Cupping and acupuncture are a successful combination for dealing with chronic pain and muscle strains. Its popularity has grown in recent years, and you’ve probably seen professional athletes and celebrities with the telltale giant red welts all over their bodies. Here’s what you need to know if you are thinking about adding cupping to your acupuncture treatment.

What is Cupping?

Cupping is a technique used to stimulate acupuncture points by applying a glass, plastic, or bamboo cup to the skin. The suction created by the cups causes the skin and the superficial muscle layer to be drawn into the cup. This is what stimulates blood flow and relaxes muscle tissue. This process gives skin that “bruised” appearance, but it’s important to know that no blood vessels are being broken in this process.

How Long Will It Take?

Typically, the cups are left in place for anywhere from five to 20 minutes while you relax. Oil can be applied to the skin to help the cups slide over areas needing treatment and is usually done on the back. It’s also common to use four, six or 10 cups depending on the severity of the condition being treated.

What Will Cupping Treat?

Frequently applied after acupuncture, cupping is used for treatment of sprains, soft tissue injuries, fluid retention in the lungs, bronchitis, congestion, asthma, and chronic cough. Cupping is also recommended for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. Alleviating swelling and pain, cupping addresses a variety of acute ailments by removing stasis, or energy blockages. Cupping therapies often follow the acupoint selection pattern used in acupuncture therapy; back points in fleshy areas of the body are preferred sites. Increased blood flow into the cupping area allows the body region to heal more quickly and brings toxins to the surface, which can be released through the pores.

What is it Doing to My Body?

What’s happening in your body is that the cupping technique is activating your lymphatic system by causing your tissue to release toxins and clearing any energy blockages. Your acupuncturist might utilize cupping in addition to your traditional acupuncture treatment if you suffer from acute or chronic deep tissue pain. 

Is There More Than One Type of Cupping?

The short answer is: Yes! There are several cupping techniques that can be used depending on what condition is being treated.  

• Dry cupping: defined as generating negative pressure inside the cups with fire, a manual pump or electrical suctioning (also called retained or static cupping).

• Flash cupping: a practitioner uses quick suctions of light to medium pressure for less than 30 seconds at a time.

• Needle cupping: acupuncturist applies short acupuncture needles and then places the cups on the areas to be treated. 

• Herbal cupping: practitioner boils an herbal solution, soaks bamboo cups, and then applies the slightly cooled cups to the skin.

• Electrical simulation cupping: this technique uses transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). This technique is commonly used to treat muscular pain and to target specific points.

The combination of traditional acupuncture and cupping might just be the winning combination you have been searching for!

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According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, nearly 50 million Americans are affected by nasal allergies. These numbers are increasing too. To date, allergies are the sixth-leading cause of chronic illness in the United States. Anaphylactic reactions are typically triggered by medications, food and insect stings, with pharmaceuticals causing the most allergy-related deaths. The cost of allergies exceeds $18 billion per year!

There are ways to deal with allergies though. Obviously with life-threatening allergies, a person needs to know what they are allergic to and be very adamant about avoiding those substances.  For others who deal with seasonal allergies, things aren’t as dire and the inconvenience of allergies can be navigated using many natural remedies, including Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

TCM is a medical system that has been around for thousands of years. The general theory behind TCM is to treat the patient holistically, taking into account all aspects of the patient’s illness. TCM utilizes many modalities to treat the patient, including acupuncture, acupressure, herbs, formulas, cupping and nutrition. For treating allergies, there are some wonderful herbs and formulas that can be implemented. Here’s a short list of items that can be used to treat non-life-threatening allergies.

1.   Reishi or Medicinal Mushrooms: Medicinal mushrooms have been used for centuries to help with everything from balancing blood sugar to decreasing inflammation. But they are also well-known for their immune-boosting properties. Reishi mushrooms are adaptogenic and they help regulate stress in the body. This is great for allergy sufferers because allergies can be exacerbated by stress.

