Blindly following cupping therapy will only make things worse

Young people are obsessed with traditional Chinese medicine and blindly "help themselves" but are afraid of harming their health

Nowadays, many young white-collar workers often feel tired, prone to colds, coughs, and decreased immunity due to high work pressure and long-term work in air-conditioned environments. They also come to Chinese medicine clinics. This is mainly due to the gradual enhancement of people's health awareness and the increasing popularization of traditional Chinese medicine knowledge.

Miss Yang, who is less than 30 years old, is not very old, but she has obvious cervical strain. If she works at a desk for a long time, her neck will be stiff. After consulting the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the hospital, the doctor recommended acupuncture therapy to her, supplemented by medicine compresses. After several times, the cervical strain has been significantly improved. She regularly does health exercises according to the health methods of traditional Chinese medicine. I believe that as long as she controls the time spent at the desk and strengthens exercise, she will get better improvement.

Due to their advantages of being non-toxic, convenient and cheap, acupuncture, plasters, cupping and other therapies have been favored by many patients. People regard them as a method of health care and physical therapy, and some people even buy some medicines for plastering.

Cupping also depends on individual constitution

According to regulations, individuals who perform cupping need a medical qualification certificate or an assistant medical qualification certificate, and cupping services should also be provided by medical institutions. However, some institutions such as foot massage parlors and beauty salons are skirting the law in the name of health care and physiotherapy, resulting in a mixed bag of good and bad in the market, and burns caused by cupping occur frequently.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that excessive dampness in the body is a common problem among modern people. Although both are "heavy dampness", due to the different locations of the disease and the different symptoms, it is divided into two categories: external dampness and internal dampness. External dampness is caused by the humid climate in midsummer, or a damp home, wading through water and rain, wearing wet clothes, turning on the air conditioner immediately after bathing, etc. External evil invades the human body, preventing the water in the body from evaporating, and the moisture accumulates and causes illness. It often manifests as rheumatic joint pain, back pain, etc.

Cupping is not suitable for everyone. You must know the small taboos

1. People with skin allergies or skin damage

Cupping may aggravate allergy symptoms. Moreover, you should not pull the needle on skin ulcers, as this may easily cause infection, blisters, and aggravate the ulcers. If there are ulcers on the skin, you must never perform cupping treatment on the damaged area. You should not rush to take a shower after cupping to avoid skin damage and inflammation. For most people, cupping once a week is a more appropriate frequency. During the cupping process, you must also pay attention to the "temperature" and the time should not be too long. If any unexpected situation such as blisters or burns occurs, you should go to the hospital for treatment in time.

2. Pregnant women and women during menstruation

Cupping is not suitable for the abdomen and lumbar sacral area, especially for pregnant women. If pregnant women perform cupping improperly, it may cause threatened abortion, etc. The same principle applies to menstruation. If you pull your lower abdomen or lumbar sacral area during menstruation, it will cause excessive menstruation.

3. People with weak health

Although cupping and scraping to relieve heat are effective quickly and have no side effects, some people are not suitable for this treatment. It is best to use this method with caution if you have heart disease, blood disease, skin disease, skin damage, tuberculosis, osteoporosis, advanced cancer and various infectious diseases, weak constitution, or the elderly. What’s more important is that when doing cupping and scraping, you must not face the air outlet of the air conditioner or fan to prevent the invasion of wind evil.

4. After a meal and a drink

Blood flows to the liver for metabolic work. When cupping is performed at this time, Qi and blood are forcibly directed to the cupping area, causing the heart to beat a few more times to speed up blood supply, which can easily cause dizziness, nausea and other discomforts.

5. Repeated pulling at the same location

Many patients often repeatedly cupping the same area after they become ill, which can cause damage to the skin, such as redness, swelling and breakage. When cupping, you can use cupping at multiple locations to increase the therapeutic effect. In addition, do not cupping at the same place until the bruise from the previous cupping treatment disappears.

6. Take a bath after cupping

Many people like to take a bath after cupping, thinking that it is very comfortable. In fact, this is very incorrect. Because taking a bath at this time can easily cause skin ulcers and inflammation. Especially when taking a cold shower, it is easy to catch a cold because the pores of the skin are open at this time. The correct time to take a bath is 1 to 2 hours after cupping. Keep warm after cupping, and the temperature of the bath water should be slightly higher.

Traditional Chinese medicine rehabilitation takes effect quickly, get rid of misunderstandings and stay healthy

1. Forcing out the cold by scraping and cupping yourself may lead to burns and infections.

Many people overuse air conditioning in the hot summer, and are keen on using cupping, scraping and other methods to remove the cold from their bodies and maintain their health. Some people do it themselves at home, which often results in blister infection, skin burns, etc. Someone once bought a set of scraping and cupping tools online and tried to do it at home to force out the cold. Due to improper operation, skin ulcers and pus discharge occurred.

