Cupping: what it is and how it works
Cupping is part of traditional Chinese medicine and consists of applying glass or latex cups to the skin, corresponding to the acupuncture meridian.
Vacuum is created inside the cup, and applied to the skin. In this way a suction effect is created inside the cup: in this way the cup is better fixed to the skin and operates a superficial suction of the part of the body on which the cup is placed.
The cups can be left fixed an area of the body, or made to slide on the skin.
The vacuum can be created through the use of a cotton swab soaked in alcohol and fire, in this case it has hot cupping, or through appropriate valves that suck the air, acting through cold cupping.
The benefits are related to the movement of Qi, the vital breath that flows throughout the body and allows balance, blood and lymph .
Depending on the areas where the cup is placed, there is a double action : one on the meridian that runs through the area, and then reflected on the organ and on the energy of the associated movement, and the other on the portion of skin and circulation strictly treated.
Cupping against cellulite
Cellulite is an inflammation of adipose tissue and skin, due to a problem of blood and lymphatic circulation.
The skin, poorly nourished and poorly supplied with blood, tends to stagnate fluids and toxins, producing edema, swelling, up to the formation of painful fat masses.
In traditional Chinese medicine, cellulite with edema is an imbalance in the following organs and viscera:
> M ilza, which controls the blood, the transformation and distribution of liquids, as well as the tone of the flesh;
> lung, which controls and distributes Qi, as well as the shape and efficiency of blood vessels ;
> kidneys, due to their general function as governor of liquids and their distribution throughout the body.
Cupping acts on cellulite precisely because of its direct action on these "energies": blood, liquids, and Qi.
The benefits of cupping against cellulite mainly concern a better blood supply to the treated parts : the suction effect has the task of recalling blood and lymph in the area, and then releasing it into the circulation once the cup is removed.
Another effect of cupping is to improve the appearance and tone of the skin .
To perform this practice you can turn to specialized centers, or buy latex cups with small valves that can be used comfortably by themselves at home, to perform a cold cupping, free of risks arising from poor preparation for use.
Cupping against cellulite is however not recommended for those suffering from capillary fragility or sensitization of the skin on which the cups should be placed, in pregnant women, in those suffering from eczema or high blood pressure.
