Cupping  For Therapy and Treatment

History of cupping therapy
       Cupping is an ancient Chinese therapy that is recorded in many books, with a long story of more than 2,000 years. In the beginning, they brought hollow animal horns in order to make a box or cup, and then boiled it in water or heated by fire to create a vacuum. Later, they changed devices to use bamboo or glass cups instead, but they still heated them by fire ( fire cupping) or boiled them in water in order to create a vacuum in the cup, and cupping treatment to heal the areas of skin that have inflammation, abscess, thrombosis ( blood clotted)

Theory of vacuum cupping

             The theory of glass cupping is claimed to treat a broad range of medical conditions by using a vacuum system from glass cup heated by fire, the vacuum will lift the skin up, and the reactions from cupping the skin are as follows: -

1. Stimulating blood circulation on the area of skin that gets cupping treatment.
2. Improving the function of meridian points, nerve cells, and blood cells.
3. Activating the function of White Blood Cells in terms of killing pathogens and bacteria.
4. Some toxins will be released from skin which forms as water drops inside the cup, other toxin will be excreted from the body through urine and stool.
5. Wastes and toxins are excreted from the body through sweat, or eliminated in blood circulation and released from body through urine and stool.
6. Wastes and toxins are eliminated from vascular wall which enlarged blood vessels that normally affect blood circulation negatively functions better.
7. Body organs have a regular blood supply, which balances bodily function.

Benefits of cupping therapy

1. Effect to promote health in order to prevent any diseases. Body will have regular blood circulation after wastes and toxins are excreted from the skin that gets cupping, and the skin will function better in order to defend against having external
2. toxins absorbed through the skin easily. This results in an improved immune system.The results of cupping therapy are similar to an acupressure of soles and stimulating nerve cells to be active, as well as improving blood circulation function in order to supply body organs. This therapy releases concussion in pain areas, results in improved blood flow and oxygen transmission which reduces pain.

Diseases and conditions that can treated by cupping therapyare as follows: -

- Cold - Headaches - Gastrointestinal disease - Diabetes -Adhesive capsulitis(Frozen Shoulder) - Sinusitis - Acne - Enlarged prostate - Dysmenorrhea ( Menstrual Stomachache) -Neck and Shoulders pain

- Constipation - Insomnia (Sleeplessness) - High blood pressure - Paralytic - Waist pain - Tonsillitis - Sexual dysfunction - Menopause ( Golden age) - Obesity - Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease

          There are many body parts for cupping therapy, such as back, abdomen, chest, legs, arms, or other parts of body that have space to put cupping on, and also body areas that have pain.

Steps and Procedures of cupping therapy

1. Practitioners of traditional medicine will examine patients by Chinese medicine method in order to investigate the cause of disease.
2. A cotton ball that has been moistened with alcohol will be lit, and brought to the inside of the cup to create a vacuum. Afterwards, the cup is placed upside down immediately on the organs that need treatment, whereby muscles and skin on the treatment area will be lifted up by the vacuum inside the cup until the skin turns different colors (Sometime, practitioners apply herbal oil on the skin before treatment in order to move the cups around easily)
3. Duration of cupping treatment each time is 10-15 minutes. Patients will have different skin colors such as red, brown, purple, black, and other colors. Then those colors will gradually fade and disappear within 5-7 days. The different skin-colors can indicate the level of diseases, symptoms, and pain of those areas.

Cautions of Cupping therapy

Usually, 90% of normal people can be treated by cupping therapy, but pregnant women between 1-4 months can’t get this treatment, because the heat and vacuum pressure from cupping can affect the fetus, and might cause abortion. Skin infection patients can’t get this therapy either, because cupping can activate the growing of bacteria and virus on the skin.

Duration of therapy

             Therapy depends on symptoms and discretion of practitioners of traditional medicine. Normally, about 1-2 treatments a week and it should be a course of therapy in order to get the most effective results.  It is also recommended to treat alongside acupuncture.

A course of therapy = 10 treatments

Cost of Cupping therapy

1 treatment for 300 THB