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Fire Cupping

This ancient technique is like the opposite of massage. It “pulls” instead of “pushes” tissue. Cupping is the placement of special glass cups on the skin by vacuum. The cups are then either left in place or moved around a painful area. The cups increase circulation and decrease pain. Cupping is commonly used for treating pain, but can also be used to increase circulation in a localized area.

There are two basic types of cupping, stationary and moving. Stationary cupping us used to detox a specific area. It is commonly used on athletes who are competing and building up lactic acid (or lactate and other metabolites) in their muscles. With the stationary you will see the customary round bruises.

With moving cupping, we are treating stagnation or lack of circulation. The moving cup is like a modified massage: instead of pushing on the muscles, the cupping pulls on the muscles. This results in increased circulation and healing and reduced pain. Moving cupping rarely causes bruising of any kind.

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