06/15/2025
🌀 Cupping: Much More Than a Technique — A Powerful Therapeutic Resource
When we talk about cupping therapy, many immediately picture round marks on the skin. But cupping is far more than a trend or a manual technique — it is a therapeutic system grounded in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and increasingly validated by modern science.
🔬 Why is it effective?
Cupping works through several biological mechanisms:
✅ Neurovascular stimulation: It promotes vasodilation and increases local blood flow, improving the delivery of oxygen and nutrients while helping clear inflammatory mediators.
✅ Immune modulation: Cupping stimulates the immune system, triggering both local and systemic anti-inflammatory responses, including increased cytokine regulation.
✅ Fascial release and myofascial decompression: Unlike massage (compression), cupping lifts and separates tissues, helping relieve tension and improve range of motion.
✅ Biochemical regulation: It activates heat shock proteins (HSPs) and nitric oxide (NO), key in cellular repair and regeneration.
📚 Scientific Backing
A systematic review published in PLOS ONE (2015) concluded:
“Cupping therapy significantly reduced pain in chronic neck and lower back pain, osteoarthritis, and migraines, with measurable improvements in quality of life.”
— Kim JI et al., Cupping for treating pain: A systematic review. PLOS ONE. 2015; 10(11):e0144176.
Another study in the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine (2020) found:
“Wet and dry cupping therapy can reduce inflammatory markers such as IL-6 and CRP, showing its anti-inflammatory potential.”
— Tagil SM et al., The effects of cupping therapy on inflammatory biomarkers.
✨ In Chinese medicine, cupping is not used randomly. It is applied according to energy pathways (meridians), patterns of stagnation, and organ imbalances — turning it into a personalized, diagnostic-informed intervention, not just a technique.
Dr Maria Laura Rainer OMD, LAC
Doctor in Chinese Medicine
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