UNCATEGORIZED
Many patients are reaping the benefits from an ancient, traditional Chinese medicine called “cupping.” This therapy dates back 2000 years with many other Middle Eastern cultures also using this therapy to relieve the symptoms of a variety of ailments. We have been using cupping therapy at Foundry for the last six months with excellent results treating all sorts of patients. If you’re a patient here, you may have had the opportunity to try cupping or noticed other patients sitting or lying down with plastic cups attached to various body parts.
How Does it Work?
Cupping works using negative pressure to “pull” the skin up into the cups with a combination of application of cream to the skin, cups placed on the skin and a pressure pump to inverse the air inside the pump which causes the skin to pucker up into the cups. This pull can affect the bodies tissues up to 4 inches deep. This causes the tissues to release toxins, activate the lymphatic system, clear colon blockages, activate and clear the veins, arteries and capillaries, activate the skin and various other ailments. The suction of the cups mobilizes blood flow to promote healing and stretches the superficial fascia.
At Foundry, we use cupping to ease the pain and stiffness associated with post op surgeries, release tightness with frozen shoulders, improve range of motion with tight and restricted necks, increase flexion post total knee replacements and meniscal repairs, move excess fluid, loosen adhesions, and any restrictions from a trauma.
What types of cupping are there?
There are three types- Wet, Dry and Sliding
Wet cupping - First, a mild suction is created by placing a cup on the skin for about three minutes. The cup is removed and a small incision is made on the skin and another cup is placed over this area, recupped with negative pressure, drawing out small amounts of blood. This area is covered with a bandage to prevent infection. We do not use this type of cupping at Foundry.
Dry cupping - We use this method at Foundry. Placing as many cups as possible around the affected area, the negative reaction will cause the skin to pucker within the cups causing the skin to redden as the blood vessels expand. We leave the cups in place for 5-10 minutes.
Sliding cupping - Also used at Foundry. A thin layer of oil which has been spread over the area acts as the mechanism to enable the cups to literally slide along the affected area offering a deep tissue massage to the patient. This is a more intense treatment and not all patients can tolerate the intensity. Cups can be made from glass, bamboo, bone, horn or metal and are placed on the desired acupoints.
Reasons to Cup
For thousands of years cupping has been offered to alleviate the symptoms associated with colds and flu, headaches, arthritis, intestinal disorders, sciatica, rheumatism, high blood pressure, asthma, kidney disorders, vomiting and diarrhea, vertigo, depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome to name a few!
Benefits
The immune system is strengthened.
The nervous system is stimulated allowing a deep relaxation to move through the body.
The effect that cupping has on the nervous system contributes to mechanical improvements by stimulating nerve endings that have a direct inhibitory effect on muscle tone and myofascial viscosity.
The lifting action on the superficial tissues can have similar and sometimes more profound results compared to myofascial release techniques.
Scar tissue responds well to massage cupping, creating looser, more flexible movement, which makes cupping a very useful therapy for chronic pain, pre-surgery prepping and post-surgery recovery.
Cupping is used for lymphatic drainage, cellulite treatment (think Gisele Bundchen. I know hard to believe!), facial cupping, orthopedics, sports ( remember the red marks on the Olympic swimmers?), TMJ and also on the pediatric crowd.
Side Effects
There are some side effects although mild. Patients are advised of possible bruising, blisters and skin infections that can be common. Toxins are drawn to the surface post cupping which can exacerbate some symptoms. The discoloration that occurs can range from mild pink to a deep purple - all indicative of micro trauma to the tissues and dead lymph and cellular debris rising to the surface. The greater the discoloration the greater the level of stagnation and toxicity needing to be purged from the body.
Patient Results and Views
When it is combined with other soft tissue and joint mobilization techniques, movement of postural correction exercises, cupping will greatly enhance the rehabilitation experience.
Our patients comment on the immediate relief post cupping, sometimes lasting up to two to three days post therapy.
Who Cups?
The ENTIRE Mets team, Jennifer Aniston, Gisele Bundchen, Cameron Diaz, Lionel Richie, Kim Kardashian, Lena Dunham, Sofia Vergara, Chinese women’s weightlifting team- just to name a few.
