Cupping Therapy in Addiction Recovery

What is Cupping Therapy?

Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine. A therapist will put special cups on your skin for a few minutes which creates a suction. The suction increases blood flow to the affected area. Cupping therapy is used for many purposes such as pain reduction, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation, well-being, and as a type of deep-tissue massage. It can ease back pain, neck pain, headaches and other areas. The cups are made from bamboo, glass, earthenware or silicone.

How Does Cupping Therapy Work?

As the air inside of the cup cools down, it creates a sort of vacuum. This causes your skin to get red and rise as your blood vessels expand. The cup is generally left in place for up to 3 minutes. Sometimes therapists use silicone cups, which they can move from place to place on your skin for a massage-like effect. There is also a form called wet cupping which creates a mild suction by leaving a cup in place for 3 minutes. You might get 3-5 cups in your first session.

Cupping Therapy in Addiction Recovery

Because cupping therapy can be utilized for so many different reasons it can have a huge impact on recovery all together. In some cases, people over medicate to decrease pain symptoms which over time can turn into addiction as the medication no longer gives the same effect. Using cupping therapy can help elevate some of the effects of chronic pain by reducing the levels. In other cases, if stress is the primary cause of addiction utilizing a substance as a coping mechanism cupping therapies massage like effect can help reduce stress over a period of time. Utilizing this ancient therapy as a way to combat addiction is becoming more and more common in modern day times as the benefits are vast.