Cupping Therapy
cup like you’re famous!
Many Americans became aware of cupping through famous Olympian Michael Phelps, who attended the 2016 Rio Olympics. Caught on camera, Phelps showed off his perfectly purple circular marks. The bruises seemed unfamiliar to most, but were due a pain relief technique called cupping. Cupping is often identified by the distinct characteristics left on the body of athletes, but cupping has been around for thousands of years. Similar to acupuncture and gua sha, cupping stems from Chinese medicine and encourages the body's healing response, clearing blockages within.
The benefits of cupping may include, but are not limited to chronic pain relief, increased circulation, cellulite reduction, and toxin release. In traditional Chinese medicine, the color of your distinguishable marks determines qi (chee) movement within the body, and its functionality; uncovering blockages in the body. The lack of bruising is a sign of good flow of energy, the darker the spectrum moves the more stagnate the energy is within the body. The marks usually stay 1-2 weeks, if at all, but it ultimately depends on your body's own pace of recovery.
At Solara Wellness, there are several types of cupping experiences. There are cupping massages where the cups are moved along your meridians and there's stagnate cupping where they sit in the same spot for your session. Of the stagnant cupping Solara Wellness offers fire cupping along with the modern day cupping.
For all those fire loving people out there, fire cupping is a way to stick to a more traditional Chinese medicine. Fire cupping is a fun and warming experience, literally though. The colorful glass cups are placed all over the back, after the torch warms the air within. They are placed and the magic happens. Slowly your skin is pulled to the warmth and the flamboyant cup sucks to your skin. The sensation is quite pleasant and different from modern day cupping.
The modern day cupping experience is a relaxing journey to pain relief, strongly encouraging anyone wanting to feel like a star to try it out. The cups are placed one at a time, using a cupping gun to draw the air out, pulling the skin in tight. Compared to the fire cupping this experience is a tiny bit more intense on the body, pulling the skin quickly in and with more air pressure.
Through my experience my marks were gone within a few days. For me back pain hasn't been an issue but even with the cupping session it left it feeling looser than before. A disclaimer for all considering cupping, if you are planning to wear a bathing suit anytime soon or go on a fancy night out, it would be beneficial to wait till the event is over, unless you don't mind flaunting those recognizable marks, like all the famous kids do. By all means, if you don’t mind the marks don’t wait to book!
Overall, each cupping experience provides a serene and calm environment. With the pull of the cups, stress melts away and the natural energy within flows freely. With the celebrity hype on cupping, why not cup like you’re famous? Appointments can be booked HERE.
Sources:
https://www.menshealth.com/health/a19519212/what-is-cupping-therapy/
https://www.solarawellness.net/acupuncture
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28494847/
https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/73348
https://www.tcmworld.org/what-is-tcm/meridian-connection/
http://nopr.niscair.res.in/handle/123456789/32107
https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/What-Fire-Cupping-44485591