Cupping Therapy Tokyo

[Fidel Genereux]

Cuppingis a form of therapy widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It consists of creating a local suction on the skin using either heat (fire) or mechanical devices (hand or electrical pumps). It is believed this method draws out toxins, mobilizes blood flow, soothes muscle pain and, in some cases, helps cure insomnia.

At the Rio Olympic Games, American swimmer Michael Phelps caught everybody's attention not only for his remarkable achievements but also for some dark purple circles on his shoulders and back. They were the result of having undergone the cupping technique to relax his muscles before entering the races.googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); );

The Ebers Papyrus, written sometime around 1550 B.C., considered one of the oldest medical textbooks in the Western world, describes how the Egyptians used cupping to help cure some frequent medical issues and how it was also used by Saharan peoples. Hippocrates, the famous Greek physician, used this technique around 400 B.C. to treat internal disease and some structural problems.

The marks come from a process known as cupping, an ancient therapy that has roots in Middle Eastern and Asian cultures. The practice claims to have myriad benefits, such as increasing blood circulation, relieving muscle tension and promoting cell repair, however scientific evidence of its benefits is slim.

The origins of cupping are unclear. Wet cupping has been used in traditional Iranian medicine throughout history, with the belief that it may improve the appearance of scar tissue, and both wet and dry cupping has been performed in China since the 1950s.

However, its roots appear to be much older. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, who practised around 400 BC, used cupping to treat internal disease; while Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad strongly recommended wet cupping.

One separate study, published in the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine in 2019, suggested that damage to the skin and capillary vessels from cupping may stimulate a process in the body that inhibits pain.

While the NHS does not list cupping as a treatment on its website, the treatment is legal in the UK and can be carried out by practitioners certified by the General Regulatory Council for Complementary Therapies.

Egyptian, Chinese and Middle Eastern cultures have practiced cupping physical therapy for thousands of years, but it has only gained popularity and notoriety in the United States over the past 20 years, thanks to celebrities and athletes showing off their cupping marks.1

Cupping is a therapeutic process using a glass, ceramic, bamboo or plastic cup to create suction on the skin. Typically, the practitioner applies a flame to the inside of the cup to remove oxygen before placing the cup on the skin, creating negative pressure that draws the skin into the cup.4

Some cups feature a suction device, so heating the cup is not necessary.4 Cupping increases blood circulation in target areas where the cups are placed, relieving muscle tension and promoting cell repair.

It turns out that cupping has been a staple of traditional Chinese medicine and is popular in ancient Egypt, Greece and Islamic culture.2 Records show that ancient Egyptians practiced cupping physical therapy as early as 1500 B.C. to treat menstrual imbalances, vertigo and fever.

The Chinese attribute cupping to Ge Hong, a famous alchemist during the Jin dynasty.5 Ancient Greek doctors prescribed cupping physical therapy for headaches, lack of appetite, maldigestion, fainting, abscess evacuation, narcolepsy and other ailments.6

There are two main types of cupping physical therapy: wet and dry. The practice of wet cupping involves lightly piercing the skin with a needle, allowing blood to flow into the cup. Dry cupping does not incorporate the skin piercings; thus, the skin remains dry.7

Once the fire extinguishes itself, the practitioner quickly places the cup upside down on the area needing treatment. This creates a vacuum as the air inside the cup cools and raises the skin within the cup opening.

