5 Amazing Health Benefits of Fire Cupping
By: Sara Mastrangelo
Glass fire cupping is a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that uses localized pressure to promote healing. As a Registered Acupuncturist, I personally love integrating fire cupping into treatments because it has a number of health benefits including improving circulation, reliving pain and naturally eliminating toxins from the body.
The interesting thing about cupping therapy is that it originated in both Ancient China and Egypt, tracing back to over 2,000 years! Although cupping has been around for centuries, it has recently gained more popularity after world renowned athletes like Michael Phelps and Alex Naddour were seen sporting circular red marks at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Cupping therapy can be performed in a number of ways by using glass, bamboo or plastic cups. My personal favourite form of cupping is using glass cups, because the heat of the fire used to create suction adds additional benefits.
So without any further ado, let’s get into some of the amazing health benefits of this unique treatment!
How does Cupping Work?
Cupping therapy works by creating localized suction on various parts of the body to improve circulation and promote natural healing. Often referred to as a “reverse massage”, cupping is painless and benefits both the lymphatic and circulatory system.
It works by briefly placing a cotton ball that has been set on fire inside of a glass cup. The cup is then placed upside down on the body, and the negative pressure locally draws skin inside of the cup.
Here are some of my favourite benefits of Fire Cupping:
1. Migraine Relief
If you regularly suffer from headaches or migraines, cupping can help by improving blood flow, easing congestion, relaxing muscles and decreasing stress- all of which can be the root cause of your migraines. By placing the cups on the upper back, it also minimizes pressure on the neck which is where many people feel tension.
In a recent study, it was found that glass fire cupping can reduce pain and improve the overall quality of life for those who suffer from chronic migraines.
2. Naturally Reduces Inflammation
Inflammation can manifest in many ways including pain, fatigue, muscle stiffness and even loss of appetite. By creating suction in localized areas, the surrounding blood vessels dilate (expand), signalling your body to treat it like an injury.
Your body responds by increasing circulation which has some amazing benefits like sending more fibroblasts and leukocytes to the area, triggering the natural healing process and reducing inflammation.
3. Boosts Immunity
Cupping has been used for centuries to naturally boost the immune system as it pulls toxins out of your body. The suction from the cups can affect tissues up to four inches under the skin. So, by placing cups located near the lungs, mucous-filled toxins will naturally be dislodged. In turn, this eases congestion and cold/flu related symptoms.
4. Helps Treat Sports Injuries
One of the main reasons why people seek cupping is because of pain. Because fire cupping therapy acts as a reverse massage, it uses suction rather than pressure to ease muscle aches and pains. Fire cupping combines both intense heat and strong suction to help guide fresh blood to painful areas of the body, which can greatly benefit athletes and active individuals. This helps speed up recovery and reduce risk of injury!
5. Detoxifies the body
Cupping has the ability positively impact your circulatory and lymphatic system, which helps to naturally detoxify your body. This is because the circulatory system is stimulated to increase blood flow, while toxins are drained out through the lymphatic system. This is why I always tell my clients to drink lots of lemon water after their treatment- lemon water helps to flush out unnecessary toxins!
Conclusion
Fire cupping is an amazing therapy to help treat a number of conditions. I use fire cupping therapy in addition to acupuncture and it works wonders!
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