By John Kunihiro
Cupping Therapy might be trendy now, but it’s not new. It dates back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures. One of the oldest medical textbooks in the world, the Ebers Papyrus, describes how the ancient Egyptians used cupping therapy in 1,550 B.C.

There are different methods of cupping, including:

  • Dry
  • Wet

During both types of cupping, your therapist will put a flammable substance such as alcohol, herbs, or paper in a cup and set it on fire. As the fire goes out, they put the cup upside down on your skin

As the air inside the cup cools, it creates a vacuum. This causes your skin to rise and redden as your blood vessels expand. The cup is generally left in place for up to 3 minutes.

A more modern version of cupping uses a rubber pump instead of fire to create a vacuum inside the cup. Sometimes, therapists use silicone cups to move from place to place on your skin for a massage-like effect.Wet cupping creates a mild suction by leaving a cup in place for about 3 minutes. The therapist removes the cup and uses a small scalpel to make light, tiny cuts on your skin. Next, they do a second suction to draw out a small quantity of blood.You might get 3-5 cups in your first session. Or you might try one to see how it goes. It’s rare to get more than 5-7 cups, the British Cupping.

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