FCIM Clinic

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Cupping

Cupping is a traditional Chinese Medicine therapy. It uses a jar placed on the skin through the negative pressure to induce local congestion and blood stasis for treating diseases. It was called the "horn method" in ancient China, now it is known as "Ba Guan" or "Ba Huo Guan". The cupping dates back to about 3000 years and has been used as a part of the primary heath care service offered in China. The types, manipulations, functions and indications of cupping are as follow.

Types of jars:

Glass cup, bamboo jar and ceramic cup.

Manipulations:

Fire twinkling method
Fire throwing method
Alcohol fire method
Cotton firing method
Firing method for cup laid on treatment location
Boiling method

Special method of cupping:

Movable cupping
Successive flash cupping
Cupping with bloodletting

Functions of cupping:

Warm meridians and invigorate collateral
Move qi and promote blood
Diminishing cold and dispel damp
Reduce swelling and relieving pain

Indications:

The Cupping method is usually used for internal diseases, gynecological diseases, pediatric diseases external diseases, and trauma, etc.

It's mainly used to treat Bi syndrome caused by wind dampness, such as pain in the low back, shoulders, neck and limbs; gastrointestinal disorders such as stomach ache, abdominal pain, vomiting, hiccup, dysentery, constipation and diarrhea; lung disease such as common cold, cough and asthma; kidney diseases such as enuresis, impotence and spermatorrhea; gynecological diseases such as irregular menstruation, dysmenorrheal, uterine bleeding and morbid leucorrhea; and external diseases, including erysipelas, neurodermatitis, psoriasis, etc.

The cupping method often is combined with bloodletting and is specially suitable to treat acute sprains accompanied by blood stasis, blood stasis syndrome, heat syndrome, excess cold syndrome, intractable Bi syndrome, and summer sunstroke, etc.