What is the difference between cupping and scraping?

We have two better treatment methods in traditional Chinese medicine, cupping and scraping. Both of them are very beneficial to our body, of course, there are pros and cons. Many people will choose one of these two methods for physical therapy when they feel unwell. For us, the similarity between the two is that they are both health-care physical therapy methods, but we don’t know the details. Which method should we choose when we feel unwell? Let’s take a look at the difference between cupping and scraping.

Gua Sha is a method of treating diseases by repeatedly scraping and rubbing a certain part of the patient's skin with a scraping board dipped in scraping oil. The principle of scraping: It is based on the twelve meridians and eight extraordinary meridians of traditional Chinese medicine, and follows the principle of "treating the symptoms in an emergency". It uses techniques to strongly stimulate the meridians, causing the local skin to become red and congested, thereby playing a role in awakening the mind, rescuing the patient from syncope, detoxifying and eliminating evil, clearing away heat and relieving exterior symptoms, promoting qi and relieving pain, and strengthening the spleen and stomach.

Tools and positions: The scraping board is made of buffalo horn, rectangular in shape, with blunt edges. For scraping the back, the patient should lie prone and for scraping the shoulders, the patient should sit upright. Purple bleeding spots will appear after scraping. Indications: cold, fever, heat stroke, headache, gastrointestinal disease, stiff neck, periarthritis of shoulder, lumbar muscle strain, muscle cramps, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases.

Cupping: Cupping therapy is a method commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat diseases. This therapy can expel cold and dampness, dredge meridians, remove stagnation, promote qi and blood circulation, reduce swelling and relieve pain, remove toxins and reduce heat. It has the function of adjusting the body's yin and yang balance, relieving fatigue, and strengthening the physical fitness, thereby achieving the purpose of strengthening the body and eliminating evil and curing diseases.

Therefore, many diseases can be treated by cupping. There are many kinds of tools used in cupping therapy - cups, including glass jars, ceramic jars, bamboo jars, rubber jars, etc. Even canning bottles at home can be used for cupping. Glass jars, ceramic jars and bamboo jars are commonly used in clinical practice. Rubber jars are more commonly used in households because they are easy to use and can be sucked by hand. No matter whether you know medicine or not, it is very easy to master. Just know where it hurts and pull it out. But it does not use fire, which is an important link, and the effect is worse, so hospitals generally do not use this method.

After reading the above introduction, we can clearly distinguish the difference between cupping and scraping. These are two better physical therapy methods, which are helpful to our body. Of course, these two methods also have requirements for us. Not every disease is suitable for cupping and scraping, and there are contraindications. We must consult relevant Chinese medicine practitioners.