2.   Scutellaria or Huang Qin: This herb is frequently used to treat acute respiratory infections and bronchitis. Two key components of Huang Qin are particularly good at relieving allergic asthma attacks.

3.   Saposhnikovia or Fang Feng: Fang Feng is used frequently by TCM practitioners to expel and prevent wind pathogen invasions. So for allergies that prompt headaches and nasal symptoms, this is a great herb to have on hand.

4.   Magnolia Flower or Xin Yi Hua: Flowers are used a lot in TCM due to their aromatic nature. Xin Yi Hua is another great herb to have on hand when seasonal allergies flare up. This herb is great at relieving nasal congestion, sinus headaches and the runny nose that frequently accompanies allergies.

5.   Cang Er Zi San: This is an herbal formula frequently prescribed for people who are suffering from allergy attacks. Cang Er Zi San works to open up the nasal passageways, helps expel congested mucus, decreases sneezing and helps to alleviate red itchy eyes. It is a go-to herbal formula for TCM practitioners during allergy season.

Herbs can be very beneficial and help keep the body free from illness. The herbs and formulas mentioned above are just a few examples that would be good to have around if you suffer from allergies. Ask us to find out more about these herbs, we can help you navigate the world of medicinal herbs and find the exact combination right for you.

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First of all, the practice of Chinese medicine starts with a diagnosis. The practitioner takes an extensive health history, and asks many questions to build on it; this includes the answers to digestion, appetite, diet, sleep patterns, bowel movement, urination, pain, lifestyle, and stress level, for example. The acupuncturist will also be noting the voice pitch, hair luster, skin color and tone, as well as posture and mood of the patient and any significant odor. After that, there is a pulse and tongue analysis to determine where the pattern and root are, primarily. Finally, blood pressure is measured and other applicable tests done, including palpation of the body. After this history, a diagnosis and treatment plan is determined. What might be included in this plan?

Needles: Acupuncture needles are very fine, sterile, painless and safe. They are, of course, the main component of the treatment plan. They are placed into certain acupuncture points on the body, either locally (at the pain site) or distally (away from the pain). The needles are retained anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes and most find the treatment to be relaxing and calming.

Herbal Formulas: Chinese medicine includes herbal formulas for the most part. The herbs and acupuncture needles work together to bring the body into harmony naturally. What is special about formulas is that they are designed to not overdo the amount of one herb that might cause harm in another part of the body; for example, if you are trying to get rid of heat, there will be herbs to clear heat (by promoting urination perhaps) but also herbs to mitigate the strong effects a heat-clearing herb might have on other organs. In this way, there is always a balance. Herbal formulas treat not only the symptoms but also the root cause.

Nutritional Counseling: In Chinese medicine, food is medicine, and if you don’t get an herbal remedy, you will probably get dietary advice tailored to your specific constitution. For example, if someone has a pale tongue with a white coating, and it is puffy with teeth marks on the side, this might indicate this person has too much cold in the stomach, which is hampering the digestive fire. Chinese medicine rates food according to its temperature, season, color, shape and whether it’s right for your individual body. Cold foods include too many cold, raw vegetables, iced drinks and smoothies. A food such as ginger might be a nice addition to one’s diet in this case.

Cupping and Gua Sha: Cupping dissipates stagnation of blood and lymph fluid, promotes blood flow, eases stiffness, encourages better circulation to muscles and tissues, and feels great. It leaves a purple bruise and ‘cup’ mark, only temporarily.

Gua sha uses a flat edged tool that is scraped in one direction on the skin, usually on large areas such as the back. Gua sha is used for many ailments, but especially for pain and stiffness. It removes blood stagnation and promotes the smooth flow of oxygen and blood. Waste and toxins are removed, and the scraping helps circulate fluid and nutrients, encouraging microcirculation in soft tissue. Gua sha can be used on the face for health and beauty, as well.

As you can see, the wide practice of acupuncture is much more than just needles!

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