Cupping massage can provide a solution when you’re dealing with muscle aches, decreased flexibility, or the pains of exercise recovery. This ancient healing technique offers a multitude of benefits, and it is slowly growing in popularity among celebrities and Olympic athletes alike. But what is cupping and how can it help you once you know what to expect? This blog post will help you understand the ins and outs of this therapeutic procedure.
What is Cupping?
Cupping massage refers to the technique of using a set of specialized suction cups to create a vacuum force on the skin. If you have seen people walking around with rows of red circles along their backs, you’ve seen people who have sought the benefits of cupping. This therapeutic solution has been around since as far back as 5,500 years ago, seeing use in ancient Egypt, Greece, Macedonia, and many other diverse cultures.
How Cupping Can Help You
Though cupping therapy primarily seeks to relieve muscle soreness, numerous other benefits will contribute to your relaxation and well-being. Here is the range of beneficial effects you can find with a cupping therapy session.
Improves Circulation
The primary benefit of cupping therapy involves increased blood circulation. Suction from cupping breaks open capillaries under the skin. When that happens, your body delivers fresh blood to the area, stimulating healing at a cellular level.
Reduces Scars and Stretch Marks
Cupping creates enough suction to break up scar tissue while flushing excess fluid and stimulating increased blood flow to the area. By improving circulation, this therapeutic technique can contribute to a reduction in the appearance of scars and stretch marks.
Clears up Respiratory Congestion
By placing the cups on your back or chest near your lungs, a treatment provider can help circulate oxygen-rich blood to your respiratory muscles. The suction breaks up congestion caused by mucus or fluids to allow you to breathe more easily.
In some cases, a practitioner will move the cups up and down to stimulate lymph fluid movement. In addition, facial cupping can also help open up your respiratory system. By placing the cups around the nasal passages, the suction can help dislodge mucus and debris to relieve sinus pressure.
Reduces Varicose and Spider Veins
When there is a blockage in your veins preventing adequate blood flow back to your heart, varicose veins can form. Blood becomes trapped, causing the veins to bulge under the skin in a condition that can become painful or even debilitating.
Cupping promotes the flow of fresh blood and oxygen to these problem areas. Varicose veins can appear lighter after as little as one cupping session. A complete turnaround can occur after several cupping sessions.
Assists Digestion and Helps Prevent Colon Blockage
Cupping improves blood flow to multiple areas of the body, including the digestive tract. By placing the cups over the abdomen, a practitioner can stimulate the contractions that push food through the digestive tract, known as peristalsis. Increased contractions of the digestive muscles help clear and prevent colon blockage. They can also encourage blood and essential fluids to circulate through your organs, relieving indigestion and improving gut health.
Helps Relieve Anxiety
A cupping session that involves moving the cups across the skin can activate the parasympathetic nervous system. The benefits of this activation include slowed heart rate, increased intestinal activity, and vasodilation, leading to a more relaxed state. Cupping combined with professional bodywork and deep relaxation techniques heightens these improvements, relieving the effects of anxiety.
Promotes the Removal of Toxins
Over time, modern lifestyles can lead to the buildup of toxins in the body due to stress, diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors. The increased blood flow that cupping promotes directly influences toxin removal through the lymphatic system, flushing toxins out of your system.
Final Words About Cupping Massage
As you can see, cupping massage has numerous benefits beyond relieving muscle soreness. It can help improve your health in ways that include anxiety relief, increased blood circulation, and detoxification.
To get the best possible results, you should consult a qualified therapeutic professional. At Naturally Zuri Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, our trained and certified therapists are here to help. So, please consider one of our packages to find a treatment that works for you, and book a session with us.
