What Is The Best Acupressure Cupping Set?
Our Favorite Acupressure Cupping Sets
After consideration of many different cupping sets available online, we chose the Hansol Cupping Set as our favorite choice for a person who is interested in trying out cupping therapy for the first time.
There are higher quality sets out there, but they can cost up to triple the price of this set. And frankly, a person who is new to cupping therapy probably doesn’t need a professional-tier set to begin with.
We also liked the LURE Home Spa Cupping Set. This set doesn’t have adjustable suction levels, but it does come with cups of different sizes for easier application to different parts of the body.
What Is An Acupressure Cupping Set?
A cupping set is a set of suction cups that are used to put suction on the skin, which draws blood towards the area and promotes faster healing.
Cupping dates back as one of the oldest techniques in the field of traditional Chinese Medicine. In fact, one must return to the 4th century BC to find its earliest documented use.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is based upon the principle that blocked life force energy is caused by injuries or illness. The body often responds with either stiffness or pain.
The first cups that were used were made from animal horns that were manually hollowed out with rudimentary tools. Of course, today, an acupressure cupping set is available in plastic or thick glass. However, it is noted that some cupping sets used by traditional practitioners are made of iron or bamboo.
Generally speaking, the preferred method of delivery is glass cups. This is because the glass is see-through allowing practitioners to see the skin beneath the cup placement to verify the effects of the treatment.
How Does Cupping Work?
There is nothing mystical or magical about a cupping technique. The cup is set on the skin with its wide, open-end downwards. Through several different techniques, the air within the cup is sucked out pulling the skin and flesh upwards into the vacuum.
Heating the inside of the cup and then inverting the cup on the skin is how the required suction was originally created. Today, there are other methods to create suction for cupping therapy.
The pressure caused by the vacuum created in the cup, draws out the toxic substances lurking in the skin and muscles. The result is a rebalancing of the body’s energy. The cup then remains in place for some time during treatment.
The fundamental objective of cupping is to stimulate blood and Qi (life force energy). Cupping therapy causes an infusion of fresh blood loaded with oxygen and nutrients. Together they help jump-start the healing process. Further, freely flowing blood acts as a conveyor belt sweeping away toxins and other debris, which may be prohibiting healing.
This holistic method is done on specific points or areas of the body to loosen muscles, stimulate nerves and increase blood flow. The result is a refreshing of the entire body.
What To Expect During A Cupping Session
With the patient lying comfortably, the cup is set on the skin with its wide, open-end set downwards. Cupping therapy is applied to a variety of areas on the body.
For the most part, cupping therapy, when performed for the first time, will leave a reddish ring on the skin. This is a result of the edge of the cup at the treatment site. The reddish ring healing time varies based upon the length of the treatment and strength of the pressure created by the vacuum.
Practitioners typically start with cups with minimal pressure (i.e. empty, light or medium strength suction). They then gradually increase the suction strength over time. A cupping ring typically fades away in about ten days.
While the cupping point remains tender, it is a good idea to gently apply clean massage oil to the area.
Although many people go to a trained practitioner to receive professional cupping therapy, you can also buy a “do it yourself” kit online and practice on yourself or with a friend.
Since cupping is not considered dangerous, there’s no harm in trying it out for yourself.
Typical Results Of Cupping
Increased Relaxation
Cupping is a chosen technique because of its effective treatment against discomfort and pain. Cupping therapy mimics the effects of a deep tissue massage only it uses a reverse pressure technique. When the muscles become relaxed, the patient’s blood flow improves and this ultimately leaves the patient free of anxiety or stress.
Factions of cupping therapy patients find that cupping therapy is more effective at mitigating pain than the use of analgesics.
Increased Rate of Healing from Injuries
When injured, your body responds by flooding the area with additional blood to encourage healing to the damaged areas. The result is inflammation and pain.
More modern healing modalities encourage methods to reduce the swelling as quickly as possible. This, essentially, causes the healing process to end prematurely. Cupping is actually drawing blood to the injured areas, so fresh blood can return to restart the healing process.
Encouraging, rather than inhibiting, the healing process is the fundamental reason athletes choose cupping therapy after an injury. Nutrients arrive, via a fresh blood supply and begin to heal the injury and remove toxic substances impeding the healing process. Cupping is effective at treating carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fasciitis among other musculoskeletal problems.
Better Digestion
When cupping therapy is place upon the abdomen, the tissue relaxes which ultimately allows for better movement within the digestive system.
Diarrhea, fluid retention, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, flatulence and even chronic stomach pain respond well to cupping therapy techniques. Gastric maladies that can be directly linked to anxiety are often well treated with cupping therapy.
Relief of Respiratory Issues
Cupping therapy is a highly effective healing modality when one is experiencing a variety of respiratory issues. These include a cough, the flu, the common cold, phlegm, and even pulmonary tuberculosis.
Suction applied to the chest, promotes the draining of lymph fluid and an infusion of a fresh blood supply. As a result, cupping therapy is effective in helping to heal chest infections, seasonal allergies as well as asthma.
Detoxification
The body, especially those living in so-called modern times, accumulates toxins, which are the root cause of various illnesses and ailments. This toxic buildup also makes the human body more susceptible to countless infections. Cupping therapy is a great healing technique to encourage the removal of metabolic waste, dead skin cells and other toxins through the lymphatic system which eliminates them through natural processes.
Cupping is often used in tandem with drinking plenty of water to help flush the process.
Moxibustion
The terms Moxibustion (Moxa) can be traced back as a derivative of the Japanese phrase “Moe Kusa”; which literally means burning herb.
Moxibustion dates back to 500 BC. Ancient practitioners were of the belief that the herb Moxa was able to rebalance the body’s energies by filling in deficiencies and removing excesses.
Moxibustion is a heat therapy technique where Moxa, a spongy, soft, leafy herb (typically Mugwort, but other substances are used as well) is burned near the skin or within acupressure cups. The heat created spreads warmth to the treatment areas and meridian points. This heat stimulates the flow of life force energy and warms the area to help the body eliminate pathogenic products. Essentially, Moxibustion promotes healing in various ways.
In cupping therapy, moxa is the substance burned to create heat with the cup, and ultimately, the vacuum that caused the pressurized suction. Moxibustion as well as Cupping can be effective alone or in combination with one another.
Cupping therapy is safe and simple. It effectively treats many ailments and illnesses. Its primary side effect is a mild bruising which naturally dissipates after about a week or so.