In wet cupping or hijama, the practitioner places the cups on the skin before making any needle piercings or cuts. After several minutes of suction, they remove the cup and administer small cuts to the raised skin to release blood and toxins.9

Following cupping therapy treatment, the notorious circular marks caused by the bursting of capillaries may appear on your skin. These bruise-like discolorations do not hurt and typically heal on their own within 7 to 10 days.2

Infrequent side effects may include skin infection, burns, scar formation, nausea, anemia, headaches and dizziness. Many of these potential risks are preventable, and researchers generally consider cupping therapy to be a safe practice.11

Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps is one of the most renowned athletes to wear cupping marks in competition, sparking worldwide interest at the 2016 Games in Rio. His record-breaking swims made him the winningest Olympian, with 23 gold medals.17 His trainer told ESPN in 2016 that he had been using the treatment on Phelps since 2014.18

Cupping was still visible at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, even though Phelps did not compete. Swimmers Adam Peaty of Great Britain, Akira Namba of Japan and Kyle Chalmers of Australia were all seen sporting recognizable circles during the competition.19, 20

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A 51-year-old healthy Japanese man presented with a 1-year history of a subcutaneous asymptomatic tumour, 65 cm in size and gradually increasing, on the posterior neck. The patient had undergone cupping therapy on the shoulder and neck for alleviating stiffness once a week for 20 years. On physical examination an elastic, hard, immobile mass with no tenderness or redness was palpable on the posterior neck (Fig. 1A) and a rounded purpura was observed on the shoulder, possibly caused by the cupping therapy. Laboratory test results including blood count, biochemistry and coagulation were within normal limits. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a well-circumscribed, rounded solid mass, with homogeneous intermediate signal intensity (isointense to muscle) on T1-weighted images (T1-WI) (Fig. 1B) and inhomogeneous mild high signal intensity involving sporadic scattered low signal intensity areas inside on T2-weighted images (T2-WI) (Fig. 1C) and short T1 inversion recovery (STIR) (Fig. 1D).

Fig. 3. (A) The centre of the tumour consisted of relatively dense fibroblast cells, loose collagen fibres, and abundant myxoid areas, which could correspond with a high signal intensity area on T2-weighted image (yellow arrow). (B) The peripheral area inside the tumour consisted of hypocellular component with dense collagen fibres corresponding with a low signal intensity area on T2-weighted image (white arrow).

Cupping therapy is a form of pseudoscience in which a local suction is created on the skin with the application of heated cups. As alternative medicine it is practiced primarily in Asia but also in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.[1][2] Cupping has been characterized as a pseudoscience and its practice as quackery.[3][4]

Cupping practitioners attempt to use cupping therapy for a wide array of medical conditions including fevers, chronic low back pain, poor appetite, indigestion, high blood pressure, acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, anemia, stroke rehabilitation, nasal congestion, infertility, and menstrual period cramping.[1][2]

Despite the numerous ailments for which practitioners claim cupping therapy is useful, there is insufficient evidence it has any health benefits, and there are some risks of harm, especially from wet cupping and fire cupping.[1] Bruising and skin discoloration are among the adverse effects of cupping and are sometimes mistaken for child abuse.[2] In rare instances, the presence of these marks on children has led to legal action against parents who had their children receive cupping therapy.[2]

The American Cancer Society notes that "available scientific evidence does not support claims that cupping has any health benefits" and also that the treatment carries a small risk of burns.[5] A review of literature in 2011 determined that "the effectiveness of cupping is currently not well-documented for most conditions", and that systematic reviews showing efficacy for the treatment of pain "were based mostly on poor quality primary studies."[6] This was further supported by a review in 2014 which demonstrated that previous evidence supporting cupping has resulted from "unreasonable design and poor research quality".[7] There is a lack of evidence to support the use of cupping therapy for acne.[8] Additionally, cupping is often practiced along with other acupuncture therapies[2][9] and therefore cannot exclusively account for resultant positive benefits. Many reviews suggest that there is insufficient scientific evidence to support the use of cupping techniques to combat relevant diseases and chronic pain.[10] Cupping has been characterized as quackery.[4]

As a pseudoscientific detoxification ritual, proponents of cupping falsely claim that it can remove unspecified toxins from the body.[12][13] Proponents also falsely claim that cupping "improves blood flow" to help sore muscles.[14] James Hamblin notes that a bruise caused by cupping "is a blood clot, though, and clotted blood is definitionally not flowing."[15]

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