The origin of cupping therapy remains in obscurity. The earliest recorded use of cupping that is from the famous Taoist alchemist and herbalist, Ge Hong (281–341 A.D.). Cupping therapy was used in Egypt dating back some 3,500 years, where its use is mentioned in hieroglyphics. Native tribes in all parts of the world used hollowed out animal horns to drain toxins out of bites, pustules and skin lesions from the body leading to the reference 'The Horn Treatment'. Bones, bamboo, nut and seashells and gourds were also use by these ancient peoples, and all are still in use today. Earthenware and iron were also used as cupping vessels before the invention of glass.
In ancient Greece, Hippocrates recommended the use of cups for a variety of ailments, while in the earlier 1900's eminent British physician, Sir Arthur Keith, wrote how he witnessed cupping performed with excellent success. Suction Cup Therapies remained a constant in professional medical treatment throughout Europe. It was practiced by such famous physicians as Galen (131-200AD), Paracelsus(1493-1541), Ambroise Pare (1509-90) and surgeon Charles Kennedy (1826).
In China, extensive research has been carried out on cupping, and the practice is a mainstay of government-sponsored hospitals of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The fundamental therapeutic value of cupping has been documented through several thousand years of clinical and subjective experience and has advanced its application to many areas.
Women healers in communities throughout the world practiced of use of cups to heal, passing down their knowledge to their apprentices and as family tradition. Cross cultural studies show that women represented a major source of therapeutic assistance in many societies. Reliable sources hold that cupping in throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia was usually performed by the women in the communities. By the thirteenth century, however, universities including medical studies in their curriculums excluded women. Despite the fact that non-official medicine has been poorly represented, women would have continued to play a major role in health care delivery. Had they been allowed to participate in the higher education arena, their contributions in natural healing modalities, and especially the safe and effective use and continuity of cupping practices, would have been more substantial than by their male counterparts.
By the mid 1800's, the Western Medical Fraternity was established and imposed their newly established scientific model of medicine, defining medicine by making the body transparent, focusing on and treating the inside, in preference to the outside. Because cupping (along with many other healing arts) is a surface treatment, it was inconsistent with this new paradigm, which moved away from hands on personal contact and manipulative therapies of generations past. Although the use of cups has remained popular throughout Europe, Russia, South America, Africa, Australia, the Middle East and Asia, the 20th century has certainly seen it wane in other Anglo-Saxon societies. Even North American Indians utilized Cupping with Buffalo Horn, seashells, gourds, bones etc., but as their culture was decimated and it's people hearded into "reservations", their traditions of health and healing were also destroyed.
One variation of Cupping, when the cups are moved, is referred to as Sliding Cups, Koppingsmassage, Massage Cupping, Vacuum Massage, Sugekopsmassage, Glide Cupping, Cupping Massage, Migrating Cups and Dredging the Channels. For Massage Practitioners, it requires reasonably simple equipment, is time, energy and labor efficient and it achieves outstanding results.
Massage Therapists all over the United States and Canada are learning about this amazingly effective therapy and using it to treat their clients and acheive effects that are cumulative, long lasting, and many therapists report their results as being " miraculous ".
Negative Pressure Massage Cupping is the combination of massage movements and negative pressure with the use of a suction device on the skin. A cup is positioned at the area to be treated and, depending on the type of cups being used; a vacuum is created within the cup to draw the skin and underlying tissue into the cup. The produced vacuum creates a suction effect that increases blood and lymphatic circulation systemically and to the local area, relaxes muscle tissue and support, draws stagnation, pathogenic factors and toxins out of the body and releases a myriad of pain causing factors.
The intended suction can range from light to heavy. This, along with the movements performed and areas treated by the therapist will produce stimulating (toning) or sedating (draining) effects. It is very important that therapists be able to effectively assess the condition (physical, mental and emotional) of their clients, before the procedure, so they employ the proper application of the cups to produce the desired outcome.
Since the techniques use negative pressure, rather than tissue compression, superior bodywork ranging from MFR and deep tissue work to MLD is easily accomplished. The suction of the cups rapidly facilitates rigid soft tissue release by stretching it up from underlying structures, thus loosening areas of adhesion or restriction, activating muscle spindle reflexes that relax contractile tissue and retraining the myofacial structures. Further, it stimulates the nervous system reflex to the cerebral cortex, contributing to an increased rate of recovery from pain and disease.
The effects are remarkable on hypertonicity and aching muscles and activate the secretion of synovial fluids, which release joint stiffness in ways not possible using the pressure of traditional massage. It concurrently creates localized expansion of tissue, producing a profound vasodilatation reaction - drawing blood flow to areas of ischemic pain, raising skin temperature, promoting metabolism within the skin tissue for better functioning of sweat and sebaceous glands, flushing capillary beds, draining stagnant blood, toxins and lymph, and re-supplying vital nutrients.
Its use in beauty therapy is based around promoting hormone production, encouraging blood and the secretion of digestive fluids and increased peristaltic movements in the bowels and internal organs, thus removing harmful toxins that speed up the ageing process and other degenerative conditions. Another effective application of the cupping technique is in the treatment of cellulite. A very light suction provides drainage, while heavier application can be used to stimulate circulation and loosen adhesions or “dimpling.” The thighs and hip region should be cupped prior to a wrapping procedure to enhance the absorption of topical products. Another application of Negative Pressure Massage include an extraordinary face lift and drainage treatment and the addition of new equipment that include negative and positive polarity magnet make Biomagnetic Therapy potentials tremendous.