Fire
cupping
From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Fire cupping |
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Literal meaning: |
pull-out jar |
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Fire
cupping is a method of
applying acupressure
by creating a vacuum next to the patient's skin. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) it
involves placing glass, plastic, or bamboo cups on the
skin with a vacuum.
The therapy is used to relieve what is called "stagnation" in TCM
terms, and is used in the treatment of respiratory diseases such as the common cold,
pneumonia,
and bronchitis.
Cupping is also used to treat back, neck, shoulder, and other musculoskeletal
pain. Its advocates claim it has other
applications as well. This technique, in varying forms, has also been found in
the folk medicine of Vietnam, the Balkans, modern Greece, Mexico, and Russia, among other places,
including Iran where
it is called 'bod-kesh' meaning literally 'pull with air'.
Contents[hide] |
Method
Instead
of using a vacuum pump, a vacuum is created by air (heated by fire) in a glass
cup placed flush against the patient's skin. As the air cools in the cup, a
vacuum forms that pulls up on the skin, stimulating the acupressure effect.
The
cups are usually roughly bell shaped with a capacity of about 4 fluid ounces.
Most commonly, a total of from 8 to 12 cups are applied to the subject's back
in two parallel 'vertical' columns, midway between the spine and each edge of
the body, spaced about 4 inches on center within each column. An interesting
animation of the process may be found here [1]
(requires Shockwave Flash).
There
are several ways of heating the air in the cup with fire:
1. One
can swab rubbing alcohol (minimum 90%) into the bottom of a cup, then light it
and place the cup immediately against the skin. By creating the seal the
immediate loss of oxygen puts the fire out, preventing the person from being
burned. The smaller the amount of alcohol, and the quicker the flame is extinguished
by application of the cup, the better, so long as there is no risk of the cups
falling off due to lack of a proper seal.
2. One
can hold the cup inverted over a flame (e.g. a lit candle), heating the air,
then place the cup immediately against the skin. Care must be taken not to heat
the glass itself. Even so, the person to whom the cup is applied will feel
distinctly more heat than in the previous method.
3. One
can ignite a flame with a small alcohol-soaked cotton wad resting on a small
pad of leather or other insulating material that rests directly on the
patient's skin, then place the cup immediately over the flame, putting out the
fire. The quickness with which the flame is extinguished depends on the size
and shape of the cup.
Methods
1 and 2 heat the glass to some extent and have a risk of burning the patient if
not carefully executed. Method 3 risks the cotton falling off the insulating
pad onto the patient's skin, and leaves the pad and cotton wadding inside the
adhering cup which could be considered cumbersome.
Baby
oil massaged onto the skin first causes a better seal to form, making it
possible to use this therapy with less heating of the cup. It is often possible
to slide the adhered cup around on the skin, preserving the suction seal as it
glides. Care must be taken not to move the cup over protruding moles, skin tags,
scabs, etc.
Circular cupping marks one day after treatment
The longer
a cup is left on, the more of a circular mark is created. The skin pores are
more open, and the patient may have a feeling like sunburn. An application of
about 20 minutes is average, for the back; however this varies with the
individual. In no case should the cups be left in place if the subject reports
noticeable discomfort.
According
to the American Cancer Society, "[a]vailable
scientific evidence does not support cupping as a cure for cancer or any other
disease"[1].
It can leave temporary unsightly marks on the skin and there is also a small risk
of burns. Persons who claim this therapy to be beneficial report that its
effect is a long lasting feeling of relaxation and invigoration. It is possible
that whatever relief is obtained by this procedure is derived from the same
principles that are employed in shiatsu massage, where instead of the outward sucking of the
cups, strong inward pressure is directed at the muscles of the dorsal ribcage and abdomen.
Cupping
was commonly used as a Eastern European Jewish folk remedy, with the Yiddish name באנקעס
(bahnkes). [2]
[3]
The
proverb 'עס וועט העלפן
ווי א טויטען באנקס’
(Es vet helfen vi a toiten bahnkes, literally "It would help like
cupping a corpse") is used to opine that a course of action would be
futile. [4]
[3]
Wet cupping
In
this variant, a form of bloodletting also called blood cupping, a small scratch
or incision is made with a lancet prior to the cupping, and the pressure difference
extracts blood from the skin.
Islamic traditional medicine uses this technique -
called in Arabic hijamah or hijama - with a
number of hadith
supporting its recommendation and use by Muhammad
(although Muhammad is said to have explicitly stated, roughly put, to have as
much knowledge in things that need skill as any average person).
References
1. ^ ACS ::
Cupping (2007-05-23). Retrieved
on 2007-06-21.
2. ^ Cupping
(2005-09-14).
Retrieved on 2007-06-02.
3. ^ a b Seicol, MD (1997-04-10).
"Correspondence:
Consequences of Cupping" (subscription required). New England
Journal of Medecine 336 (15): 1109. PMID
9091826. Retrieved on 2007-06-02.
4. ^ List of Yiddish Words and Expressions.
Retrieved on 2007-06-02