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Cupping...aka getting big huge hickeys all over your body (1 Viewer)

parasaurolophus

Footballguy
Can somebody explain this to me? How the heck does this help anybody? I am seeing athletes with basically huge bruises all over from this "procedure" . 

 
Can somebody explain this to me? How the heck does this help anybody? I am seeing athletes with basically huge bruises all over from this "procedure" . 
I have only ever heard of it in the context of pro wrestling where it supposedly is a pain management technique.

 
My Chinesed wife practices cupping therapy.  Also moxibustion therapy.  She has people coming from all over New England to have her treat them.  I don't think either one does anything, myself, but there are people who either swear by it or have no other treatment.  

 
AAABatteries said:
Think it helps with blood flow and healing/recovery.  
This.  Had it with my acupuncture sessions and I believe it helped, but I’ll never do it again unless I need to treatment something extreme.   Hurt like hell when it happened but I know they are trying to breakdown muscle tissue.  My bruises were bad. 

 
I get a 2 hour massage about every 2 months and along with getting walked on cupping is part of the process.  Basically is helps loosen up the muscles which allows the masseuse to get in deeper than just massaging alone. It’s a bit painful at times but i feel a lot better afterwards than before I get on the table.

 
Wet cupping?

What the hell? 

The process of wet cupping is similar to its dry counterpart, with one exception: Before the cups are applied, the area is sanitized, then tiny incisions are made in the skin using a device called a plum blossom.

“It looks like a long, slender toothbrush with about five metal spikes at the end, which we’ll tap over an area to pierce the skin,” Kim says. “Imagine tenderizing meat. This device is designed to beat the skin and make little holes, so when the cups are applied, the suction draws out blood.

 
Wet cupping?

What the hell? 

The process of wet cupping is similar to its dry counterpart, with one exception: Before the cups are applied, the area is sanitized, then tiny incisions are made in the skin using a device called a plum blossom.

“It looks like a long, slender toothbrush with about five metal spikes at the end, which we’ll tap over an area to pierce the skin,” Kim says. “Imagine tenderizing meat. This device is designed to beat the skin and make little holes, so when the cups are applied, the suction draws out blood.
It was cooler when they just used leeches.

 
Terminalxylem said:
It’s difficult to study, principally because it is impossible to have an effective control, but there are meta analyses which support its use. This is one which is often cited: https://www.jpain.org/article/S1526-5900(17)30780-0/fulltext
Here are a couple of critical reactions to that meta-analysis (or rather, the original one - that updated one seems to just add more studies using the same methodology):

An acupuncture meta-analysis

Can we finally just say that acupuncture is nothing more than an elaborate placebo?

 
I've had it done and it felt like a real deep tissue massage.  I was light headed afterwards for about a half hour.  Supposedly, the deeper the color of your bruise, the more toxins being pulled to the surface.  Mine were dark maroon, so that made sense.  😒

 
Lol at the snake oil claims. It's really just another/different way to do a deep tissue massage.  It's not a medical cure in any way shape or form. 

 
BigSteelThrill said:
Why wouldn't they just use a vacuum (that can be consistent in the pressure and duration) if it came anywhere close to doing anything?

Snake-oil.
The suction is more powerful than a vacuum plus it's part of a massage which is in part relaxing.  Not very relaxing with a vacuum blaring in your ears.

 
Galileo said:
Works about as good as a sugar pill...
Actually, it's helped me several times while recovering from a bulging disk. Just because it's eastern medicine, doesn't make it as effective as a sugar pill. 

 
Actually, it's helped me several times while recovering from a bulging disk. Just because it's eastern medicine, doesn't make it as effective as a sugar pill. 
Of course not. Just like your anecdote doesn't mean it's more effective than a sugar pill.

It's the bulk of scientific evidence that shows it isn't any more effective than a sugar pill.

 
Of course not. Just like your anecdote doesn't mean it's more effective than a sugar pill.

It's the bulk of scientific evidence that shows it isn't any more effective than a sugar pill.
Fair enough. That being said, it wasn't a placebo effect that gave me the relief. Funny you mention sugar pills though, as I had a treatment that includes sugar water injections that helped quite a bit, but only for a couple of days.

 
Actually, it's helped me several times while recovering from a bulging disk. Just because it's eastern medicine, doesn't make it as effective as a sugar pill. 
I won't doubt you.  Glad it helped you.  Research has shown that the placebo effect can actually be quite powerful in regards to pain management.   There actually has been research done suggesting there is some benefit from cupping in the area of pain management.  The problem is that the research is very limited.  The methodologies always seem to come into question.  Trying to assess people's pain in an objective manor is a very difficult thing to do.  These things make it difficult to draw definitive conclusions.  Something like acupuncture, on the other hand, has been studied much more extensively.

 
Of course not. Just like your anecdote doesn't mean it's more effective than a sugar pill.

It's the bulk of scientific evidence that shows it isn't any more effective than a sugar pill.
Have you experience these treatments or are you just posting links that support your theory?

 
...and cheaper.

People paying for this may as well set their wallets on fire.
Have you ever had this done?  Again not spouting off to the "healing" abilities of these treatments but I do know that I feel great after my deep tissue massages that for part of it includes cupping.  It's not a waste of money and no happy endings aren't part of it either. 

 
I always thought (just my uneducated, personal conclusion) that it acts similar to microderm abrasion where it just draws a ton of blood to the area creating a long-term healing effect. 

 
No it is not. Any medical device vacuum could simply add more suction.

You wouldnt be using a Hoover or Dyson.  🤣 🤣 🤣  And even many of those come with adjustable strength.
Have you been cupped before?  There is plenty of suction with the standard cups...no need to add a noisy vacuum to the equation.  More power isn't need here.

Plus they don't do 1 at time.  Typically there are a half dozen or so cups on a person's body at one time.  That's a lot of vacuums.

 
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Yes, I've investigated (wet, retained, moving, flash, medical, needle, combined, etc). 

Show me the studies.  Lets cut the crap. 

*Ive read some of the actual scientific studies.  not good.

 
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Have you been cupped before?  There is plenty of suction with the standard cups...no need to add a noisy vacuum to the equation.  More power isn't need here lol. 
1) a vacuum doesn't have to be noisy at all.  hell, it can be a centralized room away from the working areas.

2) it would add a consistency unmatched to most of the current methods applied.  but they don't want that for a reason. it would change the "show" they put on. so "lets worry about noise instead". :lmao:

 
1) a vacuum doesn't have to be noisy at all.  hell, it can be a centralized room away from the working areas.

2) it would add a consistency unmatched to most of the current methods applied.  but they don't want that for a reason. it would change the "show" they put on. so "lets worry about noise instead". :lmao:
There is no show whatever not really that big of deal.  

 
Yes, I've investigated (wet, retained, moving, flash, medical, needle, combined, etc). 

Show me the studies.  Lets cut the crap. 

*Ive read some of the actual scientific studies.  not good.
I’ve never argued proven cures.  I’ve just stated I feel better after a deep tissue massage that includes cupping.  I don’t think anyone is making a fortune selling this procedure.

 

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