Before visiting an acupuncturist for treatment, give cupping a try – its popularity has skyrocketed since Olympic glory drew widespread interest to this ancient healing technique that dates back thousands of years.

Cupping Melbourne utilizes suction to lift fascia and muscle away from the skeletal system, leaving behind red circular marks which last several days. Drink plenty of fluids during this period to assist your body with flushing out any toxins.

Benefits

Cups heated with fire or manually pumped can create suction. As an alternative to traditional massage therapy, they can be placed directly on bare skin and either heated with fire or manually pumped for suction effect – perfect for use on back, arms, legs, neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen or feet.

Suction from a cup draws blood directly to an area, stimulating your body’s meridians and improving energy flow, both crucial factors in healing. Cupping also reduces inflammation while encouraging new tissue formation within skin cells – alleviating headaches, migraines, arthritis or fibromyalgia pain as well as stimulating lymphatic systems and blood circulation systems with its suction properties.

If you suffer from respiratory illnesses like bronchitis or asthma, cupping can help relieve congestion by providing oxygen-rich blood to your lungs and other respiratory muscles. Cupping also works by dislodging any phlegm that causes coughing or wheezing and can reduce inflammation or pain associated with bronchial inflammation and pain.

As with any treatment, cupping therapy requires thorough consideration before initiating it. Consultation with a trained practitioner can help assess if cupping therapy is suitable for you; additionally it is wise to avoid it if you suffer from bleeding disorders, high fevers or are pregnant as cupping may affect these areas more acutely than expected. For optimal results it should be performed 5 to 10 times over several months for best results.

Techniques

Cupping therapy employs several techniques, including dry, wet and running methods. When performing dry cupping, your provider heats each cup (typically by lighting an alcohol-soaked cotton ball on fire), extracting oxygen from it through this heat and creating a vacuum effect in which they place on your skin and move them gently with their hand in different directions until a vacuum force pulls your skin up into them. Wet cupping works similarly; your provider simply uses special tools which press, pump or twist directly against your body surface instead.

Dry and wet cupping utilize negative pressure to increase blood flow to an area, loosen adhesions, eliminate excess fluids and eliminate connective tissue. Additionally, this technique improves immunity, relieves respiratory ailments and promotes digestion; typically leading to optimal results after five or 10 sessions of cupping treatment.

After your session, it’s normal to feel lightheaded and experience mild body aches that resemble those experienced after exercising. Following cupping therapy’s aftercare guidelines will ensure your body detoxes effectively; drink lots of water and rest afterward as your body may have released toxins that require flushing out. Caffeine and alcohol beverages should also be avoided post-treatment to promote faster recovery times; increasing fresh fruits and vegetables intake could speed this up further.

Side effects

Many people turn to cupping therapy to increase mobility and relieve muscle soreness, pain from injuries or surgery recoveries, arthritis symptoms and anxiety, depression and fatigue. Although cupping therapy is generally considered non-toxic, there can still be potential adverse side effects.

Cupping utilizes suction force to open small blood vessels beneath the skin, leaving circular marks that look similar to bruises. Most fade within two to four weeks but some take longer. Their color may range from pink to deep red or purple depending on how long and pressure were applied during cupping sessions.

If a patient’s skin is very delicate, a practitioner may need to reduce or remove cups before the session concludes. Furthermore, patients with low blood pressure should not undergo strong cupping treatments.

Cupping can cause a shivery feeling and mild sweating as toxins release their hold and are carried away by the lymphatic system to be flushed from the body by lymphatic drainage. Drink plenty of water after sessions to rehydrate and support lymphatic drainage – doing so will also protect lymphatic tissue against dehydration, which delays toxin elimination. In some instances, cupping may take multiple sessions before showing visible results; results typically become noticeable within 10 sessions.

Precautions

Cupping therapy has long been used as an effective solution for treating muscular-skeletal pain, headaches and arthritis in Chinese, Middle Eastern and Egyptian cultures spanning millennia. Recent studies suggest it may provide some advantages, though their quality remains subpar and further research needs to be conducted in order to ascertain its efficacy. Dr. David Propes advises those considering alternative medicine to first consult a certified practitioner with experience and training in alternative healthcare practices before initiating sessions themselves. Be sure to inform them of any health conditions you might have prior to beginning sessions so they can make an assessment about whether it will be safe.

After cupping, it is advisable to consume plenty of water in order to remain hydrated. Dehydration may impede your body’s ability to flush out toxins and nutrient-rich blood drawn into the cups via suction; you may experience achy and tired feelings post treatment as your body works to rid itself of built-up toxins.

Avoid rigorous physical activity and hot baths, saunas or steamy showers immediately following cupping sessions to minimize irritation of the area where cups were applied. In addition, be sure to eat a light meal at least two hours beforehand in order to have energy reserves when starting cupping sessions.