Flame Cupping

Flame Cupping is a widely-used traditional modality which utilizes glass, plastic or bamboo suction cups to open up the skin’s pores, to stimulate the flow of blood, balance and re-align the flow of Qi, break up obstructions and myofascial adhesions, and to create an avenue for toxins to be drawn out of the body. Suction within the cups is created by using a flame to remove all the oxygen inside the cup. The cup is then turned upside-down over a specific area of the body. The vacuum created by the lack of oxygen anchors the cup to the skin and pulls it upward as the air inside cools.

Flame cupping has a wide variety of applications from colds, flus and digestive disorders to muscle and fascia adhesion in orthopedic injury. Cupping is yet another powerful tool in the arsenal of Chinese medicine.