Advantages and Disadvantages of Cupping

　　What is cupping?

　　Cupping has a long history in China. In ancient times, the technology was underdeveloped, and cupping was mainly performed using methods such as burning fire, which was difficult to operate and highly dangerous. Modern cupping is mainly based on glass jars, which use a piston to pump air to generate negative pressure for cupping. Cupping is a therapy that uses a cup as a tool and uses methods such as suction to generate negative pressure, causing it to adsorb to the body surface and cause local blood stasis, thereby achieving the effects of activating menstruation, activating qi and blood circulation, reducing swelling and pain, dispelling wind and cold, etc.

　　There are many types of cupping tools commonly used at present, including bamboo jars, glass jars, air extraction jars, etc.

　　1. Bamboo jar

　　(1) Materials and production Bamboo cans are made of strong and undamaged bamboo with a diameter of 3 to 5 centimeters, and are made into bamboo tubes of 6 to 8 centimeters or 8 to 10 centimeters in length. Leave a knot at one end as the bottom and the other end as the mouth of the can. Use a knife to scrape off the green skin and inner membrane to make a cylinder shaped like a waist drum. Polish it with sandpaper to make the mouth of the can smooth and flat.

　　(2) Advantages: convenient materials, simple production, light and durable, easy to carry, economical, and not easy to break; bamboo jars have strong adsorption force and can not only be used in areas with full muscles such as shoulders and backs, but also in areas with thin skin and less flesh such as wrists, ankles, insteps, backs of hands, shoulders and necks, and are similar to small-diameter glass jars In comparison, the adsorption force has obvious advantages; in addition, when applying bamboo pot therapy, it can be boiled in boiled medicinal liquid and then sucked on acupuncture points or the body surface. It can improve local blood circulation through negative pressure and can also play a local fumigation effect with the help of the penetration of medicinal liquid, forming a dual effect and strengthening the therapeutic effect.

　　(3) Disadvantages: It is easy to dry out, crack and leak; it is also opaque, making it difficult to observe the skin reaction in the tank, so it is not suitable for blood pricking and cupping.

　　2. Glass jar

　　(1) Materials and production Glass jars are made of heat-resistant glass. They are spherical in shape, with an open lower end, a small mouth and a big belly. They are divided into different models according to the diameter of the jar mouth and the size of the cavity.

　　(2) Advantages: Its advantages are that the mouth of the cup is smooth and the texture is transparent, which makes it easy to observe the degree of skin congestion and blood stasis at the cupping site, so as to control the time of cupping. It is currently the most widely used cupping tool in clinical practice, especially suitable for walking cupping, flash cupping, thorn cupping and needle-retaining cupping.

　　(3) Disadvantages: Fast heat conduction, easy burns, and easy damage.

　　3. Air extraction tank

　　(1) Materials and production The air extraction tank is made of organic glass or transparent engineering resin material. The piston on the top of the tank is used to control the air extraction.

　　The principle of mechanical air extraction is used to form a negative pressure in the tank, allowing the tank to be adsorbed to the selected location.

　　(2) Advantages: The air pumping cup does not require fire or electricity, eliminates unsafe risks and does not burn the skin; it is easy to operate and can be widely used for personal and family self-health care. It is a new type of cupping device that is currently more popular.

　　(3) Disadvantages: There is no thermal stimulation effect of cupping.

　　Advantages and Disadvantages of Cupping

　　benefit:

　　1. Principles of disease treatment and health preservation

　　1. Improve local blood circulation

　　Cupping therapy creates negative pressure inside the cup by exhausting it. The edge of the cup is tightly attached to the skin surface, pulling nerves, muscles, blood vessels and subcutaneous glands. It can cause a series of neuroendocrine reactions, regulate vasodilatation and contraction functions and blood vessel permeability, thereby improving local blood circulation.

　　2. Improve immunity and have good health care effects

　　The negative pressure of cupping causes rapid local congestion and congestion. Small capillaries may even rupture, red blood cells may be destroyed, and hemolysis may occur. The release of hemoglobin in red blood cells is a benign stimulus to the body. It can regulate the functions of tissues and organs in two directions through the nervous system. At the same time, it promotes the phagocytosis of white blood cells, improves the skin's sensitivity and tolerance to external changes, and thereby enhances the body's immunity.

