A favorite modality among clients

I have a new found favorite modality among my clients.I have introduced CUPPING to some of my clients who have had headaches. I did this technique around their neck and upper shoulders. They loved it. Let me tell you more about it…

“Cupping refers to an ancient Chinese practice in which a cup is applied to the skin and the pressure in the cup is reduced (by using change in heat or by suctioning out air), so that the skin and superficial muscle layer is drawn into and held in the cup. In some cases, the cup may be moved while the suction of skin is active, causing a regional pulling of the skin and muscle (the technique is called gliding cupping).”Source: http://www.itmonline.org/arts/cupping.htm
The only down side is that is leaves some ugly marks. These marks are called Sha, or petechiae, bruises etc. You can call them what you want, but the meaning behind these marks is that when a cup is placed on the body it draws blood up into the cup bringing blood to the area of pain or discomfort. Essentially we all know what a hickey is- that’s exactly what it looks like on your back or where we put the cup. Like a bruise, when you hit your leg, arm or other body part, it begins to swell, reddens, and then begins to bruise. This does a similar thing to that.It is merely bringing blood to an area to help heal it. The petechiae usually goes away within 1-2 weeks.
Here are some pictures of what you might encounter during a cupping session…


These are what some typical results would look like- Remember these are not abnormal results. Usually bruising will go down in 1-2 weeks. Depending on the person of course.

Now you know a little bit more about CUPPING. it’s your turn to make up your mind… Want to try it? Ask me if you are a good candidate for the technique.

I personally had it done to me. There is something called fire cupping, the strength on the cup was not comfortable for me. I had my instructor take it off and replace it with a plastic- less painful- cup. Being a migrainer and TMJ sufferer this was a really good thing for me. It helped take away the edge of the headache that never seemed to go away during my high stress. It was quite uncomfortable but I had to just learn to speak up and tell my instructor how I felt because he would have not known otherwise.
I hope you found this informative and interesting.
Remember- I never leave anyone out when it comes to massage therapy or other modalities.
Research

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