu symptoms. This is the response from your immune system to the waste that the cupping has helped to release!
How Often Should You Have Cupping Therapy?
You can actually have the cupping treatment done as frequently as twice a week. If the cupping left you with marks and bruises, then it's best to wait until these have disappeared before you have your next session of treatment. For stress and tension, it's advised to have it done once a week. With any massage or treatment, it's a good idea to see how your body responds initially and how long the benefits last then you can decide how frequently to receive the treatment. If you have any questions, you can always ask your therapist for their advice!