There cuppingalso known as “cupping”, is a practice we observed in recent days at the Olympics in Paris 2024mainly among the swimmerswhich showed strange signs on their shoulders signs circular of a reddish-purple color. These signs are precisely the residues of the cupping and last a few days before disappearing completely from the skin. The practice consists of applying cups on the skin, which create a empty and aspirate the skin and underlying tissues, with the aim of improve the circulation bloody and muscle tone. However, to date, the Education rigorous available Not highlight effects specific cupping therapy or therapeutic benefits. Although some athletes and individuals claim to feel relief and improvements, there is no conclusive scientific evidence to support these effects. Furthermore, since it is a practice that can involve some risks, such as burns, bruises and infections, it is important that studies are carried out in depth to evaluate its safety and effectiveness. So let’s see how it works, what are the alleged beneficial effects and whether it can be considered a safe practice.
How cupping works
The practice of cupping has ancient originsgoing back to traditional medicine Chinesebut also finding use in Arab and Chinese medicine.Ancient Greece. Depending on the culture, it is associated with effects therapeutic different, but the principle remains the same. They are affixed jars or cylinders very hot on the skin to generate a I suck pressure, in this way the skin is sucked into the container and the blood circulation is modified. negative pressure in the cup can derive from its heating or, more commonly, through the use of mechanical pumps.
What is cupping used for: the alleged beneficial effects
Proponents of this therapy claim that it is able to treat muscle painhypertension, fever, dermatitis, acne and even more serious pathologies such as cancer and infertility. Even the mechanisms of action proposed are very variable depending on the culture of origin. They range from the extraction of unspecified toxins to the rebalancing of vital energies.
The widespread use of cupping in world of sports is mainly due to the supposed benefits in the area of muscle pain and circulation. The suction in the cups in fact modifies the way in which the blood of the capillaries It is distributed in the skin.
Sometimes the negative pressure is strong enough to produce micro lesions with loss of blood. If in ancient times these lesions were used to obtain an effect similar to the bloodlettingtoday the proponents of this practice believe that the lesions can improve the regeneration of the underlying tissues and help in the inflammation.
Is cupping therapy effective?
Recent analyses of the scientific literature have synthesized the results of more than 2000 studies accomplished on cupping. The effectiveness of this practice has been compared with medical therapies standard and placebo. The results demonstrate a poor effectiveness, comparable to the placebo effect in many cases. Furthermore, the data quality of many of these studies limits the confidence with which we can draw conclusions.
The evidence more robustalthough few, seem to suggest that some typologies of cupping can bring benefits in the therapy of pain in the lower back muscles. However, these results must be interpreted with caution: partly because of their rarity, partly because of the difficulty in objective measurement of pain. Why it is considered a medical practice reliablein short, they are necessary further studies.
What are the potential risks of cupping?
When performed by competent personnel, cupping is a practice pretty safe. The more serious complications may occur in hypertensive patients, very thin patients or patients with heart problems. side effects more common are skin lesions, infections (due to the bursting of pimples and acne, but also to the small wounds produced) and hematomas painful. In addition to these reasons, its practice is discouraged by many experts also for a fundamental factor: relying on it risks avoid the use of other therapiesmore effective and scientifically supported, resulting in spending time and money on modest or no results.
Cupping is a widespread practice but modern scientific evidence classifies it as either poorly effective or as useless if not possibly harmful. Relying on it therefore remains a choice dictated mainly by personal and cultural preferences and It does not constitute a concrete alternative to the classical therapies of scientific medicine.
