Is cupping and blood drawing harmful to the body?

Traditional Chinese medicine is becoming more and more recognized, and many TCM health care clinics have appeared on the market. Many people are willing to do massage and cupping to relax themselves after a day of hard work. Sometimes after cupping, if a certain part of the body becomes obviously black and purple, the doctor will perform bloodletting. This is to eliminate the accumulated toxins from the body and has no bad effects, but it should not be done frequently. This article introduces some contents and precautions of cupping. Let’s take a look.

Cupping can artificially cause capillary rupture and congestion through physical stimulation and negative pressure, mobilize the body's stem cell repair function and the necrotic blood cell absorption function, promote blood circulation, stimulate essence, regulate qi and blood, and achieve the effect of improving and regulating the body's immunity.

Chinese vacuum cupping is a non-drug natural physical ecological therapy that utilizes the principle of mechanical suction to form negative pressure inside the cup, allowing the cup to absorb the selected part (acupoints or lesions), causing congestion of the subcutaneous and superficial muscles, and stimulating the skin, tendons, and acupoints of the meridians to eliminate toxins, dredge meridians, promote qi and blood circulation, strengthen the body, promote metabolism, mobilize the functions of internal organs, and ultimately purify the blood.

Cupping therapy has been used from ancient times to the present day, especially in today's world where new technologies are changing with each passing day, old-fashioned fire cups, bamboo cups and other traditional cups have inherent deficiencies and limitations and can no longer meet modern needs. For example, cupping can burn the patient's skin if not operated carefully. From the perspective of materials used in traditional cupping, animal horns are not easy to collect and have inconsistent calibers. Ceramic and glass cups are easy to break when dropped. Ceramic, metal, and bamboo and wooden cups are not easy to observe changes on the skin surface in a timely and random manner. In summary, traditional cups have the disadvantages of single caliber, easy to burn, easy to damage, difficult to observe, few indications, difficult to remove the cup, and difficult to adjust negative pressure, and are no longer able to meet modern requirements. Vacuum cupping therapy has made great progress in all aspects compared to traditional cupping. First of all, the materials used in the cupping have evolved from animal horns, ceramics, bamboo, wood, metal, and glass to the current resin injection molding, which has overcome the shortcomings of traditional cupping devices such as single caliber, easy damage, difficult observation, and difficult cupping. In terms of the formation of negative pressure in the cupping jar, it has developed from boiling water to exhaust, burning fire to exhaust, and squeezing to exhaust to the current direct exhaust with a vacuum gun, which overcomes the shortcomings of traditional cupping such as easy burns to the skin, difficulty in adjusting negative pressure, and difficulty in removing the cup. In terms of clinical treatment, it has developed from simply sucking out pus and blood to treat sores and surgical diseases to now being able to treat hundreds of diseases in internal medicine, gynecology, pediatrics, surgery, bone injuries, dermatology, and ENT. It is especially easy to operate and has no side effects.

However, it is recommended not to use it in the following situations: high fever, convulsions, cramps, etc.; skin allergies or ulcers; it should not be used on areas with thin muscles or uneven bones and excessive hair; pregnant women should use it with caution in the lumbar sacral area and abdomen.