7 Cupping Benefits
(for awesome health benefits in 2020)
Cupping benefits include release of chronically tight muscles, scar tissue, and connective tissue, in order to increase blood flow and ease pain.
Cupping is an ancient Chinese art, as well as the positive health benefits of massage cupping and the negative health problems that can occur if the therapy is not performed correctly.
How Cupping Works
The cup is placed over the body area to be treated and suction is created using either a vacuum gun, bulb, or if rubber cups are being used, by the therapist's hands. The suction pressure can range from light to heavy.
The original method of massage cupping involves placing a flame into a glass cup to create the vacuum. Some therapists who practice this therapy, use the more modern of silicone cups like this 8 Cup Silicone Cupping Set
7 Cupping Benefits
By creating suction and negative pressure, cupping is used to:
- Loosen scar tissue - helps to increase circulation and break up dense tissue
- Relax connective tissue - releasing tensions held in connective muscle tissue
- Increase hydration and blood flow - allowing a easier movement in joints
- Drain toxins by opening lymphatic pathways - helps you feel better all over
- Relax chronically tight muscles - releasing stress and tension
- Body Contouring - reducing cellulite, spider veins, stretch marks, or scars (a growing spa treatment trend)
- Skin-perfecting treatment - many spas now offer this as a facial service
Contraindications for Cupping
Cupping can easily be used to produce healthy outcomes, from lymph drainage to deep tissue. The therapy also complements many other health practices, ranging from massage/ spa treatments to physical therapy.
However, there are times when you should not use cupping.
If the client has:
- Heart Failure
- Kidney Disease or failure
- Severe Edema
- Dermatitis
- Severe or Unexplained Allergies
- Hemophilia
- Leukemia
- Skin Destruction of any kind
Use extreme caution with pregnant women, especially avoid the stomach/abdominal region, low back, and inner parts of the legs. Many therapist choose to not offer massage cupping to pregnant clients, which is often the safest.
Treatments may be higher than a regular relaxation massage session, but usually only by $20-$30. This is because training for this treatment is costly, and therapists often take several classes before offering them to clients.
Modern Massage Cupping™ vs. Traditional Chinese Cupping
Traditional Chinese cupping uses stationary glass cups that are placed on the skin and left for a 5 to 15 minutes. The goal is to move stagnated blood and disperse internal heat.
In modern cupping, the massage therapist will administer oil or lotion to facilitate smooth, gliding movements with either glass or rubber cups. Cupping benefits with different types of massage therapy, are to encourage stagnated blood movement and increase circulation.
Non-traditional forms of cupping
There are different versions of Cupping including:
- Stationary (Retaining) Cupping - Cup is retained 5-15 minutes after skin suction has been done.
- Needle Cupping - needle is placed into an acupressure point, and suction accures afterwards (where needle is inside the cup).
- Moxa Cupping - involves lighting the mugwort herb, and using it to heat acupoints in order to to break blockages of energy or blood.
- Water Cupping - using boiling or very hot water and rubbing the jar (boiling water inside) over the skin
- Wet Cupping - requires making a small scratch of the skin, so that a small amount of blood is drawn before the suction.
- Flash Cupping - where suction of the skin is created for 1-2 seconds and quickly withdrawn
- Herbal Cupping - where an herbal tincture is applied to the inside of the cup
- Aquatic Cupping - performed with client in water
This video, by Ace Massage Cupping™ founder, Anita Shannon, demonstrates the technique.
About Ace Massage Cupping™
by: Herman Bryant, Massage Cupping™ Instructor
Massage Cupping™ has emerged from a very ancient technique of traditional cupping whose primary purpose involved the stationary placement of cups to achieve balance in the body.
Today, Massage Cupping™ is an active and continual movement of massage cups on the client’s body. The purpose of continual movement helps the client’s body free itself from stagnation of fluid, loosening of scar tissue, releasing restriction or tightness of sore muscle tissue, as well as providing a sedating and gentle relaxation massage treatment.
Massage Cupping™ not only benefits the client but it provides a respite for the therapist hands when constant manipulation is required in deep tissue or trigger point work.
Many therapists trained in this technique found cupping to be a beneficial tool added to their skill of expertise. Cupping can become an unlimited creative resource in the hands of trained therapist whose purpose in treatment becomes the intent.
Go back to Benefits of Body Massage from Cupping Benefits
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