An ancient technique has found its place in the modern world of healing. Massage cupping is a modified version of the common practice of cupping therapy, used in traditional Chinese medicine, and the results that this treatment produces are impressive.

Cupping therapy is the method of using glass cups to create localized pressure by vacuum. With suction and negative pressure, massage cupping releases rigid soft tissue; drain excess fluids and toxins; loosen adhesions and lift connective tissue, helping injuries to heal and bring blood flow to stagnant skin and muscles. It triggers the lymphatic system and clears blood vessels.

Cupping therapy in mainly performed on one’s back where 5 main meridian points are found. According to Traditional Chinese medicine, these meridians are pathways in the body which the energy of life called “Qi” (chi) is found. It flows through every body part, tissue and organ. When we open these meridians, Qi is able to flow through the whole body.

Cupping can be very intense, and will leave usually leave temporary circles where toxins have surfaced. But it is also a very cleansing and unique to each person. Cupping has a sedative quality and many clients experience deep relaxation.

A Brief History of Cupping

Cupping developed over time from the original use, by various indigenous peoples, of hollow animal horns to drain toxins out of snakebites and skin lesions. Horns evolved into bamboo cups, which were eventually replaced by glass. Therapeutic applications evolved with the refinement of the cup itself, and with the cultures that employed cupping as a health-care technique.

The Chinese expanded the use of this technique to surgery, to divert blood flow from the surgery site. Cupping eventually developed into a separate therapy under the Traditional Chinese Medicine umbrella, with healers trained specifically in this technique. Other ancient cultures, including the Egyptians and early Greeks, embraced the therapeutic value of cupping. The technique eventually spread throughout Europe and later to the Americas.

Cupping was common in households of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. Indeed, many people still remember Grandma cupping their back for congestion and colds. European and American doctors used cupping into the late 1800s, and cupping sets were still carried by medical-supply companies well into the 1940s. Breast cupping became common for inflamed breasts and lactation dysfunctions, and the familiar breast pump evolved from this practice.

With this rich history of medical application, how does cupping fit into current health practices? Massage cupping, or the use of glass cups, held by suction, to massage the body, can be added into almost any massage or bodywork session. The action on the nervous system is sedating, and clients will often experience a deep state of relaxation.