What is common between Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow and Michael Phelps? Read on to find out.
Have you heard of a purificatory therapy with such a small and unusual name of Cupping. Well, here are some details on the ancient Chinese traditional practice gaining traction now. And it leaves tell-tale marks as well!
While many have heard of Ayurveda and the benefits of Panchakarma treatment for curing various ills, few have heard about Cupping therapy (Hijama) which has a considerable following even in India.
Small cups, often heated, are placed on the affected parts of the body that need healing. An expert places the cups in such a manner that a vacuum is created. This ‘sucks’ out the fluids causing disease and is believed to result in localised healing.
Few sports fanatics would have missed seeing Michael Phelps at the Rio Olympics. He sported red round marks. There are other celebrities too who swear by this therapy. The adherents include divas and actors of the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Bieber and Victoria Beckham to name a few. This ‘celebrity-endorsement’ has spiked demand for cupping therapy which is believed to have originated centuries ago in China and adopted as a clinical method in Egyptian and Arabian countries.
Practitioners claim that cupping is a good pain reliever and gives a sense of overall well-being even as it raises levels of energy. And believe it or not, it is also recommended as an anti-ageing therapy. Facial cupping is considered to be useful in reducing puffiness of the face resulting in greater blood flow to the face. Its suction effect also reduces cellulite, claim the practitioners.
Types: Basically there are three methods in vogue – dry, wet and massage cupping. In dry cupping, heated cups are placed on the affected parts and the vacuum created by the attached pump or manually, lifts the skin and expands blood vessels. This results in a bright red mark. In wet cupping, after three minutes of cupping, suction reveals a swollen, red patch of skin. Then, small incisions are made to draw out the diseased blood. To provide relief from inflammation, massage cupping is used. Here the skin is first oiled and the cups are moved in a gliding motion. This removes knots and the feeling of inflammation is removed.
“Generally these sessions last between 10 minutes to 20 minutes and spaced out in gaps of a month or two each. Lot of people who are under some kind of stress approach us for cupping therapy and start finding relief in 2-3 sittings, says Dr Shashank Malik, who runs a multi-speciality ayurvedic clinic and acupuncture centre named Ayur Hridayam in Sector 26, Noida.
Dr. Malik says the therapy can be performed as soon once the marks at the back disappear. The marks generally stay for 5-7 days.
“Cupping to draw out impure blood is generally performed on patients having skin diseases and is more effective in their cases,” says Dr. Anita Malik of Ayur Hridayam.
This ancient Asian ritual is gaining in popularity and many clinics have come up which offer these sessions. As alternative medicine, this is one therapy that scores over others because of the unique nature of the equipment and procedure used. So, whether you are a desk journo spending long hours at your workstation or a call centre executive straining your nerves all day and night long, cupping offers you a remedy for muscle relaxation and pain management and perhaps also a course of detoxification course.