Cupping Treatments involve the application of a vessel, most often a glass cup, to the skin. Here is how the cup is applied to the skin’s surface:
- A cotton ball soaked in alcohol, clamped by a hemostat, is lit on fire.
- The lit cotton ball is held inside the hollow cup for a few seconds to “burn off” the oxygen within the cup and create a vacuum.
- The cotton ball is removed and the “vaccum-ized” cup is quickly placed onto the skin’s surface creating a sealed off section.
The vacuum created with the cup(s) draws blood and lymph to the area, promoting circulation and healing.
A variant of the above method is ‘Slide Cupping,’ where the application is the same but massage oil or liniment is applied before the cups – this allows for a ‘sliding/gliding’ movement once the cups are in place. In general, slide cupping feels like a soothing deep tissue massage.
**Cup Therapy is often one of the primary treatment methods used at Loveland Acupuncture for Pediatric care.