What is Cupping?

Cupping is a type of alternative therapy that originated in China. It involves placing cups on the skin to create suction. The suction facilitates healing with blood flow, as well as the flow of “qi” in the body. Qi is a Chinese word meaning life force.

Cupping increases blood circulation to the area where the cups are placed. This can relieve muscle tension, which can improve overall blood flow and promote cell repair. It can 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 ailments and conditions.

The Philosophy Behind Pain and Cupping

“Where there’s stagnation, there will be pain. Remove the stagnation, and you remove the pain.”

The old Chinese medical maxim holds that pain results from the congestion, stagnation, and blockage of Qi, or vital energy, vital fluids, lymph, phlegm, and blood. If pain is the essence of disease, then suffering is a result of obstructed or irregular flow in the body. Chinese cupping is therefore a method of breaking up the blockage to restore the body’s natural flow of energy.

Uses for Cupping

Cupping is often recommended as a complementary therapy for the following conditions:

Back pain

Headache or migraine

Knee pain

Muscle pain and soreness

Neck and shoulder pain

Sports injuries and performance

Digestive Disorders

Sinus congestion/inflammation

Insomnia

Muscle Tension

 

Cupping at Synergy Bodywork and Massage

At Synergy we use silicone cups and massage cream or either organic olive oil or coconut oil. Cups are used as part of the massage and moved/glided over the tissue, rarely stationary, which decreases the chance of darker longer lasting cup kisses (discoloration)