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While you may have heard the term cupping and seen celebs like Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga, Kevin Gates, and Michael Phelps sporting the telltale circular marks, the attention-grabbing wellness treatment is hardly a fad. Its actually been around for thousands of years across multiple cultures, schools of thought, and religions. But what exactly is it? And can it really enhance your physical well-being?

During treatment, cups are placed on various parts of the body, creating a partial vacuum with negative pressure and suction that aids in pain relief, increases circulation, decreases swelling, and helps with a variety of health conditions, including allergies, migraines, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal issues, and more.

Mohammed Widdi, a cupping practitioner and owner of the Brooklyn-based mobile cupping company Soul Detox, says the suction causes tissue beneath the cup to be lifted and drawn up, increasing the oxygenated blood flow to the area. The enhanced blood flow draws impurities and toxins away from the nearby tissues towards the surface.

There are two types of cupping: dry and wet. With dry cupping, theres no bloodletting, Widdi says. Cupping can also be dynamic or static. I start all sessions dry or wet with gliding cupping. This helps increase the circulation and yields a better session, especially if were doing wet cupping.

During the last few minutes of a wet session, small superficial scratches are made before suction is applied again. Its called wet cupping and not blood cupping because other bodily fluids, like lymph or pus, can come out, Widdi says. What usually comes out is a very thick jelly thats full of wastes and stagnant blood.

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Cupping has an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuro immunomodulatory effect on the body, explains Dr. Elizabeth Trattner, an integrative medicine doctor and acupuncture physician. She says cupping can help with headaches, colds, congestion, coughs, stress, cramps, anxiety, athletic recovery, and facial rejuvenation. Trattner uses cupping regularly in her practice, and sometimes performs it concurrently with acupuncture by placing the cups over the acupuncture needles.

Dr. Joi Edwards, a physical therapist and licensed massage and bodywork therapist, says cupping is useful in reducing adhesions, improving flexibility, increasing range of motion, enhancing tissue mobility, and decreasing pain. She often incorporates movement into her treatment sessions and notes that cupping has been found in research studies to increase blood flow and localized internal temperatures in the body, which are beneficial in the treatment of arthritis.

Edwards believes the possibilities for cupping are broad because it can be combined with other treatments. The beautiful thing about cupping, she says, is that it can be used in conjunction with allopathic, osteopathic, homeopathic, and many other types of treatment to successfully and holistically help improve conditions in different patients.

So, why isnt cupping more mainstream in the West? In the United States, we have a different philosophy, Edwards says. A lot of people still believe in a quick fix and use of medication, and see naturopathic practitioners and cupping as gimmicky or taboo.

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Known as hijama, which means suction in Arabic, cupping is widely associated with both Middle Eastern and Eastern medicine. Different forms of cupping have been used across many cultures and religions, including all three Abrahamic religions.

Hijama actually predates Islam, says holistic wellness consultant and Aafiyah Healing founder Zuhair Girach, noting that the earliest records referencing cupping were left by ancient Egyptians and Chinese. The Ebers Papyrus, one of the first-known medical texts, mentions the use of cupping as a therapy.

Girach says the Prophet Muhammad was reminded of hijama and directed to use it by the angels during his Miraj, or night journey to Heaven. The use of the word remind is significant, according to Girach, because the knowledge was already there. It had already been passed down. He says regardless of which school of thought that introduces patients to cupping, they fundamentally believe the same thing: Stagnated blood blocks the energy flow in the body.

Widdi warns against dismissing practices heralded as ancient, preferring instead to call them timeless. This is not some archaic, dated technology, he says. It has a place in the practices of today. The vacuum and suction mechanism from cupping are what inspired the breast pump.

When applied to the face, cupping may help rejuvenate the skin by bringing circulation of blood to the face, improving the production of collagen and elastin, Trattner says, citing a 2016 study. She also believes facial cupping can help promote cellular repair and break up fascia in the face. When used consistently, facial supping can reduce fine lines and wrinkles as well help with acne.

Cups used for facial cupping may be made from glass, silicone, or ceramic, and are much smaller than the cups used on the body. Beyond beautification, Widdi says that he has seen facial cupping help those suffering from temporomandibular joint dysfunction, commonly known as TMJ.

Ive had lots of clients opt for facial cupping to help relieve facial pain, such as that caused by TMJ disorders, Widdi says. The negative pressure lifts the muscles up and loosens them, which can be really helpful for relaxing tense jaw muscles. This is evidence-based, because there are studies that show cupping is helpful for TMJ.

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Is cupping safe?

In the United States, theres no regulatory body or licensure board for cupping practitioners like there is for massage therapists or other professionals, so Edwards says its important to make sure whomever youre seeing has the proper training. Cupping is safe, she cautions, when performed by a qualified and well-studied practitioner.

Widdi says that besides checking for a practitioners training, its important to ask about hygienic practices. You want to make sure whoever youre going to is utilizing the highest sanitary precautions, he emphasizes. Widdi employs plastic cups for wet cupping so they can be disposed of after the session. Some practitioners will use glass cups, which are reusable, so asking about their sanitary practices is a must.

While cupping is generally considered safe, Trattner advises that patients on blood thinners, those with bleeding issues and sensitive skin should steer clear of cupping.

Azmia Ricchuito is an Orlando, Florida-based therapist, life coach, and writer who has contributed to Allure, Teen Vogue, and Glamour. Follow her on Twitter at @azmiaakamia.

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This entry was posted on May 20, 2022 at 1:56 am and is filed under Integrative Medicine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |