Where supermarkets used to have only a small aisle of the store set aside for natural and organic products, we now see many aisles and huge sections full of healthier goods. Consumers have much greater access to and desire for products free of pesticides, preservatives, and artificial ingredients; they want only the healthiest and cleanest items in their bodies.
Medicine and healing can be approached the same way. While over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceuticals have eternally long lists of side effects and risks, traditional Chinese medicine offers treatment for many common pains and ailments in a natural way that wasn’t developed in a laboratory. Acupuncture may be the most widely recognized and used treatment, but others, including cupping and Gua Sha, are extremely effective either on their own or in conjunction with acupuncture for restoring health and facilitating healing naturally.
Thousands of Years of Healing Can’t Be Wrong
Cupping has been used for many thousands of years; the original practice used hollow animal horns to create suction on the skin and draw any impurities and disease up and out of the body. It’s now being seen more frequently here in the West and building a strong following. Several Hollywood stars have even walked the red carpet with cupping’s telltale round marks on their backs (these marks disappear within a few days of treatment).
Cupping feels similar to receiving a very deep and focused massage. Your acupuncturist will place either a glass or plastic cup upside down on your skin. Light suction is created with heat or a hand-held pump, fixing the cup to the skin and drawing blood to the surface. The cup will stay on the skin for a few minutes or your acupuncturist may move or slide the cup around. Slight marks left on the skin are not painful and actually are considered visible evidence of the effectiveness of the treatment.
The procedure is most often used to treat patients with pain, especially of the neck, shoulders and back, as well as for patients with herniated disks, disk degeneration, and arthritis. Cupping can also effectively treat asthma, colds, flu, and many gastrointestinal problems. Numerous positive side effects of cupping treatment include but are not limited to:
- An unblocked and realigned Qi (your body’s natural energy flow that maintains health and wellbeing)
- Clear veins, arteries, and capillaries
- Clear colonic system
- Activated lymphatic system
- Released toxins
Another Option: Gua Sha
As with cupping, the Gua Sha technique improves circulation and helps optimize health and healing. Gua Sha is most helpful for relieving neck, back, and shoulder pain. Your acupuncturist uses a smooth blunt tool to gently, but firmly scrape the skin to release the underlying, pain-causing stagnation and improve Qi flow. Similar to cupping, Gua Sha leaves a mark on the skin, which disappears within a few days.
As we’re all increasingly conscientious about what we put in our bodies, we should regard pain relief and healing the same way. Before you fill your prescriptions or stock up on over-the-counter medications, consider a natural approach that will likely leave you feeling better all over. Please call us at 602-955-5444 to schedule an appointment and to learn more about cupping, Gua Sha, and acupuncture.
