10/07/2019
Every cupping mark tells a story - and
in the Modern Cupping Therapy workshop in Lyon in May this year, I happened to pass-by one table where some hip therapy was going on. I noticed these marks and enquired to Vivianne: “What have you suffered in the past?”... because marks like these in the pic just don’t emerge without precedents. Here’s what she said:
“I was born with what you call a sacrum acutum. Due to heavy and intense physical training over many years as a professional dancer and the constitutional position of my sacrum I suffered chronic back & hip pain, herniated discs and severe arthrosis in the facet joints between L3 and S1 and leg paralysis. I could often only lay down or stand and no other movement. My saving grace came about in 2012, when I had 54 tiny gold implants surgically inserted throughout my lumbar spine’.
While she has been pain free since 2012 - as frequently occurs - the residual blockages caused by the original complaint have stayed fixed in the body. Blockage is always by nature and definition is ... insistent - until successfully drawn out - and nothing does it better than cupping.
• Diagnosis of the these marks: mottled with undefined splotches of dark purple indicating long term blood stagnation interspersed with pale margins indicating qi deficiency: resulting in coldness and an inability to move the blood. The blackish colouration, showing close-by the greater trochanter, if pressed would no doubt be painful because long-term fixed blood stagnation is always a nasty and prolonged discomfort.
These marks show residual and ongoing blockage factors of the former trauma and distress that have been held within the body until now finally released by the cups and brought to the surface to be resolved.
I contacted Vivianne to see how she is now a couple of days ago. She kindly wrote back saying, “The cupping work we did was great, and we kept on practicing it with Corinne, Colline and Antoine (who where all there for the cupping) regularly.
I now feel more lightness in this area, more comfort and ease in the whole pelvis.
I’m very happy about the different things and techniques I learned with you and started applying them in my practice…”
Merci Vivianne, for me (and us now) knowing that following the operation placing the gold inserts that got rid of the essential pain, post treatment with cups has also been very beneficial for added health and recovery.
Am so glad to hear my students have formed a practice group and for Vivianne that’s meant valuable ongoing treatment.
• If you’d like to learn both Traditional & Modern Cupping (and Gua Sha) with me, then please go to:
www.healthtraditions.com.au
for info about upcoming dates in Canada & Australia.
• For a deep analysis of Cupping Marks read my:
https://www.healthtraditions.com.au/essays/a-cupping-mark-is-not-a-bruise.html
In Portuguese:
https://www.healthtraditions.com.au/essays/a_cupping_mark_is_not_a_bruise_portuguese.pdf
In Italian:
https://www.healthtraditions.com.au/essays/a_cupping_mark_is_not_a_bruise_italiano.pdf
• And here’s a graphic cupping mark fb post from a while back:
https://www.facebook.com/413260612084347/posts/2158853304191727/
