The first thing they say when they see me is “Holy crap, what the hell happened to you?” After I explain that I did cupping to help my body recover, I’m always asked, “Does cupping work?”
Well, here’s the thing when it comes to these types of treatments, does anything work? Do vitamins work? Does meditation work? These are things that I can’t provide a definite answer to. I can’t say to you with 100 percent certainty that this therapy is working for me, cause frankly, I’m not entirely sure. Here is what I do know, whenever I cup, I tend to feel some form of relief. The level of relief is in relation to the pain I started with.
When I went in yesterday, my therapist, Pauline said that my back, neck and lower back were bad and I needed probably two more sessions. Bare in mind, I know damn well that people are in the business of selling, but these people don’t need me to come back to survive. While I sat there, I saw many people come and go as walk ins. I also know that my wife, and many others are regulars there. So sure, she could have an agenda, but since she doesn’t really need me there, I tend to believe her.
In fact, when I went to my shoulder therapy a few hours earlier, my therapist there told me that my shoulder seemed okay, but that most of my trouble area appeared to be in a specific area of my back. Two people who don’t know each other pointing to the same area? Granted, most problems stem from the back, but again, these people don’t need me either. They are having no shortage of patients.
That being said, for me, the pressure of the cupping, following the release that happens once it’s done seems to help with recovery. I’m still not entirely clear on the pathways that cupping uses, but some of my research indicates that by pulling blood to the surface, it promotes healing. For me, the compression and release seems to help. My neck and back feel looser today, albeit it slightly sore after the beating I took from Pauline yesterday.
Does it work? Well, in my opinion, there appears to be some value to it. Though many say there isn’t any proof of it being useful. That’s probably true though, not that it doesn’t work, but that the medical community doesn’t support it. But would the medical community want there to be proof that it works? One documentary I saw stated the following, “As long as you can create doubt, you can win.” Does it make sense for them to promote natural healing, or is it better to just give you a pill for the pain. Hmmm.
If you don’t mind looking like a pepperoni slice, try it, and then let us know in the comments about your experience.
Just a life long New Yorker sharing the journey through my lens. Please take note of a post’s date. The views I express here are subject to change and evolving as I grow and learn.
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