Cupping
Q: What is cupping therapy?
A: Cupping is an ancient form of traditional Chinese medicine that’s recently become much more popular across the Western world. Though heavily linked to Chinese medicine, it is also commonly practiced in Japan and Korea. Cupping therapy can temporarily increase blood flow, flush excess fluids and toxins, and activate lymphatic drainage. It was traditionally used to treat an extremely wide variety of treatments, but more recently its applications have been narrowed to a set of health problems for which it is thought to be particularly effective. Cupping is now widely used to treat muscular pains and digestive problems, to lessen the appearance of cellulite, and to help with weight management.
Q: What is cupping massage therapy/massage cupping?
A: As cupping changed over the centuries and eventually modernized, new materials opened the way to new techniques. Cupping massage is especially closely associated to silicone cups, which made it easier to slide therapeutic cups across the skin. This motion is particularly useful for muscular pains and skin issues, though it has a wide range of applications. Usually done using massage gels and balms, it can be surprisingly relaxing, and commonly makes the patient feel as though the tension has quite literally been sucked out of their bodies.
Q: What are Natural Balance Cups?
A: Natural Balance Cups are made from high quality food grade silicone, which makes them safe, durable, lightweight and easy to use. These silicone cups come in different sizes, colors and shapes, to make them suitable for work with different parts of body and for different treatments. These cups can be used for stationary cupping, cupping massage and flash cupping treatments. Silicone and plastic cups have become the predominant types of cups available on the market, replacing the traditional models made of glass – and, in ancient times, even from clay and bamboo. Compared to plastic, silicone cups are softer and more flexible, making them generally more durable and gentler on the skin.
Q: Who can use the Natural Balance Cups?
A: From a Western medicine standpoint, virtually anyone can use Natural Balance cups without experiencing any side-effects; only people with extremely sensitive skin or with pronounced skin conditions should avoid them. Generally, these cups shouldn’t be used on the face unless they are designed to do so, because cups designed for the body may leave marks.
From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, however, cupping operates by reducing and draining certain energies in the body. Therefore, we do not recommend patients with following health conditions to use cupping as part of their treatment: very young children and the elderly, pregnant women, and people experiencing high fever and/or convulsions, hernias, cardiomyopathy, hemophilia and leukemia, hepato-cirrhosis, generalized edema, skin ulcers, contagious skin diseases, tumors and cancer, bad blood coagulation, pace makers, tuberculosis. If in doubt about cupping’s suitability for your situation, consult both a medical doctor and a Chinese medicine practitioner to ensure that it will be safe and beneficial.
Q: How can I use Natural Balance cups?
A: If you want to use cupping for specific ailments, it is usually best to consult a practitioner; however, for conditions such as cellulite and muscular pains, no training is necessarily required. While traditional Chinese medicine practitioners will choose specific points on the body based on an ancient system of knowledge, to treat muscular tensions and cellulite, you can apply the cups directly on the affected area. Here is a list of basic instructions for some popular types of treatment.
Stationary cupping:
Squeeze the cup and place on the area of the body that you wish to treat, and leave the cup for 10-15 minutes. Adjust the degree of suction as needed, and remove if the cup becomes uncomfortable, or if swelling or pronounced redness occurs.
Massage Cupping:
· Apply massage oils on the area(s)where you want to reduce muscular pain, hide cellulite or stimulate blood and energy.
· Squeeze cups and place on the area(s).
· Lift the cup gently to create tension, and glide the cup across the treatment area, moving from the furthest area towards the heart.
· Massage the area for 10-15 minutes
· Clean the cup.
FlashCupping:
· Squeeze the cup and place over the area(s) where you want to reduce muscular pain, hide cellulite or stimulate blood and energy.
· Remove the cup after a few seconds, then place on another area.
· Repeat the above 2 steps several times.
Clean the cups. Combine flash cupping and cupping massage for better results! We have more detailed instructions for different conditions on our blog.
Massage cupping: https://www.lierre.ca/blogs/featured/therapeutic-cupping-massage-what-you-need-to-know
Facial Cupping: https://www.lierre.ca/blogs/cupping-supplies/facial-massage-cupping
Cupping for Kids: https://www.lierre.ca/blogs/featured/cupping-therapy-for-kids
Q: Do Natural Balance Cups have side effects?
A: Our Natural Balance Cups are extremely safe, and shouldn’t have any side-effects barring a serious pre-existing medical condition.However, stationary cupping treatment can sometimes leave red marks. These marks look like round shaped bruises, but these marks are not painful at all and gradually fade within few days. If you want to avoid these marks, lower the level of suction.
Q: When can I observe the results? What are cupping’s benefits?
A: Though cupping will have an immediate short term effect, its long-term beneficial effects will take longer to develop:your blood circulation should increase almost immediately, for example, but to really have an effect on a condition such as cellulite, you will need to follow cupping treatments regularly for weeks or even months. Consistent use will release muscular tension, smooth the skin, and improve circulation long term.
Q: How do I clean the Natural Balance Cups?
A: Because Natural Balance Cups are made of food quality silicone, we suggest you to avoid acidity detergent and cleansers with particles, and instead use soapy water or liquid soap to wash the cups, and then rinse them with water.
Q: How long will Natural Balance Cups last?
A: Natural Balance Cups are made with high quality silicone, and should last decades of regular use if properly kept up.The color may change a little bit if you regularly use them with colourful massage oils, and they may become cloudy, but neither of these changes should affect the cups’ usability.The cups cannot be broken by dropping them, and they are made to withstand substantial pressure and retain their shape. In order to ensure that the Natural Balance Cups last you the maximal amount of time, avoid exposure high temperatures and fire.