Why You Need Cupping and Acupuncture in Your Self Care Regime

Hi guys.

So today on the blog we have my favorite acupuncturist… the man with two first names…

TAYLOR TAYLOR…. Oh my god, if you’re in San Diego & you haven’t seen him, you are missing out on life, let me tell you.

A lot of us are familiar with acupuncture so let’s talk CUPPING. What the hell is it?

I’ve talked about cupping on the blog before & I’m still IN LOVE with it…. but let’s recap:

“Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine in which a local suction is created on the skin; practitioners believe this mobilizes blood flow in order to promote healing. Suction is created using heat ( fire ) or mechanical devices. Through either heat or suction, the skin is gently drawn upwards by creating a vacuum in a cup over the target area of the skin. The cup stays in place for five to fifteen minutes. It’s believed by some to help treat pain, deep scar tissues in the muscles & connective tissue, muscle knots, and swelling; however, the efficacy of this has been questioned.There is reason to believe the practice dates from as early as 3000 BC.” { via }

According to this source “cupping has numerous benefits— it can help remove toxins from the body & stimulate the flow of fresh blood, lymph, & Qi to the affected area and throughout the body.

It often works wonders for patients with the flu, colds, coughs, back and muscle pain, poor circulation, anxiety, red itchy skin conditions ( though cups are not applied to inflamed areas ), allergies, fevers, aches, & a myriad of other pains.

As the name implies, in this method your practitioner applies massage oil or cream on your skin in selected places, puts the cups over the areas to be treated and then slides them around that region of the body— most commonly the back. The cups slide easily because the cream has lubricated your body.

Ultimately you ought to consider exploring the benefits of cupping ESPECIALLY if you seek relief from stress, pain, allergies, fatigue, flu, colds, back pain, anxiety, muscle aches, red itchy skin conditions or fever.”

I’m also big into acupuncture & Taylor Taylor does both!

Him & his girlfriend, Lisa, run THE BEST acupuncture & cupping situation ever in San Diego. ( Lisa makes my most favorite bath salts everrrrr- they’re all natural, & just insane. I use them every day. They’re basically these gentle, healing bath salts that are filled with French lavender & grapeseed oil…but I feel like I should save this for a different post? )

Anyways, Taylor really gets it because he’s had his own issues with pain throughout his life. He had chronic pain & injuries from being in the military, doing sports, & martial arts. Western docs told him pain killers & surgery were his only means of relief but he discovered acupuncture & Chinese Medicine. It gave him short term & long term relief. He also LOVES to help patients educate themselves so they can avoid pain & injury in the future. We very much love prevention over here. You can buy heart cupping equipment yourself too which super cute.

With that, let’s welcome Taylor Taylor to the blog.

+ Introduce yourself- tell us your background.

My name is Taylor Taylor (yep, that’s really my name!) I am a Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac) with quite an unconventional background. I served our country as a Combat Medic with the US Army – post military I transitioned to a 10 year career as an ER Nurse before transitioning into Chinese medicine. I treat patients of all ages, and I support various types of healing. Something that sets me apart from other acupuncturists or traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners is that (#1) I TRULY understand pain and painful injuries from a professional AND personal perspective, (#2) I treat with both sides of the spectrum in mind – Eastern & Western medicine.

+ Why cupping/Benefits of cupping?

There is so much to say about cupping! I’ve done a great deal of research on the topic and can give you in-depth, technical, scientific evidence for the effectiveness and medical value in cupping – way too much information for just a short answer! What I can tell you in a nutshell is that cupping increases circulation, helps to flush toxins from the tissue, gives a focal stretch on the muscle and so much more. The proof is in the pudding – your body will tell just how amazing cupping is especially for reducing pain and inflammation and rehabbing injured tissue. It’s a shame that there are still some medical doctors and such still saying cupping is nothing more than a fad – it just proves they haven’t done their research and they certainly haven’t tried it themselves.

+ Why acupuncture?/Benefits of acupuncture?

