The Adventures of Tai'an

Every one has an addiction, mine is cupping. A fairly healthy addiction really because it is good for your body. But what is cupping?

Cupping is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is a three thousand year old therapy. It aims to remove blockage or stagnation in the flow of Qi in our body. Cupping can stimulate the flow of Qi, blood and lymph. It can be used to relieve pain in the muscles, and clearing congestion in the chest, which can occur with colds and flu.

Cupping involves creating vacuum suction in a cup, and then applying that cup to an area of the body. Traditionally, glass cups are heated with alcohol and flame on the inside to create the suction in the glass cup, the glass cup is then placed over the skin, the skin gets sucked up and drawn a few millimeters into the cup. The cups are then left on your body for up to 20 minutes.

Doctors of traditional Chinese medicine place the cups at various positions along the meridian lines. These are the same lines used in acupuncture. There are five meridians on the back and these are usually targeted, particularly the bladder meridian.

It is possible to cup the hands, legs and ankles too. By cupping these meridian lines, specific organs in the body can be targeted. I have had my feet cupped whilst having a foot massage. This was my first experiment with cupping.

Cupping is generally used by practitioners if there is cold energy in the patient's meridians. The warm air from the cupping stimulates the skin, and the suction coaxes blood to the area which promotes localized healing. The chi is warmed and starts to flow freely down the meridians.

Many diseases and disorders can benefit from cupping. The earliest writings found on the therapy from ancient China recommend its use in the treatment of TB.

Today, cupping is still used for respiratory disease, as well as digestive and gynecological disorders, headaches and dizziness, and lymphatic blockages. The common cold can be tackled with cupping, as can insomnia and, of course, soft tissue injuries.

Cupping causes blood to be drawn to the surface of the skin, red marks, swelling, and circular bruising can appear. These marks last for a few days.