vacuum cup massage

Cupping massages have become a trend among people who experience muscle pain, athletes, and fans of good health because of their diverse benefits. Now, everyone wants to sign up for a cupping session, as the cupping massage is also called, but what few know is that this type of massage is ancient and nothing new.

In ancient times, it was believed that any type of spirit that caused diseases could be extracted using suction cups. This practice, it could be said, dates back to about three centuries before the Common Era.

For example, this type of massage was already applied in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, and India, only the materials varied. The instruments used were clay, ceramic, or bamboo.

Currently, suction cups are generally made of ceramic or plastic. However, there may be variations since some have decided to return to certain old materials.

Historians have recorded the application of cupping massages, and today, it is known that many, including doctors, poets, and philosophers, applied them at some point. All these thinkers knew the importance of the art of rubbing parts of the body.

The cupping or cupping massage

Currently, it is more common to find certain spas or medical centers that offer cupping sessions, another of the names by which vacuum cup massages are known since this English word derives from the cup, which translates literally as ‘mug.’

Specialist Paola Vernaza pointed out in her study on massage as an intervention technique in pain management that physiotherapists widely use massage due to its benefits to the body, such as increasing temperature, improving circulation, and reducing muscle distension.

For this reason, when cupping massages are practiced, what is done is to create a vacuum effect on the body. The suction cup remains attached, and when sucking, the pores open, and the blood circulates more easily. This is one of the main reasons why so many people request cupping massages today.

Benefits of cupping massage

The cupping or massage with cups has a double aspect. On the one hand, its supporters consider that its application facilitates the opening of the body’s meridians, that is, pathways through which energy flows, as those who practice acupuncture consider.

On the other hand, its strongest defenders point out that this type of massage is indicated for conditions such as:

• Migraine relief;
• Arthritis;
• Rheumatic diseases;
• Fibromyalgia;
• Depression ;
• Infertility;
• anxiety ;
• Anemia;
• Hypertension;
• Hemophilia;
• Asthma;
• Allergy;
• Nasal congestions;
• Eczema and acne;
• Problems related to gynecology, among others.
• It helps decrease stress and minimizes the chance of Marie Antoinette syndrome.

Of course, cupping massage therapy also has detractors who do not believe that it can be more than pseudoscience without academic or scientific support, even though lovers of cupping massage are organized more and grouped into partnerships each time.

Although the practice has been considered safe, its side effects, such as itching, burning, and even skin infections, cannot be underestimated.

Women who are menstruating or pregnant cannot take them either. Those who have muscle spasms or fractures are also prohibited from taking the cupping massage. Patients with metastases are equally excluded.

How are cupping massages done?

To perform cupping massages, the skin must be uncovered and treated with cream or oil to hydrate it. This will also make it easier for the suction cups to slide on.

The most commonly used suction cups are silicone, glass, and electronic.

When they are made of silicone, they are applied to the skin, the vacuum effect is created by pressing the fingers and nothing else is required.

On the other hand, if the glass is made of glass, they place a lit candle with the flame inwards, then it is placed on the skin since, in this case, the vacuum is created with oxygen.

Electronically administered cupping massages may be the easiest to apply since it is enough to place it on the site to be treated, turn on the device, measure the force, and, gradually, the skin will be suctioned.

These massages have a duration that varies between 5 and 15 minutes of application. Treatment can be short or up to two weeks, depending on the case and the improvement.

Some practitioners use suction cups, adding their acupuncture knowledge by inserting a needle inside each suction cup. Ultimately, it depends on the style of whoever does the application and the patient who wishes to undergo such treatment.

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