Cupping and Acupuncture Compliment One Another

Cupping is one of the most unique of the Traditional Chinese healing arts. Various sizes of glass cups, bamboo jars or small earthenware pots are used to create suction on the surface of the skin in an attempt to unblock meridians and restore the flow of Qi. Qi is the life energy that enables to body to function efficiently and can be stalled or blocked if obstacles begin to appear at various points along the body’s meridians.

Suction is achieved by holding the cup upside down and holding a match inside to create heat. Once the temperature is right and all of the oxygen in the cup is exhausted, the cup is placed on the skin creating a vacuum and drawing the skin upward. When the cup is left in one place, it is known as “fixed” cupping. The cups can also be moved across the skin as long as the suction is not broken. This is called “gliding”. In most cases, the cups are left in place for five to ten minutes, depending on the seriousness of the issue at hand.

Because cupping follows many of the principles and techniques as acupuncture, they can be used together to enhance the patient’s treatment. Much like the acupuncturists’ needles, cups are placed on specific points along the body’s meridians. Most commonly placed on one of the five meridians of the back, smaller cups can be placed on hands, feet, ankles, joints or any other place on the body. Cupping and acupuncture compliment one another in many ways and when used together offer the patient an extremely effective treatment plan.

Cupping affects a much larger area than just what is touched by the small glass. The suction loosens muscles and stimulates blood flow to the area, affecting tissues in all directions. It relaxes the nervous system, allowing it to rest and rejuvenate from the stress of an illness. Cupping relieves both back and neck pain, relieves anxiety and fatigue and is even thought to be helpful in removing cellulite. Individuals with asthma and other upper respiratory issues can also find relief when cupping is performed over or near the lungs.

As a firm believer in the benefits of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ms. Lucy Postolov offers cupping techniques in her acupuncture practice. Using each technique in conjunction with one another provides patients with a much needed boost when it comes to healing and restoring balance within the body. The concept behind cupping involves affecting the tissue around the acupuncture point to create a larger healing area. In some cases, obstacles along the meridians may be affecting more than the smaller area around the acupuncture point. By using a larger cup, blood flow is increased to a larger area, allowing more toxins and debris to be flushed away. This frees the Qi energy and allows it to radiate outward offering renewed energy flow to a much larger area.

Ms Postolov’s techniques are so well respected; she is often requested to perform them on her patients who are receiving other forms of treatment at local hospitals and healthcare facilities. She embraces any opportunity to work with other practitioners who are willing to work with her to produce life changing results for the patients they treat. Her patients’ well-being and continued good health are her primary concern and she strives to use whatever treatment option necessary to produce long lasting and effective results.