Alternative Treatments
Cupping Massage Therapy
Cupping is another old healing method and evidence reveals that it was practiced by the Chinese and Egyptians thousands of years ago. This therapy involves the creation of suction by placing special cups on a person’s skin for a couple of minutes.
Cups used in cupping are typically made of silicone, bamboo, earthenware, and glass. Two kinds of cupping exist ‐ dry cupping which is a suction‐only technique and wet cupping where a little bleeding is involved.
How is this treatment administered?
Your doctor puts a paper, herb, or alcohol in a cup and heats the substance. The source of fire is then removed and the heated cup is placed upside down on your skin. Some modern practitioners usually use rubber pumps instead of setting the cup on fire. A vacuum is created when the cup is on your skin and this causes the muscles and skin to rise upwards. The expansion of blood vessels in that area causes reddening of the skin.
The cup is not removed until after around three minutes. In wet cupping, the doctor removes the cup and using a scalpel or similar instrument, makes small cuts to draw a little blood.
When the procedure is complete, the practitioner will cover the affected region with bandages or antibiotic ointment to prevent infections. Expect the bruising or cuts to disappear in approximately 10 days.
Cupping can help treat conditions such as pain, anxiety, acne, facial paralysis, cervical spondylosis, varicose veins, and high blood pressure. Occasionally, a patient can be treated using both cupping and acupuncture. It’s important to consult with a cupping expert first if you’re planning to use this kind of treatment.
Acupressure
While acupuncture involves the penetration of specific areas of the skin using fine needles, acupressure entails applying pressure on these specific areas of the body using hands, elbows, or other tools to produce similar healing effects.
Acupressure is the best alternative if you are uncomfortable with acupuncture. But how does acupressure work? Just like acupuncture, acupressure has been used as a treatment method for a long time.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, when Qi (life force) is weak, excessive, or blocked, one feels pain, anxiety, or discomfort. Qi flows through your body through pathways called meridians. Practitioners focus on these key areas where the vital energy that keeps a person healthy flows through.
When pressure is applied to these “acupressure points,” the blood flow is increased, and qi’s flow is restored. If done the right way, acupressure reduces stress, anxiety, or pain associated with diseases and leaves one feeling calm and rejuvenated.
Moxibustin
Moxibustion is a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine heat therapy that involves burning moxa (a stick made of dried mugwort leaves) on or near the skin’s surface. Moxa is burned at acupuncture points and meridians.
It is believed that the heat from burning moxa stimulates acupuncture points and improves the flow of energy (qi) in the body. This facilitates the removal of pathogens from the body, improving one’s physical and mental health.
There are two methods practitioners use to administer moxibustion. The safer and more common one is where the burning moxa is held at about an inch from the. It is removed when the skin becomes warm and red.
Alternatively, the doctor places the moxa on an acupuncture point in your body and lights it. It burns slowly and is removed when the skin becomes red and you start to feel some warmth. Moxibustion can treat a variety of illnesses such as cold/flu, digestive disorders, breech presentation in pregnancy, tiredness, and pain caused by arthritis.