Chinese Cupping Therapy

Overview

If you walk into a Chinese medicine clinic several times, you will probably notice an interesting treatment scene—the doctor exposes a small glass cup on fire and quickly moves it to cover the patient’s skin. And after a while, he pulls the cup away from the patient’s body and it makes a cracking sound. You are left wondering what the treatment is all about. 

The treatment is called Chinese cupping therapy which makes uses of glass cuppings which are also called “Schröpfgläser”. It’s an ancient form of physiotherapy in China. The doctor uses fire to drive away the air in the cup, and a partial vacuum is thus created. Then the cup is quickly moved into contact with the patient’s exposed skin, and is pushed close to the skin by the atmospheric pressure. The local suction stimulates underlying tissues and creates local congestion. 

How does Chinese cupping therapy with“Schröpfgläser”work?

It’s said that the cupping therapy influences up to 4 inches into the body. The pressure and local congestion cause the tissues to release toxins, clear blockages in veins and arteries, and activate the skin. In fact, you can consider Chinese cupping as a kind of deep pressure massage with “Schröpfgläser”. And now we look at it from the perspective of ancient Chinese medicine and see how it works according to the life energy and meridian theories. 

According to Chinese medicine, the subtle human body is an energetic system. Energies travel through channels, or meridians, to nourish the body and support our mental and physical movements. In Chinese medicine, the energy that circulates in the body is called “Qi”. And there are centers of spinning energy in which the energies flow through.  But this is a different topic. Now we only talk about the meridians and Qi which are related to Chinese cupping therapy. The unblocked energy flow in the meridians is very important for a human being’s physical and mental health. It is believed that Chinese cuppings or“Schröpfgläser”can open up meridians and clear the energy blockages. When the blockages are removed, invigorating energy will travel through the troubled areas or organs and energize the whole body.

The instrument for Chinese cupping treatment

The most common therapeutic cups or “Schröpfgläser”are made of glass. However, you can easily make one with bamboo. You know, bamboo has joints. Get a bamboo section of 3-7 cm in diameter.  Cut off one side as the opening and keep the joint as cup bottom. Then you must make the cut section smooth by using sand paper and a knife. Bamboo cups are light, stable, and it can carry medicine (absorbed into it) to enhance the treatment effects. Then there are pottery clay cups which can create strong suction, but the cups are easy to break. 

Many different cupping instruments in many sizes are available at www.pdvertrieb.de.