Cupping is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy involving the placement of glass, plastic, or bamboo cups on the skin with a vacuum. The therapy is used to relieve what is called "stagnation" in TCM terms, and is used in the treatment of respiratory diseases such as the common cold, pneumonia, and bronchitis. Cupping is also used to treat back, neck, shoulder, and other musculoskeletal pain. Its advocates claim it has other applications as well.
Cupping is a particularly useful therapy for the treatment of muscular aches and pains such as back ache, frozen shoulder and so on. Cupping involves the application of suction cups to specific areas of the body. The cups are placed on the skin over the point or area to be treated and left in place for up to 15 minutes. This causes the skin to be sucked up into the cup encouraging the flow of Qi and blood and clearing local stagnation. Occasionally moving cupping will be applied, this requires a layer of oil to be applied to the Skin before the cups, this allows the cups to slide over the skin, applying suction to a large area to draw out the 'evil Qi'. Cupping causes blood to be drawn into the small blood vessels just below the skin and may cause purple wheals or bruises to form for a short time.