Cupping is a type of alternative therapy that originated in China.
It involves placing cups on the skin to create suction.
The suction may facilitate healing with blood flow.
Many Taoists believe that cupping helps balance yin and yang, or the negative and positive, within the body.
Restoring balance between these two extremes is thought to help with the body’s resistance to pathogens as well as its ability to increase blood flow and reduce pain.
Cupping increases blood circulation to the area where the cups are placed.
This may relieve muscle tension, which can improve overall blood flow and promote cell repair.
It may also help form new connective tissues and create new blood vessels in the tissue.
People use cupping to complement their care for a host of issues and conditions.
During a cupping treatment, a cup is placed on the skin and then heated or suctioned onto the skin.
The cup is often heated with fire using alcohol, herbs, or paper that’s placed directly into the cup.
The fire source is removed, and the heated cup is placed with the open side directly on your skin.
When the hot cup is placed on your skin, the air inside the cup cools and creates a vacuum that draws the skin and muscle upward into the cup.
Your skin may turn red as the blood vessels respond to the change in pressure.
Cupping is a long-practiced treatment that may help ease the symptoms of both temporary and chronic health conditions.
As with many alternative therapies, keep in mind that there haven’t been extensive studies performed without bias to fully assess its true effectiveness.
If you choose to try cupping, consider using it as a complement to your current doctor visits, not a substitute.