Stephanie Watt and Charlie Craddock administer “dry-cupping”, which entails suctioning the cup onto your dry skin, therefore inducing fresh blood flow and separating fascial layers.
Many Taoists believe that cupping helps balance yin and yang, or the negative and positive, within the body. Restoring balance between these two extremes is thought to help with the body’s resistance to pathogens as well as its ability to increase blood flow and reduce pain.
What disorders can cupping therapy help with?
Cupping can assist in reducing discomfort associated with:
- Muscle Tension
- Back Pain
- Shoulder Pain
- Hamstring/Thigh Pain
- Calf/Achilles Pain
- Tension Headaches
- Postural Issues
- Hip/Buttock/Groin Pain
If you would like to know whether your issue would benefit from Cupping, then please get in touch and we will be able to assist you further.
What type of cupping is used at Watt Health?
Dry Cupping is used here at Watt Health. This means the practitioner does NOT release the blood that has risen to the surface with a small incision after the cups are removed. Cupping was originally performed using animal horns. Later, the “cups” were made from bamboo and then ceramic. The suction was primarily created through the use of heat. The cups were originally heated with fire and then applied to the skin. As they cooled, the cups drew the skin inside.
Modern cupping is often performed using glass cups that are rounded like balls and open on one end. The cup is then suctioned to the skin to stimulate new blood flow to rush to the area.
Your practitioner, your medical condition, and your preferences will help determine what method is used.
What should I expect from my cupping treatment?
During a cupping treatment, a cup is placed on the skin and then heated or suctioned onto the skin.
When the cup is placed on your skin, the air inside the cup creates a vacuum that draws the skin and muscle upward into the cup. Your skin may turn red as the blood vessels respond to the change in pressure.
With dry cupping, the cup is set in place for a set time, usually between 5 and 10 minutes. In this time the practitioner may move the cup around or ask you to move the area in question in certain directions in order to release the muscle further.
After the cups are removed, the practitioner may cover the previously cupped areas with ointment or healing cream. This helps prevent marked bruising. Any mild bruising or other marks usually go away within 10 days of the session.
Cupping is sometimes performed along with acupuncture or dry-needling treatments. For best results, you may also want to fast or eat only light meals for two to three hours before your cupping session.
Also, ensure you drink plenty of water after your session in order to flush out the metabolites that may build up within the lymphatic system.
