Cupping and other Chinese medicine bodywork therapies help improve circulation, reduce pain, and increase mobility for all body types.
Cupping refers to the practice of using glass or plastic cups to create a suction effect on the skin to increase blood circulation, loosen muscles and connective tissue, and create a soothing effect on the nervous system. Cups can be left stationary or can be moved over the surface of the skin.
“I have a very physically demanding job that often leaves me with a lot of neck, shoulder, and back pain. Traditional pain meds make me feel groggy and out of sorts, making it hard to do my job. After just one cupping session, I felt a lot of that pain dissipate, my muscles relax, and my mind start to calm down! Both regular acupuncture and cupping sessions have helped me tremendously with chronic pain, as well as improved my overall mental and physical wellbeing. I’ve noticed increased range of motion, especially in my neck, and that I’m not always tensing up the same muscles anymore!”
How can cupping help you?
The suction and negative pressure created through cupping increases blood circulation, loosens muscles and connective tissue, clears “heat”, and creates a soothing, sedating effect on the nervous system. It also helps to draw out dead or stagnant blood cells, cellular debris, lymph fluid, and toxins out of the deeper tissues and up toward the surface, allowing for easier release from the body and improving overall blood circulation to the area.
From a Chinese medicine perspective, cupping “opens” the channels, the pathways in the body through which qi (dynamic life force energy) flows. A free flow of qi is necessary to support the function of the body’s tissues and organs. When that flow is obstructed, and the qi and blood are stagnant, pain and dysfunction results. Cupping helps to improve the flow of qi and blood, allowing for improved function and healing.
No matter how you look at it, cupping helps to relieve pain and tension, improve the health of the tissues, and promote healing. Read more about the benefits of cupping here!
In addition to cupping, our acupuncturists also offer other Chinese medicine bodywork therapies, including:
Tui na
Tui na is a type of Chinese therapeutic massage. “Tui na” is made up of two words, “tui,” meaning to push, and “na,” meaning to grasp. When performing tui na, the practitioner employs a range of vigorous techniques and manipulations using finger pressure, hand movements, and arm and elbow pressure. These movements can address a wide range of musculoskeletal, internal medicine, and psychological issues. Tui na may be incorporated an an acupuncture session.
Gua sha
Gua sha is the practice of press-stroking or scraping the surface of the skin to produce intentional redness and petechiae, known as “sha.” Although “sha” can look alarming the first time you see it, the practice of gua sha is safe and non-invasive, and can be used on patients of all ages. Gua sha has beneficial anti-inflammatory and immune system protective effects, and can be useful in a variety of acute and chronic conditions. It works wonders for knotted muscles! Gua sha may be incorporated an an acupuncture session.
Interested in experiencing cupping therapy and all that Chinese medicine has to offer?
Cupping therapy, gua sha, and tui na massage may included in acupuncture acupuncture appointments as appropriate for the patient and their chief concerns, and as a standalone option in our quick 25-minute cupping follow up appointment (established patients only).
