Cupping craze: Local practitioners explain the benefits of muscle healing tactic

The ancient Eastern medicinal art of cupping has found an acceptance in mainstream American massage including clinics and healing arts centers in Alaska.

Cupping – done with either bamboo, earthenware, glass or silicone cups – became the media darling during the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Brazil after the characteristic red marks dotting the back of Michael Phelps, an American swimmer, were repeatedly analyzed and discussed by broadcasters doing their best to let viewers know the marks were created by the application of a long-time Chinese medical practice that the western world has just recently “discovered” and not by some sort of self-abuse on the part of the swimmer who has weathered his fair share of controversy.

In fact, the characteristic red marks are the proof-in-the-clinical-pudding so to speak that it works, say those that administer and those that receive the treatment.

“Initially, I looked like I got my ass kicked,” Charlie Clark from Chugiak said, regarding the treatments he received on his upper back and at his waistline.

That was OK with Clark as his therapist at the Ancient and Modern Pain Management Clinic in Wasilla explained to him that the darker circles left by cupping treatments are ones where the stagnant blood and attached toxins were released in the treatment process.

Cupping is an Eastern medicinal treatment in which suction is used to draw the skin up into the cup creating a vacuum where the cup is placed over the targeted area for treatment. Cups are usually left in place for five to 15 minutes depending on how much time the therapist believes is necessary for effective treatment. Another form of cupping is done by sliding cups across skin that is lubricated by a type of oil. The therapist moves the cups back and forth in an effort to release tension in the muscles.

“It basically uses the body to fix itself,” Clark said.

Deb Morton, a mom of two from Eagle River who works a full-time job outside the home, said cupping has given her relief from aches and pains.

“When regular deep tissue massage did not help my shoulder, we tried the cupping technique,” Morton said of her experience at the Anchorage-based Pairmore & Young Synergy Chiropractic. “Within hours, I had full range of motion without any pain.”

Clark reports similar results.

“Before trying acupuncture and cupping, I felt like I was 35 go on 65,” he said. “I couldn’t bend over for crap and I had to use the headboard with both hands to get out of bed. I struggled to put socks on. Now, I can put socks on. I can bounce out of bed. I still have weakness in my back and waistline, but the huge knots in that area are all gone.”

He emphasizes that patient communication with the therapist is key to treatment success.

“You have to actively participate letting the therapist know what you are feeling and where it helps,” Clark said.

That is something an Eagle River-based massage therapist also agrees with.

Vivian D’Mico administers massage and cupping at Alaska Chiropractic and Therapy.

She believes the effectiveness of cupping is reflected in the partnership between the massage therapist.

Knowing that cupping remains relatively new on the Last Frontier, she holds off on suggesting use of the procedure until she has gotten familiar with a client’s beliefs and personality.

“It often does not come up in the first treatment session,” she explained. “I usually wait until I discover how open-minded the client might be toward something like this.”

D’Mico decided to learn the art after receiving cupping treatment for her own healing process, she said.

“It was the result that I already felt within my own body in using the Oriental medicine that prompted me to learn the techniques so that I was able to get my clients out of pain as easily as possible for myself and for the client,” D’Mico said.

Cupping does have a couple of drawbacks.

The first is visual. The red marks left behind on the body look similar to gigantic hickeys and can last for days or even a week or more. Depending on where one lives, people that see the marks on another person’s body might not understand why they are there. In the East, having cupping marks is nearly a status symbol, according to what D’Mico learned when she went to China to study healing arts.

Burns – when hot cupping is used – can occur as well as mild skin irritation and in rare cases, skin infections, according to WebMD.

While the official scientific jury is still out on cupping, some studies by Western researchers published in the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine indicates patients report documentable pain relief.

WedMD advises readers to seek out a trained professional.

D’Mico agrees with that suggestion as well.

“Be sure to work with someone that has gone through the appropriate training and is able to assess what your body needs,” she said.

Learn more about cupping online at www.webmd.com/balance/guide/cupping-therapy#2.

Editor’s Note: Amy Armstrong is a co-owner of alaskafamilyfun.com.