Bhubaneswar: Well, that is called Cupping therapy. It is one of the most ancient forms of alternative medication. It dates back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures. One of the oldest medical textbooks in the world, the Ebers Papyrus, describes how the ancient Egyptians used cupping therapy in 1,550 B.C.

Here, a therapist puts special cups on your skin for a few minutes to create suction. The process of suction stimulates the skin and muscles.

The main benefit of suction is that it promotes increased blood circulation which may help relieve muscle tension, promote cell repair and aid in other regeneration.

People get it for many purposes, including helping with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation and well-being, and as a type of deep-tissue massage.

Basically there are two methods of cupping i.e. Dry & Wet. During both types of cupping, the therapist puts a flammable substance such as alcohol, herbs, or paper in a cup and sets it on fire. As the fire goes out, they put the cup upside down on the skin.

As the air inside the cup cools, it creates a vacuum. This causes the skin to rise and redden as blood vessels expand. The cup is generally left in place for up to 3 minutes.

A more modern version of cupping uses a rubber pump instead of fire to create the vacuum inside the cup. Sometimes therapists use silicone cups, which they can move from place to place on your skin for a massage-like effect.

In an exclusive conversation with Swasthya Sambad, Dr. Susmita Sahoo, Cupping therapist professional, Healthville highlighted the importance of Cupping treatment. She said, “One of the most commonly used and ancient cupping therapy treatments is Dynamic cupping. This technique deals with usage of Gel. This primarily eradicates the toxicity without invasive method. Along with relaxing the body, this treatment benefits diabetes patients, rheumatoid arthritis, low back & upper back pain, neck area pain, cervical spondylosis, Muscle spasm and tightness. There are different types of cupping like static cupping, fire cupping, air cupping, ice cupping, moxa cupping etc. Generally this cupping technique is used by sports professionals. ”