Fire cupping
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| Fire cupping | |||||||||||
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| A patient receiving fire cupping therapy | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 拔罐 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | pull-out jar | ||||||||||
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Fire cupping or simply cupping is a form of traditional medicine found in many cultures world-wide. It involves placing cups containing reduced air pressure (suction) on the skin. It is known in local languages as badkesh, bahnkes, bekam, buhang, bentusa, kuyukaku, gak hoi, hijama, and many other names.
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[edit] History
Although there is reason to believe the practice dates from as early as 3000 B.C., the earliest use of cupping that is recorded is from the Ebers Papyrus, one of the oldest medical textbooks in the world. It describes the systematic use of cupping by the early Egyptians, as far back as 1,550 B.C.. Archaeologists have found evidence in China of cupping dating back to 1,000 B.C.. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates (c. 400 B.C.) used cupping for both internal diseases and structural problems. The technique, in varying forms, expanded into the folk medicine of most Asian and European civilizations.
Cupping in Europe and the Middle East grew from humoral medicine, a belief dating to the ancient Greeks which supposed temperament and health were related to the balance or imbalance of four "humors" in the body: blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. This system was adopted widely by ancient European and Middle-East cultures. Applying hot cups to the body aided bloodletting, removing an excess of blood and purportedly returning the body to health. Humoral medicine encountered a brief revival in European medicine in the 18th and 19th centuries, and cupping was widely used in this practice.[1]
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), cupping is a method of applying acupressure by creating a relative vacuum next to the patient's skin. The therapy is used to relieve what is called "stagnation" in TCM terms, and is used in the treatment of respiratory diseases such as the common cold, pneumonia, and bronchitis. Cupping is also used to treat back, neck, shoulder, and other musculoskeletal pain. Its advocates claim it has other applications as well.[2]
In the late 20th century, cupping has gained a second wind as a alternative therapy for a variety of ailments.
[edit] Effects
According to the American Cancer Society, "[a]vailable scientific evidence does not support cupping as a cure for cancer or any other disease"[3]. It can leave temporary unsightly marks on the skin and there is also a small risk of burns. Persons who claim this therapy to be beneficial report that it produces feeling of relaxation and invigoration. It is possible that whatever relief is obtained from this procedure derives from the same principles that are employed in shiatsu massage, where instead of the outward sucking of the cups, strong inward pressure is directed at the muscles of the dorsal ribcage and abdomen.[citation needed]
[edit] Methods
The cupping procedure commonly involves creating a small area of low air pressure next to the skin. However, there is variety in the tools used, the method of creating the low pressure, and the procedures followed during the treatment.[4]
The cups themselves can be various shapes including balls or bells, and may range in size from 1 to 3 inches (25mm – 75mm) across the opening. Plastic and glass are the most common materials used today, replacing the horn, pottery, bronze and bamboo cups used in earlier times. The low air pressure required may be created by heating the cup or the air inside it with an open flame or a bath in hot scented oils, then placing it against the skin. As the air inside the cup cools, it contracts and draws the skin slightly inside. More recently, vacuum can be created with a mechanical suction pump acting through a valve located at the top of the cup. Rubber cups are also available that squeeze the air out, and adapt to uneven or bony surfaces.
In practise, cups are normally used only on softer tissue that can form a good seal with the edge of the cup. They may be used singly or in large number to cover a larger area. They may be used by themselves or placed over an accupuncture needle. The skin may be lubricated, allowing the cup to be slowly moved across the skin. The skin may be lanced before placing the cup, so that the vacuum draws fluids (primarily blood) into the cup as part of the treatment.
Depending on the specific treatment, skin marking is common after the cups are removed. This may be a simple red ring that disappears quickly, but more aggressive treatments can result in deeper bruising. In general, the longer a cup is left on, the more of a circular mark is created. The treatments are generally not painful, and should usually be discontinued if there is more than a very minor discomfort.
[edit] Wet cupping
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In this alternative form of bloodletting, also called blood cupping, a small scratch or incision is made with a lancet prior to the cupping, and the pressure difference extracts blood from the skin. Islamic traditional medicine uses this technique - called in Arabic hijamah or hijama - with a number of hadith supporting its recommendation and use by the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
The hijama method cautions against over cupping, cupping in the lying down position and sleeping or resting following any cupping procedure, claiming that the one real danger of cupping is the potential risk of blood clotting following a procedure. Patients should take a brisk thirty minute walk following any cupping treatment. When properly performed, using tiny incisions and not leaving the cups on longer than necessary, cupping leaves no marks or scarring.
While the history of wet cupping may date back thousands of years, the first documented uses are found in the teachings of Muhammad.[5] According to Imams Bukhari, Muslim and Ahmad, Muhammad approved of the Hijama (Cupping) treatment. Muhammad is reported to have said, “Indeed in cupping (hijama) there is a cure” [Sahih Muslim 5706]. He is also reported to have said, “Whoever performs cupping (hijama) on the 17th, 19th or 21st day (of the Islamic, lunar month) then it is a cure for every disease” [Sahih Sunan abi Dawud 3861]. This treatment was usually recommended for headache or leg aches. Muhammad himself underwent Hijama.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ "Wipipedia: Suction Cups". http://www.londonfetishscene.com/wipi/index.php/Suction_cups.
- ^ State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, "Advanced Textbook on Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology", volume IV, 1997 New World Press, Beijing
- ^ "ACS :: Cupping". 2007-05-23. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Cupping.asp. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
- ^ Cui Jin and Zhang Guangqi, "A survey of thirty years’ clinical application of cupping", Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 1989; 9(3): 151–154
- ^ Andrew Rippin and Jan Knappert, Textual Sources for the Study of Islam, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1986; Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990. 78.
