Top 5 Benefits of Cupping Therapy (and why you don’t want to miss out)
You may know the term “cupping” from seeing those giant red circle welts on famous athletes like Michael Phelps! It has certainly gained some steam over the past few years and is a trendy intervention for healing pain and injury. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Cupping dates back all the way to Ancient Greek and Egyptian civilizations as an important intervention to treat medical conditions. It is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine and has recently gained popularity and importance in Western medicine and rehabilitation.
So what the heck is it?!
I like to think of cupping as the opposite of massage. Massage tends to compress and put pressure downward onto the muscles and tissues. If you’ve ever had a massage, you know how great it feels afterward. You get that rush of blood flow and healing to the area, and the tension seems to just melt away. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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With cupping, instead pushing the layers of skin, connective tissue, and muscle together… you actually get the pulling APART effect. Sounds weird right?? It works wonders, trust me!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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When the cups are placed on the body, there is a negative pressure effect that raises the underlying tissues. This can be done with heat or with suction! This creates an influx of blood flow and healing to an area that has pain, muscle trigger points, inflammation and poor circulation. ⠀
Cupping is even thought to pull out various toxins that build up in the body that contribute to illness or injury. So in a sense, cupping can also be utilized as a preventative mechanism to protect the body from injury and illness. Pretty cool, I know… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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In addition to overall health and wellness of your body, here are the TOP 5 Benefits of Cupping ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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1. Increases blood and lymph flow⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2. Relieves pain and muscle spasms ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
3. Reduces stress and tension⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
4. Improves muscle recovery after working out⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
5. Improves overall health and appearance of skin
If you haven’t had the chance to try cupping, you will definitely want to seek it out right away! Several different providers can get trained in cupping therapy such as Physical Therapists, Massage Therapists and Chiropractors to name a few. What are you waiting for?!