WHAT IS CUPPING THERAPY?

Massage Cupping™ bodywork is based on traditional Chinese cupping therapy, which has been used for thousands of years.  It is a pleasant and gentle, non-invasive technique that achieves truly impressive results.  It relaxes and softens the muscles and other tissues by creating negative pressure through suction, rather than pressure being applied directly to the body.  Adhesions are loosened; trigger points are released; cellulite is reduced and excess fluids are drained.  It improves fluidity in the body and aids in the healing process by bringing hydration and fresh blood into the area and encouraging the lymphatic flow.

In traditional Chinese cupping therapy, the cups are placed on the body and left stationary for a period of time.  With Massage Cupping™ bodywork, oil is applied to the body to help facilitate a smooth movement as the cup is often in motion.  It feels amazing and provides the effects of a deep tissue massage in a kind of reverse fashion!

Have you ever felt so tight that your massage therapist could stand on you and it still wouldn’t feel deep enough?  That’s because the issue isn’t as simple as a “tight muscle”.  We have connective tissue that wraps around every muscle, muscle fiber, organ, nerve, blood vessel, etc – it’s a continuous sheath that encapsulates everything in the body (think on that just a moment).  This is called our fascia.  Our fascia acts kind of like spiders webbing and sometimes it gets “tangled” and “sticks together” creating restrictions that can run both superficial and deep throughout our body.  Cupping is one way to help unwind the fascia, thereby giving you more flexibility and ease of movement.  Watch this short video by Gil Hedley, PhD to learn a bit more (it’s only about 5 min. in length) about the restrictions caused by fascial layers sticking together: “The Fuzz Speech“.

Particularly tight muscles or adhesions in the body will benefit from a cup being left stationary for a few minutes.  In fact, the body will often require the cup to stop and directly address the issue.  When this occurs, stagnation (toxins & debris) will be drawn to the surface and will sometimes produce a discoloration referred to as a “cup kiss”.  This is not a bruise in the traditional sense, but rather a wonderful release of intense stagnation in the area, and it will dissipate anywhere between a few hours and a few days depending on the intensity of the stagnation.  With regular cupping treatments, this discoloration will become less common as the area is continually flushed with the circulation of fresh blood and lymph.

You will see better results in less time after only a few treatments, depending on the severity and length of time of the condition.  Hydration, stretching and soaking in magnesium bath salts will help diminish any soreness or discoloration.

Massage Cupping™ & VacuTherapies™ can comfortably:

• Decrease or relieve pain and inflammation from injury or chronic conditions.
• Relieve deep muscular issues and reduce muscle spasms.
• Release and soften scar tissue and loosen post-surgery adhesions.
• Lift and stretch soft tissue to separate fascia and restrictions.
• Increase range of movement and flexibility in joints.
• Promote healthy circulation and open the energy flow of the body.
• Move stagnation and enable normal lymphatic flow.
• Enhance any athletic training program to improve performance.
• Reduce “Solid Bloat”.

(information obtained from www.massagecupping.com)