　　The local warming effect of cupping not only dilates blood vessels and increases blood flow, but also enhances the permeability of blood vessel walls and the phagocytic ability of cells. The changes in blood vessel tension and mucosal permeability at the cupping site, accelerated lymph circulation, and enhanced phagocytosis will undoubtedly form a good environment for resisting biological causes of infectious lesions. In addition, the chronic stimulation of hemolysis has a health-care function on the human body.

　　3. Help the elimination of waste from the body

　　The strong suction force of negative pressure can fully open the sweat pores, stimulate and strengthen the functions of sweat glands and sebaceous glands, and shed senescent cells on the surface of the skin, thus accelerating the discharge of toxins and waste in the body.

　　2. Treatable diseases

　　[Respiratory system indications]

　　Acute and chronic bronchitis, asthma, pulmonary edema, pneumonia, pleurisy. Main points: Dazhu, Fengmen, Feishu, Yingchuang.

　　[Digestive system indications]

　　Acute and chronic gastritis, gastric neuralgia, dyspepsia, hyperacidity. Main points: Ganshu, , Weishu, Geshu, Zhangmen.

　　Acute and chronic enteritis. Main points: , Weishu, Dachangshu, Tianshu.

　　[circulatory system indications]

　　hypertension. Main points: Ganshu, Danshu, Shenshu, Weizhong, Chengshan, Zusanli. Focus on the back and lower limbs.

　　Insufficient blood supply to the heart. Main points: Xinshu, Geshu, Gaobinshu, Zhangmen.

　　[Motor system indications]

　　Cervical joint pain, shoulder joint and scapular pain, elbow joint pain. Main points: cupping around tender points and joints.

　　Back pain, lumbar pain, sacral pain, hip pain. Main points: cupping according to the painful area and around the joints.

　　Knee pain, bare part pain, heel pain. Main point: Use a small glass cupping pot around the painful area and joints to perform cupping.

　　[Nervous system indications]

　　Neurogenic headache, occipital neuralgia. Main points: Dazhui, Dazhu, Tianzhu (with facial pad), Zhiyang.

　　Intercostal neuralgia. Main points: Zhangmen, Qimen, and intercostal pain areas for cupping.

　　Sciatica. Main points: Zhibian, Huantiao, Weizhong.

　　Nerve paralysis of the limbs caused by rheumatic strain. Main acupoints: Dazhui, Gaobinshu, Shenshu, Fengshi, and other numb areas.

　　Neck muscle spasm. Main points: Jianjing, Dazhui, Jianzhongshu, Shenzhu.

　　Gastrocnemius spasm. Main points: Weizhong, Chengshan and the gastrocnemius muscle on the affected side.

　　Facial nerve spasm. Main acupoints: Xiaguan, Yintang, Jieche, use a small can, leave the can only for 6 seconds, remove the can, and then pull out 10 to 20 times in a row.

　　Diaphragm spasm. Main points: Geshu and Jingmen.

　　[Gynecological indications]

　　Dysmenorrhea. Main points: Guanyuan, Xuehai, Ashi points.

　　amenorrhea. Main points: Guanyuan, Shenshu. Menorrhagia. Main points: Guanyuan, uterus. Leucorrhea. Main points: Guanyuan, Uterus, Sanyinjiao. Pelvic inflammatory disease. Main points: Zhinbian, Yaoshu, Guanyuanshu. [Indications for surgical sores] boils. Main points: body pillars, boils and swollen areas, use small cup pads to pull out. Polyfolliculitis. Main point: Zhiyang, local small cup and facial pad. Ulcers of lower limbs. Main point: local small cup and facial pad pulling. Acute mastitis. Main point: After applying hot compress with warm boiled water and a new towel on the local area, use a medium or large cupping cup for 5 to 6 times in a row.

　　Disadvantages of cupping

　　Although people say that traditional Chinese medicine health care methods have few side effects, side effects are still inevitable. The same is true for cupping. Disadvantages of cupping

　　The main points are as follows. First, it is easy to cause damage to the skin. Traditional cupping uses fire, which can easily burn the skin. Although some cupping methods now avoid direct contact of the skin with open flames, it still causes certain damage to the skin; second, the skin pores dilate after cupping. If you do not pay attention to wind and cold protection, it is easy for wind and cold to invade the human body, causing colds and other diseases.

　　How to avoid it?

