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A Cup Of Good Health? - TOI

 A Cup Of Good Health - TOI

Cupping Therapy Gets Olympic Attention, But Chennai Doctors Have A Word Of Caution

At the Rio Olympics, when Michael Phelps literally rose head and shoulders above his competitors, what struck viewers was not just his prowess, but the purple bruises that covered his shoulders and back. The much celebrated swimmer had brought cupping, which has its origins in traditional Chinese medicine and the unani system, under the Olympic spotlight, but the therapy has long had its fans in the city.

 Advocate H C Manoharan, for instance, was willing to give the alternative therapy a shot after battling chronic back pain for years. “I couldn't walk properly or even stand for more than five minutes. And none of the doctors I met over the years were able to offer relief,“ says Manoharan, who went to a clinic in Koyambedu, which offered cupping therapy in Chennai, about nine months ago. “Though I still have problem when I have to stand for long, my back is better and I am able to climb stairs,“ he says.

In cupping therapy, small cups, usually made of glass, are placed on the body part that needs healing. Though there are various types including dry , wet, and massage cupping, the technique is similar. Usually cotton, dipped in spirit, is lit in the glass cup. Since the flame burns away the oxygen in the cup, it creates a vacuum and a suction effect, which sticks the cup to the body . The cups are pulled away after a few minutes, leaving behind reddish purple bruises that fade with time.

Earlier, Hollywood celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston have flaunted their cupping marks. While athletes often use it to ease aches and pains, practitioners in the city say they use it to treat everything from migraine and body ache to stress and depression.

Dr T N Parimala Selvi, therapist at Jayanth Acupuncture, Koyambedu, has been offering cupping in the city since 2014. “I use it in combination with acupuncture,“ says Selvi, who learned the technique from Korean Dr Kim Daewon. “We do wet cupping, which involves making small incisions on the skin to re move `harmful' blood, and also dry cupping,“ says Selvi, adding that while they don't get sportspersons, they get many patients suffering from arthritis and obesity.

 

A CUP OF GOOD HEALTH ?

E.paper Link : A CUP OF GOOD HEALTH - OR A FAD?

Aug 21 2016 : The Times of India (Chennai)

 

Red Spots – No bruises, RIO athletes just had some Cupping Therapy !!

 

After herbs and acupuncture, the cupping therapy will possibly become the new Chinese medicinal fad as more and more elite athletes are found using it to heal their muscles from cruel training.

Three days into the Rio Olympics, a number of athletes, including U.S. swimming megastar Michael Phelps and Gymnast Alex Naddour, have been spotted with big purple dots on their skin. Some jokingly wonder if they were bitten by octopus, while the circles are actually a result of cupping therapy that has been used in China since ancient times.

In Chinese medicinal philosophy, cupping therapy is the method of using heated bamboo cups to create suctions on skin, which could mobilize the blood flows and heal the muscle pains — well, leaving scattered bottle hickies which will disappear in a week or two. Today, glass or plastic cups are often used instead of bamboo.

The ancient treatment was also used in early Egypt and Greece, and is still commonly found in traditional clinics all over China. Some Chinese people, especially the older generation, can even DIY the therapy at home with simplified tools such as a glass bottle, a piece of paper and a lighter.

Phelps might have become a fan of the treatment. People have noticed several photos of him receiving the cupping posted on his Instagram account nearly a year ago.

U.S. gymnast Alex Naddour told USA Today that the therapy was “better than any money I’ve spent on anything else.”

“That’s been the secret that I have had through this year that keeps me healthy,” Naddour told the paper, adding that it had saved him from a lot of pain.

Besides athletes, some other celebrities have also tried it, including Victoria Beckham and Justin Bieber, according to the BBC.

So, the therapy sounds simple, cheap and safe. Do you want to have a try now?

Cupping Therapy Treatment in Chennai