What are the benefits of cupping therapy for the body?
Mar 13, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Zhang Xiuhong
Introduction
The human body's meridians serve as channels for the circulation of qi and blood. When meridians become blocked, the flow of qi and blood is impeded, leading to various pains and discomforts. Cupping therapy, through its negative pressure action on the skin surface, can stimulate meridian points, helping to unblock the meridians and allowing qi and blood to flow smoothly. This alleviates pain conditions such as neck, shoulder, waist, and leg pain, as well as joint pain caused by blocked meridians.
Generally speaking, cupping therapy is a traditional Chinese medical treatment that offers various benefits to the body, including promoting meridian circulation, enhancing qi and blood flow, dispelling wind and cold, regulating internal organs, and relieving fatigue. The specific benefits are as follows:
1. Promoting Meridian Circulation
The meridians in the human body serve as channels for the circulation of qi and blood. When meridians become blocked, the flow of qi and blood is impeded, leading to various pains and discomforts. Cupping therapy, through its negative pressure effect on the skin surface, can stimulate meridian points, promote meridian circulation, and allow qi and blood to flow smoothly, thus alleviating pain in the neck, shoulders, waist, legs, and joints caused by blocked meridians.
2. Enhancing Qi and Blood Circulation
The negative pressure generated during cupping can cause local skin congestion, promote blood circulation, and accelerate blood flow, thereby improving local tissue blood supply. This helps deliver oxygen and nutrients to various parts of the body while removing metabolic waste and toxins, enabling better function of organs and tissues and enhancing overall vitality.
3. Dispelling Wind and Cold
In daily life, the human body is susceptible to external pathogens such as wind, cold, and dampness. Accumulation of these pathogens in the body can lead to symptoms like cold sensitivity and aches. Cupping therapy, using its warming and negative pressure effects, can expel wind, cold, and dampness from the body, thus alleviating conditions such as colds and rheumatoid arthritis caused by cold-damp blockage.
4. Regulating Internal Organs
The internal organs of the human body are closely connected with the meridian points on the body surface. Applying cupping on specific surface points can regulate corresponding organ functions through meridian conduction. For example, applying cupping at spleen-shu and stomach-shu points on the back can regulate spleen and stomach functions and improve digestion and absorption; applying cupping at kidney-shu points can help enhance kidney function and achieve the effect of nourishing the kidneys and invigorating qi.
5. Relieving Fatigue
Remaining in a state of prolonged stress from work and life easily leads to physical and mental fatigue. Cupping therapy can promote metabolism, relax muscles, relieve muscle tension and spasms, and allow the body to fully relax and rest. At the same time, it can regulate nervous system function, alleviate mental stress, create a sense of physical and mental well-being, and thus effectively relieve fatigue and restore physical and mental energy.
Cupping should be performed under the guidance of a professional TCM practitioner. Self-application is not recommended to avoid causing other problems.