　　Clinical practice tells us that the main cause of cupping burns is excessive use of alcohol, which drips onto the skin in the cup and causes blood blisters; the flame heats the mouth of the cup, which can easily cause burns on the cup mouth. If you leave the jar in for too long, white blisters will easily appear. The first two are real burns, and the latter is not a burn. So can you avoid cupping burns? Yes, absolutely you can, but you must take the following measures:

　　(1) Apply water: Apply some water to the cupping area beforehand (apply warm water in winter). Applying water can cool down the area and protect the skin from burns.

　　(2) The flame faces the bottom of the can: The flame of the alcohol cotton ball must face the bottom of the can. Never burn the mouth of the can, and do not let alcohol get on the mouth of the can.

　　(3) Short retention time in the can: shorten the retention time in the can and do not leave it too long. If it is too long, it will easily cause blisters. Generally, 3 to 5 minutes is enough, and no more than 10 minutes at most.

　　Precautions for cupping:

　　1. First, determine the physique of the cupper. If the body is too weak, cupping is not suitable, because the purging method in cupping will make the weak person even more weak, and the therapeutic effect will not be achieved.

　　2. Pregnant women and elderly people with heart disease should use cupping with caution. Because cupping is prohibited in the lumbosacral and abdominal areas of pregnant women, it can easily cause miscarriage. During cupping, the skin is tightened under negative pressure, which is a painful stimulation to the whole body. Most people can completely bear it, but elderly patients with heart disease may suffer from heart attacks under this stimulation. Therefore, these people should be cautious when cupping.

　　3. Patients with local skin ulcers or skin diseases should not use cupping.

　　4. When cupping, it is not easy to leave the cup for too long (generally, the cupping time should be controlled within 8 minutes) to avoid blistering (especially those with diabetes should try to avoid the risk of infection caused by blistering).

　　5. If blisters accidentally form after cupping, generally those with a diameter of less than 1 mm (less than 3 in each tank) can be absorbed by themselves without treatment. However, those with a diameter exceeding 1 mm, more than 3 in each tank, or those with diabetes or low immune function should go to the hospital for treatment in time.

　　6. Pay attention to the cleanliness of the jar. For example, one person should use only one set of cans, and the cans should generally be cleaned after every five uses. to prevent infection.

　　7. There is currently no systematic research on whether children are suitable for cupping. Because children’s skin is delicate and not fully developed, it is necessary to consult a clinical Chinese medicine practitioner before cupping to ensure safety.

　　8. It must be used properly. If the local skin has wrinkles, sagging, uneven scars, movement, etc., the cupping cup will easily fall off.

　　9. Choose a tank of appropriate size according to different parts. When applying the fire-throwing cupping method, the flame must be strong and the movement must be fast so that the mouth of the cup tilts upward to avoid the fire source falling and scalding the skin. When applying the flash fire method, do not dip the cotton swab in too much alcohol to prevent the alcohol from dripping and burning or injuring the skin. When using the cotton sticking method, be sure to prevent burning the cotton from taking it off. When using the fire rack method, the buckle cover must be accurate and do not knock over the burning fire rack. When using a boiling water jar, the hot water in the jar should be thrown away to avoid scalding the patient's skin.

　　10. When using the needle can, it is necessary to prevent muscle contraction and bending of the needle, and avoid pushing the needle deep into the needle, causing damage. Acupoints on the chest and back should be used with caution.

　　11. When applying blood lancet cupping, the area of ​​bleeding skin caused by needle puncture should be equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the cupping cup. The amount of bleeding must be appropriate, and the total volume should not exceed 10ml each time.

　　12. When using multiple pots, the distance between the cupping pots should generally not be too close, otherwise it will cause pain due to the skin being pulled by the cupping pots. At the same time, because the pots crowd each other, it is not advisable to pull them out tightly.

　　13. When using the cupping cup, do not push or pull on the bone protrusion to avoid damaging the skin or causing the cupping cup to leak and fall off.

　　14. When lifting the can, be gentle. Use one hand to hold the skin on the side of the can and press it to let the air leak out. The can can then be taken off. Do not pull hard or rotate it.

　　15. If there is bleeding from the pinhole after cupping, use a dry cotton ball to wipe it away. Generally, localized blush or cyanosis (congestion) is normal and will subside on its own. If the local blood stasis is severe, it is not advisable to pull out in the original position. If the can is left in the tank for too long, the skin will develop blisters. Small ones do not need to be treated to prevent scratches and infection; large ones can be punctured with a needle to drain out the liquid in the blisters, apply gentian violet solution, and cover with sterile dressings to prevent infection.