What is cupping therapy? The marks, claims and evidence

The difference is whether the skin is broken. NCCIH draws the line plainly: in wet cupping, the skin is pierced and blood flows into the cup; dry cupping does not involve piercing the skin.

That changes the risk. Dry cupping leaves a mark like a bruise. Wet cupping opens the skin and draws blood on purpose, so the concern moves from discoloration to an open wound. If a practitioner can't tell you plainly which form they use, ask before anything else happens.

Suction inside the cup breaks tiny blood vessels just under the skin, and blood leaks into the tissue around them. The result is a flat, round patch of red, purple or nearly black discoloration that follows the rim of the cup. The marks come from negative pressure rather than a blow, and they are not toxins being drawn out of the body, whatever a brochure says.

Yes. NCCIH advises explaining the marks to your health care providers so they aren't mistaken for signs of physical abuse. A clinician who sees symmetrical round marks on a back with no context has reason to ask questions, and mentioning the cupping first saves everyone the detour.

Nobody has shown it either way. NCCIH's cupping fact sheet lists no conditions the practice treats and cites no trials showing it works; almost all of it covers how cupping is done and what can go wrong.

Acupuncture, from the same tradition, has had far more study, and NCCIH's page on traditional Chinese medicine reports results in both directions. Some trials find real and sham acupuncture equally effective, which points to a placebo effect. Other studies suggest real acupuncture may help several kinds of often-chronic pain and headache. Our guide to complementary approaches to chronic pain covers that evidence in detail.

NCCIH also names 2 effects acupuncture studies point to: it stimulates the release of the body's natural painkillers, and it affects brain areas involved in processing pain. That is a testable mechanism with research behind it. The fact sheet offers no comparable finding for the idea that cupping helps by drawing blood to the surface.

So the fair reading is that the evidence needed to say cupping works, or that it doesn't, is largely missing. The relief people feel after a session may owe a good deal to expectation, attention and the comfort of lying still while someone works on your back.

Cupping carries documented risks. NCCIH lists 5 side effects: persistent skin discoloration, scars, burns, infections, and flares of eczema or psoriasis. Burns trace back to the fire method, where an open flame is used close to the skin. Lasting discoloration and scarring are on the list too, so the marks are not always harmless and brief.

NCCIH also flags 2 rare but severe events. Bleeding inside the skull has been reported after cupping on the scalp, and anemia from blood loss after repeated wet cupping. Both are uncommon, and both are tied to the more aggressive forms of the practice.

Infection risk comes from the equipment. Cups can pick up blood, on purpose in wet cupping and by accident in dry cupping, and NCCIH warns that using the same equipment on more than one person without sterilizing it between clients can spread bloodborne diseases, naming hepatitis B and C.

No. Cupping usually comes wrapped in traditional Chinese medicine, which NCCIH describes as a system that has evolved over thousands of years and uses approaches such as acupuncture and tai chi, along with herbal products, to address health problems. Long use shows that a practice has lasted. Practices from this one tradition have fared very differently under modern testing, which is the clearest sign that age settles nothing on its own.

Tai chi does reasonably well: NCCIH points to research suggesting it may improve balance and stability in older people and those with Parkinson's disease, reduce pain from knee osteoarthritis, and help people cope with fibromyalgia and back pain. Acupuncture sits in the mixed middle described above. Chinese herbal products have been studied for 4 problem areas (stroke, heart disease, mental disorders, and respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and the common cold), but because many studies have been of poor quality, no firm conclusions can be made. Cupping has no proven uses listed at all.

Tradition is no guarantee of safety either. NCCIH reports Chinese herbal products found to contain undeclared drugs such as the blood thinner warfarin, 3 heavy metals (arsenic, lead and cadmium), or the wrong herbs, some of which have caused organ damage. Our tui na and acupressure guide covers those products in more depth.

Training matters as well. For acupuncture, NCCIH says complications have come from nonsterile needles and improper delivery, and names 4: infections, punctured organs, collapsed lungs, and injury to the central nervous system. Most U.S. states require acupuncturists to hold certification from the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. NCCIH names no equivalent credential for cupping, which leaves more of the checking to you.

At Wellness Massage Spa, cupping is a $30 add-on to a massage rather than a session of its own. To add it, call (352) 339-6646 or ask at the studio. The body massage menu covers Deep Tissue, Swedish, Relaxation, Sports and Reflexology, and a 60 minute session of any of them is $80. We are at 5750 SW 75th Ct Ste 20, Gainesville, FL 32608, open every day from 9:30 AM to 10 PM.

Before your first session, run through the checklist below with your therapist. If you take medication, are pregnant, have a skin condition, or bruise or bleed easily, check with your own clinician first. NCCIH's broader rule for traditional Chinese medicine applies here in full: don't let cupping replace or delay conventional care for a real condition.