Cupping is a widely-popular practice that works as an excellent detoxing treatment for relieving tension in muscles and stimulating blood movement under the skin.
This technique, known as “fire-cupping”, consists of small glass cups sliding along oiled skin with suction from briefly inserting fire into the cup before applying it to the skin.
The oxygen gets used up by the flame creating a vacuum. The suction created by the cups provides extensive therapeutic value for ailments such as chronic back pain, menstrual disorders, arthritis and digestive discomfort.
Basically, the cups are gently lifting stagnant blood to the surface of the skin. In Chinese medicine, stagnate blood is problematic and commonly occurs after an injury, prolonged stress, or overuse.
The stagnate blood creates a traffic jam in the blood system, which is responsible for sending immune cells to the area to repair the damage.