Cupping involves the application of glass cups to specific areas of the body; this is achieved by holding a small flame inside the cup to create a vacuum. This causes the skin to be sucked up into the cup encouraging the flow of Qi and blood and clearing local stagnation. Cupping therapy stimulates the sensory nerves in the skin. It is a particularly useful therapy for the treatment of muscular aches and pains such as back ache, frozen shoulder and so on. It is also useful when one is attempting to ward off infection.
Chinese medicine has been refined, tested, and perfected over the course of thousands of years.