Another great question! So much to cover here so for now I’ll keep it cursory. #1, it’s important to mention that unfortunately, there is so much misinformation when it comes to acupuncture. The majority of information published online is inaccurate, and at worst demonizes the practice of acupuncture and/or cupping completely. In fact, even Wikipedia dubs acupuncture as a “pseudoscience” – a dangerous misnomer that contradicts the guidance of reputable healthcare organizations & medical professionals that espouse and recommend acupuncture as a successful treatment to complement (and sometimes even replace!) other “typical” Western treatments. Put it to you this way: would American hospitals employ internal acupuncturists if acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) were considered “pseudoscience” in the eyes of the Western healthcare community? Beyond that, acupuncture & TCM has been practiced for CENTURIES in our world, a tradition with results that span generations. I air on the side of caution when discussing benefits of acupuncture as treatment is highly individualized and depends on your practitioner. Nowadays there are a myriad of individuals who will tell you they can perform acupuncture – without truly being a licensed acupuncturist. There are countless chiropractors, massage therapists, physical therapists, and even DOCTORS who will make the claim that they practice acupuncture, although most of them will not possess any focused, formal acupuncture training. This translates to what is frequently known as “dry needling” – which is sadly all too common in acupuncture today. Dry needling presently is NOT legal in California and nearly half the states in the US. Malpractice insurance does NOT cover dry needling in states where it is illegal. There is NO regulation of dry needling in terms of adequate training, continuing education, sharps disposal, and safety. It is a certification ONLY and does not require medical licensure. It is basically imitation acupuncture with less than 5 percent of the education required to be a licensed acupuncturist with very little to no training on ANY of the actual concepts of Chinese medicine. It’s basically sticking needles in anything that feels tight or tender without any further consideration. In short – don’t let anyone needle you unless they are a Licensed Acupuncturist at the national & state level, with a history of acupuncture specific training! So, to summarize: acupuncture provides a variety of benefits – more than I can mention here! I can say that the world health organization (WHO) put together a list of conditions they felt were successfully treated with acupuncture which included all types of musculoskeletal pain, many digestive disorders, emotional disorders, addiction, strokes, and many other issues pertaining to men’s and women’s health.

+ Tell us about facial acupuncture? I heard it’s like Botox. LOL.

Ha! Well, it’s like Botox in the sense that it stimulates “age-defying” improvement for the tissues and skin of your face…however, that’s mostly where the comparisons end. Botox has many potentially harmful side effects, including irreversible facial paralysis, to cite just one example. Acupuncture, on the other hand, represents healing & recovery with no strings attached. There has been a lot of research on facial rejuvenation acupuncture and just some of what we see with facial acupuncture includes increased collagen and elastin production, increased circulation, leukocyte (white blood cell) migration into the tissues facilitating the removal of cellular waste, free radicals, and many other toxins that contribute to the aging process. All of these things then lead to a longer lasting and more natural way to maintain a youthful appearance in the face.

+ What have you seen acupuncture & cupping cure?

The stories I could tell you! Too many to fit on one page, LOL! All sorts of things including the entire scope of painful conditions and injuries, digestive disorders, rare parasites, hormone imbalances and the list goes on and on. Overall, without sacrificing patient confidentiality, I can say that one of the most meaningful differences to ME is the peace & emotional relief that accompanies the healing of acupuncture. Many of my patients have suffered from a variety of debilitating conditions that Western medicine has proved to be no remedy for. The sheer gratitude of my patients when they tell me I’ve helped them in a way that no one else could – that’s what I wake up for. That’s why I do what I do. So, in short form – I’ve seen acupuncture cure absolute medical torment. And that’s relief you absolutely can’t put a price on.

+ Tell us about Lisa’s delicious bath salts- I am obsessed!

So glad you asked! This is a popular question 🙂 Lisa’s recipe is under lock and key — but I can tell you that her production days involve several chocolate runs and a litany of well-scented candles to set the mood and give her inspiration. I am usually the Guinea Pig .. lol! In all seriousness, we put a lot of thought into our bath salts. Our custom formulations include: targeted essential oil aromatherapy and premium crystaline mineral salts. Lisa’s salts are great for just soaking or even doing “contrast soaks”, which are a proven recovery method for healing inflammation and swollen feet (or other body parts) through rapid temperature change from hot to cold for affected areas. Our favorite “feet buckets” are our custom Taylor Made Buckets! 🙂 Lisa’s salts are also great for post-acupuncture & cupping therapy – I recommend a hot soak in the tub after a treatment.

You can find Taylor Taylor on:

♡ Instagram

♡ Facebook

♡ LinkedIn

♡ Twitter

♡ His website

Seriously you guys, book an appointment with Taylor Taylor when you’re in San Diego. You won’t be sorry. You can also buy heart cupping equipment yourself which is fun too.

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