Where to have cupping done in South Africa

Many Olympic swimmers were seen sporting round bruises on their backs in Rio. Was it some mark from the gods to signify Olympic strength? Not exactly, it’s actually something that’s been around for longer than the Olympics. It’s an alternative therapeutic method that has been popular in China since around 1000 B.C, and it has a host of health benefits.

Cupping works by expanding the capillaries and increasing blood flow and nutrient supply to the muscles. Besides this, cupping therapy seems to provoke a relaxation response in some people, which means it’s useful for lowering stress. Cupping’s trademark bruises usually appear on peoples’ backs or torsos, which is because they are meant to follow the body’s five meridian lines where “life energy” or “Qi” flows. The theory is that cupping can influence the flow of energy through the body, so if someone’s flow is blocked or stagnant, a practitioner might use cupping to impact the flow. Always looking for methods to naturally improve health and performance, more athletes have turned to cupping.

5 things cupping is said to do for you:

#1 It can reduce pain
Cupping is thought to release tissues deep inside the body, relax tense muscles and ease stiffness associated with chronic back and neck pains, migraines, rheumatism, and fatigue.

#2 It relaxes you
Cupping helps alleviate physical complaints and allows people to enter a more relaxed state since it sedates the central nervous system. It also forces you to meditate and be still for the time of treatment.

#3 It makes your skin healthy
Cupping is used to reduce cellulite, acne and skin inflammation as it tones and firms skin by improving blood flow and expanding capillaries.

#4 It helps with respiratory issues
Cupping helps improve immune function by moving blood and lymphatic fluid throughout the body and clearing phlegm or congestion, which is why it’s been associated with reductions in lung diseases, chronic coughs, allergies, infections and asthma.

#5 It improves digestion
Throughout history, cupping therapy has been found to be beneficial for people with frequent stomach pains, diarrhea, acute gastritis, IBS, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal diseases and water retention.