Cupping: The re-emergence of a traditional medicine therapy
Many of us remember seeing U.S. Olympic gold medalist, Michael Phelps, display some weird looking bruise-like marks on his body during the 2016 Rio Olympics. Many also recall that he went on to be come the most decorated Olympian in history at the Rio games. But what were those marks on his body and why did he have them? The answer involves a centuries old traditional medicine therapy still in practice all over the world today.
Cupping therapy involves creating a negative vacuum inside a cup (glass, plastic or bamboo) which is then applied to the skin drawing up the underlying tissues creating superficial ecchymosis (sub-dermal bleeding) and a mild hematoma (pooling of blood outside of blood vessels, aka- bruising). Traditional medicine has long recognized cupping as an effective way to treat pain by breaking up local congestion of blood and adhesion of tissues. While many traditional medicine practitioners use glass or bamboo cups with a small flame to create the vacuum in the cups, many modern practitioners (including physical therapists, athletic trainers, and chiropractors) use plastic cups with a hand pump to generate the negative pressure.
Glass and bamboo cups can be left stationary over the skin or repeatedly applied and removed. Some cupping therapy also involves applying oil or lotion to the skin prior to application of glass cups so that they may be moved in a sliding motion around a large area of the body (upper/lower back, upper legs, e.g.). Plastic cups, often significantly smaller than glass or bamboo cups, may be placed along or around any area to be treated. Cups may be left in place for 5-10 minutes. Integrative health practitioners may combine the application of cups to a specific area with range of motion exercises designed to improve movement and reduce inflammation. After the cups are removed, the marks may range from slightly red in color to a deep purple. If done properly, the bruising that results from cupping is only superficial and should fade within 3-5 days.
So why did Michael Phelps need cupping therapy? Phelps admits that he receives cupping therapy before almost every swim meet to address pain and soreness from his intense training, a kind of recovery modality. Phelps isn't the only Olympian or athlete to use cupping therapy as part of a training and recovery program. Chinese Olympians in the 2008 Beijing games were spotted (pun intended) with cupping marks, DeMarcus Ware of the Denver Broncos posted a post-cupping therapy photo on Instagram a few years ago, and fellow US Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin was using cupping while swimming for Cal-Berkeley. Popular celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Gwenyth Paltrow have been seen with post-cupping therapy marks.
Cupping works by drawing blood to the affected area, reducing soreness and speeding healing of overworked muscles. Mechanically, cupping increases blood circulation, whereas physiologically it activates the immune system and stimulates the mechanosensitive fibers, thus leading to a reduction in pain. Research is showing the local inflammation caused by cupping therapy triggers the immune system to produce cytokines, which are small proteins that improve communication between cells and modulate immune system response. This makes cupping effective at treating conditions such as chronic neck pain, chronic low back pain, fibromyalgia, cervical spondylosis, acne, herpes zoster, osteoarthritis, and many other pain conditions.
What are other benefits of cupping? Besides relieving pain, evidence also suggests cupping modulates autonomous nervous system (regulating stress response), restores sympathovagal imbalances in cardiac rhythm (cardio-protective), regulates oxidative stress and lowers blood sugar. Perhaps most important, cupping may be used instead of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and pain medications (opioids, muscle relaxants, etc). In the face of a national opioid epidemic, non-pharmaceutical interventions like cupping and acupuncture have little to no risk of overdose, addiction, allergic reaction, or damage to internal organs.
As a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner, I am trained in various cupping modalities. I frequently use cupping therapy to treat neck and low back pain, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis and other pain conditions. While it takes a little time to get used to the post-cupping therapy marks, most of my patients are more than satisfied with the pain relief they experience and have little complaints about their appearance. I've had several new patient referred to me because they saw cupping marks on another patient who told them how effective it was at treating their condition. If you'd like to know more about how cupping therapy can benefit your health and well-being, feel free to reach out and contact me.
Be well and thrive!
Daniel Rola, L.Ac.
danielrolalac@gmail.com
danielrolalac.com
