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Do you remember when U.S. Olympic history’s most decorated athlete, swimmer Michael Phelps, was seen sporting those giant, round purple marks down his back and across those legendary workhorse shoulders of his? The puzzling sight had newscasters around the globe commenting on a profoundly therapeutic 3500-year-old Chinese healing practice, cupping therapy, like it was a new sports medicine technique.

Phelps said that the use of cupping had so dramatically curbed his aches and enhanced his recovery that he made sure cupping was always a part of his post-swim meet regimen. 

Shortly thereafter, singer Justin Bieber was spotted with the tell-tale perfect circles scattered across his chest, and Academy award-winning actress, Gwyneth Paltrow donned her cupping marks like favorite tattoos in a backless black dress.

Later Gwyneth would say that her acupuncturist’s use of cupping had not only been just the ticket for muscle and joint pain recovery after some of her monster workouts but, most remarkably, that it was a healing practice that helped her slowly work through her crushing sadness after the passing of her beloved father. She noted there was a palpable difference in how she was able to walk through the morass of deep grief after a cupping treatment. 

What is Cupping?

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Everything from sore muscles being relieved to the weight of grief being lifted from treatment with cupping may sound peculiar, but in many forms of holistic medicine, particularly in Traditional Chinese Medicine, there is the bedrock understanding that all of the systems of the body and spirit are intrinsically connected in the healing energy pathways, or meridians, of the body. 

What are meridians and what do they have to do with cupping? In the ancient Chinese concept of the body which is the foundation of modern acupuncture, meridians are the passages for the flow of energy in the body. Cupping releases the blocks in the meridians so that the vital life force, qi, can flow freely, and it also stimulates and rejuvenates the meridians and organs connected to those meridians that may be failing to function optimally. 

Cupping is a relatively inexpensive, effective, and extremely safe modality found in various traditional and indigenous healing systems around the world, but most prominently in the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine. 

The Cupping Therapy Process

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Cupping typically uses bamboo or glass jars or cups (or sometimes, especially in facial treatments or with children, silicone cups). The stomach, back, legs and arms are all common sites where cupping is effective at treating various ailments.

The cupping procedure is said to draw out harmful pathogens, toxins, and energy stagnation and open up the body to the fresh circulation of lymph, blood, and nutrients. Cupping has been successfully used for everything from chronic digestive issues to pain management, depression, asthma, fertility issues, migraines, varicose veins, allergies, headaches, and high blood pressure. Scholarly research into cupping has shown it to be especially effective for acute and chronic neck and shoulder troubles and for relieving the misery of fibromyalgia.

Cupping Therapy Marks

And what about those large round spots that stick around for a few minutes or a few days after a cupping treatment? These marks are actually a telling diagnostic tool for Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners because the nuances of the marks give a powerful look at what is happening in the body.

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The color and patterns of the marks, seen by a trained practitioner, can show where there is the stagnation of qi in the body, where toxins are an issue, and they can reveal if there is a problem with dampness (a condition where moisture is trapped in the body).

How Much is Cupping Therapy?

Cupping treatments as a stand-alone therapy at Awakenings Health are provided by Dr. Geng Wu, who is both a medical doctor and an acupuncturist, and the treatments range from $55.00-110.00/25-55 minutes per session based on the time she needs to treat the presenting condition(s). Cupping treatments are used by both Dr. Geng Wu and Dr. Adam Gries to enhance extended acupuncture sessions.

At Awakenings our acupuncturists can do cupping as a singular treatment or to greatly enhance an acupuncture treatment. Cupping is recommended 1-2 times per week, depending on the severity of the condition. 

To find out more about cupping and acupuncture and all of the Traditional Chinese Medicine practices we use to enhance the health of our patients, click here or call us at 919.935.9832.

And nothing but love from all of us at Awakenings Health!

Article by Deana Vassar.