The Health | April, 2019
26
alternative
Sucking it up
Cupping to get rid of the bad and regulate the new
By Christine Zoe Sta Maria
CUPPING FOR
BETTER: Dr Kasthury
says that cupping can
help regulate better blood
flow and help ease various
conditions.
Cupping therapy can be
an intimidating thing for
beginners. Fortunately,
there is nothing to fear.
Cupping is the process
of using cups to provide
suction onto one’s skin
to clear blood that can
be simply called ‘dirty’
and would allow the
heart to pump ‘new
blood’ throughout the
body. We spoke to Dr
K asthur y Muttu, a
consultant at Iswanah
Healthcare Shah Alam
who explained what
cupping really is.
For beginners, Dr Kasthury usually conducts a Q&A
session beforehand. This is to investigate whether the
patient is qualified to carry up the cupping procedures.
Patients would also have to be evaluated based on
their sugar level and blood pressure level. A short
glucose test would be conducted and if the patient has
a low glucose level, they would not be able to carry out
with the cupping therapy. When preparing the patient
for cupping, the patient would first be massaged with
therapeutic oil to be relaxed.
Cupping therapy is
an ancient form of alternative medicine in which
a therapist puts special cups on your skin for a few
minutes to create suction. People get it for many
purposes, including to help with pain, inflammation,
blood flow, relaxation and well-being, and as a type of
deep-tissue massage. It is all about improving blood
circulation, bettering pain management as well as
releasing pain, allowing the human heart to deliver
new blood throughout the body which can increase
blood count. “Almost every health related problem
can be encountered by proper blood circulation,” Dr
Kasthury Muttu states.
How does it feel like?
Some may think of it as a painful procedure, yet it is
mostly painless. The only pain you would experience
is from the small cuts made by the scalpel, but even
that would be too small to mention.
Who does it?
Cup types
The ‘dirty’ blood is being
removed from the body.
The different types of cupping include dry cupping,
fire cupping (which only uses glass cups as it can with-
stand high temperatures), and wet cupping. Usually
during these types of cupping, the therapist would
put a flammable substance such as alcohol, herbs, or
paper in a cup and set it on fire. As the fire goes out,
they would put the cup upside down on your skin.
As the air inside the cup cools, it creates a vacuum.
This causes your skin to rise and redden as your blood
vessels expand. The cup is generally left in place for
up to 3 minutes.
These days, a more modern version of cupping uses
a rubber pump instead of fire to create the vacuum
inside the cup. Dr Kasthury mainly uses this rubber
pump to conduct cupping therapies. Sometimes
therapists use silicone cups, which they can move from
place to place on your skin for a massage-like effect.
The therapist then removes the cup and uses a small
scalpel to make light, tiny cuts on your skin. Next,
they would have a second suction to draw out a small
quantity of blood. You might get about 7 cups in your
first session. Afterward, you may get an antibiotic
ointment and bandage to prevent infection. Your skin
should look normal again within a week.
Cupping for first timers
Cups that aren’t
for drinking?
There are several types of materials in the cups that
are used for cupping. Among them are, glass, bamboo,
earthenware and silicone. The cups used by Dr
Kasthury at her clinic is a combination of glass and
plastic.
Cupping therapy seems to be in trend nowadays,
according to Dr Kasthury. “Many think it is a new
medical trend, although it has exists for thousands of
years. I can see that it has been well-received as many
are now turning to traditional therapy rather than
modern therapy,” she comments.
Cupping therapy is definitely not a new type of
treatment recently discovered. The implication of its
use dates back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, as well
as in early Middle Eastern cultures.
Cupping styles
A suction pump is used to put the cups onto the
patient’s skin.
People with blood disorders such as anaemia and
haemophilia, rheumatic diseases such as arthritis and
fibromyalgia, fertility and gynaecological disorders,
skin problems such as eczema and acne, high blood
pressure, migraines, anxiety and depression, bron-
chial congestion caused by allergies and asthma and
varicose veins. Dr Kasthury states that most of her
patients are stroke victims. Athletes also do cupping
therapy, as it helps with muscle spasms and stiff arms.
Those who should beware of cupping
Despite the benefits of cupping therapy, there are
certain restrictions to undergo the procedure. Chil-
dren, pregnant mothers, and breastfeeding mothers,
those with certain skin conditions and women who
are menstruating are prohibited from cupping. — The
Health