Cupping (a manipulative and body-based practice) is used in traditional Chinese medicine. Cupping is believed to increase blood flow to the area on which a cup is placed, thereby improving healing in that area.
The air inside a cup is heated, often using a rubber pump in modern practice. The heated cup is immediately inverted and placed on the skin. The resulting vacuum sucks the skin partway into the cup, which may be left in place for several minutes.
Cupping can help reduce neck and low back pain. Cupping has been used in combination with acupuncture and moxibustion to treat postherpetic neuralgia. Cupping has also been used in metabolic syndrome, facial paralysis, acne, and respiratory symptoms but evidence for its effectiveness for these is limited.
Cupping will redden and may burn the skin.
(See also Overview of Integrative, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine.)
More Information
The following English-language resource may be useful. Please note that THE MANUAL is not responsible for the content of this resource.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH): Cupping
