Cupping
Cupping is highly beneficial in releasing musculoskeletal tension and pain (which correlates to "stagnation" in the meridian pathways in Oriental Medicine) and removing "pathogens" to alleviate symptoms of the common cold, flu, and other respiratory disorders, amongst other benefits. A vacuum is created by heating the air within a specialized glass cup that is then placed flush against the patient's skin. As the air cools in the cup, a vacuum forms that pulls the skin and underlying fascia into the opening of the cup, stimulating the acupressure effect. There are numerous cupping techniques, and while it is a virtually painless procedure, the results may appear a bit unsightly as bruising is common due to the fact that blood is brought out of the vessels-no, bleeding does not occur.