In our clinic we practice the art of cupping. This art has recently attracted international interest due to a number of movie stars and sports people who have been receiving cupping treatment from acupuncturists.

In Japan, practitioners of Oriental medicine are licensed to practice acupuncture; moxibustion or cupping and are not allowed to combine the three modalities as we are able to do in Australia. Because a Japanese cupping specialist is only allowed to use cupping to treat his/her patients, they have to be able to treat every possible condition by means of cups. Hence they have developed some very comprehensive cupping strategies.

The cupping procedure uses glass cups which are applied to the surface of the skin. Air is sucked out of the cup and this action draws skin and flesh into the cup. This stimulates the blood circulation and the underlying musculature. Cupping has been traditionally used for blood stagnation with fantastic results.

One traditional area of application of cups has been on the back and shoulders as this is particularly successful in treating back and shoulder pain. In particularly bad cases of blood stagnation a drop of blood is extracted from the painful/tight area and a cup applied. The suction effect created by the vacuum draws stagnant black blood into the cup and out of the body. Please note that cupping is difficult to apply on hairy areas such as hairy backs or the head. This procedure is painless and extremely effective because all patients say that afterwards they now have a feeling of lightness and flexibility in the formerly painful area. However the procedure does leave a round bruise which can remain for up to a week (depending on the extent of blood stagnation present). Since most cupping procedures are performed on the back or front of the torso, any resulting bruises are usually in areas that are covered by clothing.

At our clinic we perform a general health maintenance cupping treatment which stimulates and energises every channel in the body. Performed regularly it is a "body service and tune up" just as you would service your car.

Examples of conditions that cupping can treat, and for which we have a comprehensive cupping formula are: -

• Vertigo
• Gastric Disorders
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Intercostal Neuralgia
• Intestinal Disorders
• Hemorrhoids
• Sciatica
• Stiff Shoulders
• High blood Pressure, stroke and arteriosclerosis
• Bronchial asthma
• Gynecological Disorders
• Kidney Disorders (including frequent/urgent urination)
• Liver Disorders, Gallbladder Disorders
• High Fever
• Dermatological Disorders

One of our regular patients had a complete turnaround in her condition after she had the cupping treatment for high blood pressure. Other people swear by the constipation treatment.

So if you would like to test the treatment that is all the rage now, please contact our clinic and ask what cupping can do for you!