Does Cupping Therapy Really Work?

Conditions It Helps Treat

While some research intended to look at the conditions cupping therapy helps treat determined it only provides a placebo effect, other studies indicate it is helpful in resolving many ailments. Particularly, cupping therapy treats conditions where muscle pain and discomfort is a primary symptom. It's also thought to treat the same conditions acupuncture treats, because the cups can be applied to the same areas of the body. This may include relieving skin conditions and improving digestion. In a 2012 study, researchers determined cupping therapy can improve several conditions, including herpes zoster, cough, dyspnea, facial paralysis, acne, cervical spondylosis, and lumbar disc herniation. Primarily, however, the purpose most individuals turn to cupping therapy for is to relieve musculoskeletal pain, the result of the long-term tensing of muscles. Over time, maintaining a tense posture causes muscles to become stiff and sore. The treatments help resolve this condition, bringing back mobility and range of movement. Researchers are continuing to study the effects of cupping therapy to determine more ways it may help treat patients.

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