Doctors say that cupping, scraping and other methods are simple, safe and effective, but there may be some problems in mastering the adaptability when performing them by yourself. Cupping or scraping is not suitable for everyone. It is best to follow the doctor's advice before making a decision.

2. Misunderstanding that “the darker the color, the better” and “the bigger the bubble, the better”

Some citizens believe that the darker the color left after scraping, the better the effect and the more cold air scraped out. Director Li Jing said that although the angle and strength of the scraping board may not be completely consistent, scraping works by stimulating the acupuncture points and meridians of the human body, but the depth of color cannot be used to judge the disease, and it cannot be used to determine whether scraping is needed, or the severity of the scraping. Gua Sha is effective for people who often suffer from respiratory diseases such as colds, but the intensity of the scraping needs to be strictly controlled.

Cupping uses physical stimulation and negative pressure to artificially cause capillary rupture and congestion, mobilize the body's stem cell repair function and the necrotic blood cell absorption function, promote blood circulation, stimulate essence, regulate qi and blood, and achieve the effect of improving and regulating the body's immunity. Cupping will leave cupping marks. Generally, the cupping marks will disappear in about 7 days.

The color after cupping mainly depends on factors such as moisture in the body, duration of cupping, doctor's technique, etc. The colors after cupping include purple-black, red, dark red, etc., which may indicate corresponding diseases. However, they can only be used as a reference and must be judged based on personal symptoms. Usually the color after cupping is darker, indicating that there is a lot of cold and dampness in the body, and that one usually likes to stay cool or has a damp-heat constitution.

3. If you don’t treat it regularly, you expect the “hidden acupuncture” to be effective immediately.

People often believe that acupuncture treatment is most effective when it is performed during the hottest part of summer. Some patients with pain in the waist, legs and joints often say, "Let's wait until summer to get acupuncture!" Don't miss the opportunity for treatment just for the sake of "acupuncture." When the disease first occurs, the symptoms are relatively mild. If they are treated promptly and correctly, most of the time they can have a quick and good therapeutic effect. Do not blindly believe in "hidden acupuncture", which will cause the symptoms to worsen or even deteriorate.

4. Is it more pleasurable the longer the cupping time?

What needs attention is the cupping time. If the force is strong, 5-10 minutes will be enough; if the force is weak, 15-20 minutes will be enough. After the extraction, I feel very comfortable. It can be slightly longer, but it is better not to cause blisters. In terms of frequency, once a week is appropriate. For those with weak constitution, low immunity, or older age, the cupping time should not be too long and the force should not be too strong. Avoid getting cold after cupping, and pay attention to keeping the cupping area warm. Take a warm or hot shower after 4-5 hours, and don't take a cold shower, otherwise the external evil will invade again and the cupping will be ineffective.

5. Is scraping good for treating colds?

Experts say: Gua Sha is generally only used for the early and middle stages of colds. It has the effect of dispelling wind and heat, and dispelling wind and cold. The effect of Gua Sha for late stage colds is much worse. If you don't have a high fever, you can try scraping to cure it, but scraping cannot reduce fever. Once you have a fever, you should go to the hospital immediately. It is not okay to be superstitious about scraping. There are only a few good indications for scraping. We have briefly introduced the diseases that can be treated by scraping above. It is basic common sense that treatment cannot rely on only one method. Although scraping is good, we should not be superstitious.

6. Online shopping for patches is risky and should not be used indiscriminately.

The reporter saw on the online shopping platform that the cupping products in the online store come in two types: ignition and vacuum. A complete set of products can be purchased for as little as RMB 30 or as much as RMB 60. In this regard, the professor reminded that cupping and scraping at home can only be regarded as a health care behavior. Cupping has a certain effect in relieving cold pain such as in the waist and shoulders, but it cannot be used as a therapeutic behavior. After scraping, the dark color of the sha can be seen as a sign that the body is colder and has poor circulation, but the technique of scraping is very particular and it will not produce any therapeutic effect if it is not done properly. Patients should go to a regular hospital with medical qualifications to receive treatment for winter diseases in summer, and should not blindly carry out the treatment at home.

7. Cupping is not effective for some chronic fatigue

Cupping is actually a traditional Chinese medicine method that uses combustion to allow the cup to adhere to the human body and expel any potential evil spirits from the body. Cupping can stimulate the meridians, regulate the functions of internal organs, enhance detoxification, improve blood circulation, relax the meridians, and dispel wind and cold. It is not a panacea, and citizens may have exaggerated the effectiveness of cupping due to misunderstanding. Cupping has no effect on some chronic fatigue and pain. It can only have an auxiliary effect on low back pain, neck and shoulder pain, rheumatic pain, etc., and cannot completely cure the disease.