YES PLEASE, CHINESE CUPPING

Raise your hand if you’ve tried cupping.

WAIT, if your hand isn’t raised you HAVE TO TRY IT.

This is legit no bullshit, I’m in love.

Chinese cupping is CRAZY. In all the best ways.

First thing’s first, what the hell is cupping?

Well “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 }

MAN. Let me confirm…it most certainly does encourage blood flow.

And of course, I have a story…well, kind of.

My acupuncturist convinced me to try Chinese cupping two months ago.

Immediately I loved it. I totally got it, you know? My body was eating it up.

Here’s a peek from my Snapchat:

If that first experience was not enough, wait until you guys hear the spider bite story.

A month ago I was bit on my back by a nasty spider ( EW, kill me ). The spider bite was red for literally two months, no joke.

Well last week, IMMEDIATELY after cupping ( like a second after ), the spider bite turned from red to COMPLETE BLACK.

And then three days later it was gone………

The acupuncturist informed me that this was the toxins coming out of the skin.

AHH! THE HORROR.

SO now, even though I’m grossed out, I’m actually secretly intrigued. Imagine me, IMMEDIATELY LIKE OOOOOMGG, I have to share this on The Skinny Confidential.

Makes sense though. For two months the bite had nowhere to go. So it sat there, all stagnant. After the lymphatic flush & pulling-kind of stimulation, it came out (??) of my skin. Because of Chinese cupping.

WEIRD RIGHT.

So what does it feel like during the process?

Kind of like a tight sensation but oddly also really, really good. Sort of like decompression. My body ATE it up.

Think of cupping like an inverse massage. Instead of a ton of pressure, the suction pulls the skin/tissue/muscles upward & outward.

& yes, you bruise. Only for a few days though. Which is weirdly cool in some sort of F-ed up way. Like I wore backless shirts because I felt very Hollywood in some kind of way.

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.”

By the way the whole thing takes like 5 minutes. SO EASY, it was like $28 dollars too.

Also, note: Gwyneth, Jen, TONS of athletes including Laird Hamilton swear by it. Really though, athletes ALL over the world are serial cuppers. Especially in Beijing, China.

Have you ever cupped? Thoughts? Concerns? Weigh in.

My overall opinion: all in all? Very much worth it.

By the way, I seriously like how the bruising looks kind of— is this crazy?

Probably.

But what the hell else is new.

– lauryn x

+ as always consult a doctor if you have questions | if you’re pregnant, avoid cupping.