Summer is here, and everyone loves to go to traditional Chinese medicine clinics for health treatments. Two common health treatments in summer are cupping and scraping. Which one is better, cupping or scraping? What are the differences between cupping and scraping? Let's find out!
Which is Better: Cupping or Scraping in Summer?
It depends on the individual.
Cupping and scraping are both traditional Chinese medicine therapies that help to dredge the meridians. However, in comparison, cupping is more suitable for various cold conditions and has a warming effect, while scraping is more meticulous and can help to unblock the obstructed meridians in the body.
Differences Between Scraping and Cupping
Scraping
Scraping is a therapy guided by the theory of traditional Chinese medicine meridians and acupoints. It uses special scraping tools and corresponding techniques to repeatedly scrape and rub the body surface with a certain medium. This causes local red grain-like spots or dark red bleeding spots, known as "sha," and achieves the effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis.
Due to its simplicity, convenience, low cost, and effectiveness, scraping is widely used in clinical practice and is suitable for both medical treatment and home health care. It can also be used in conjunction with acupuncture, cupping, bloodletting, and other therapies to enhance the effects of promoting blood circulation, resolving blood stasis, expelling evil and detoxifying.
Cupping
Cupping uses cups as tools and creates negative pressure by burning or suction to make them adhere to the body surface. This causes local blood stasis, achieving the effects of promoting meridian circulation, activating qi and blood, reducing swelling and relieving pain, and dispelling wind and dispelling cold.
In ancient times, cups were used to suck blood and drain pus in the treatment of ulcers and abscesses. Later, they were also applied to internal medicine diseases such as pulmonary tuberculosis and rheumatism. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, due to continuous improvement in methods, cupping therapy has undergone new developments and expanded its scope of treatment, becoming a treatment method in acupuncture.
Benefits of Scraping in Summer
Relieving Muscle and Tendon Stiffness
Nowadays, more and more people suffer from cervical spondylosis, shoulder periarthritis, and back pain due to disturbances. This is because when the "soft tissues" of the human body (joint capsules, ligaments, fascia, etc.) are injured, the muscles will be in a state of tension, contraction, or even spasm, resulting in pain symptoms. If not treated in time, it may lead to varying degrees of adhesion, fibrosis, or scar formation, aggravating the condition. Scraping can relax muscles, relieve pain, and promote the recovery of the affected area while significantly reducing pain symptoms, which is beneficial for recovery.
Promoting Metabolism and Detoxification
The human body undergoes continuous metabolic activities every day, and the waste produced during metabolism needs to be excreted in a timely manner. Scraping can promptly bring the metabolic "garbage" to the body surface, depositing it in the subcutaneous pores, making the blood flow smooth, and restoring natural metabolic vitality.
Adjusting Yin and Yang
"Harmonious yin and secret yang lead to good spirits." Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the balance of the body's yin and yang relationship. Scraping has a bidirectional regulatory effect on the body's functions, improving and adjusting the functions of organs and restoring balance.
Precautions for Scraping in Summer
1. Pay attention to keeping the room warm during the scraping treatment. Avoid direct wind blowing on the scraped area.
2. Avoid taking a cold shower within 30 minutes after scraping.
3. Try to avoid drinking alcohol or eating spicy foods after scraping. Avoid eating raw and cold fruits, as well as greasy foods.
4. Do not scrape the same area again until the sha has subsided.
5. Drink a cup of warm water (preferably with a pinch of salt and sugar) and rest for half an hour after scraping.
6. Avoid getting angry after scraping and try to maintain a calm mood.
7. If any discomfort occurs after scraping, seek medical treatment immediately.
Benefits of Cupping in Summer
Relieving Muscle Soreness and Fatigue
Cupping can stretch the muscles, increase the pain threshold, and improve blood flow in the local area. When the muscles are in a tense state, the local blood flow will decrease, leading to tissue ischemia. However, the sliding cupping technique in cupping can elongate the muscles, increase blood flow, raise the local pain threshold, relax the muscles, and restore the required energy.
Draining Pus and Promoting Healing
The negative pressure generated by cupping can help to drain local pus, toxins produced by bacteria, and other substances that hinder wound healing. It can also stimulate granulation tissue growth, contract wounds, and promote wound healing.
Adjusting Immune Function
Due to the residual blood stasis caused by cupping, it can activate the body's immune function and enhance the clearance ability of inflammatory substances. It is a beneficial self-training process.
Promoting Blood Circulation and Accelerating Metabolism
Cupping can dilate blood vessels, improve local blood circulation, accelerate the elimination of waste and toxins, improve the nutritional status of local tissues, and provide more nutrients and oxygen to cells.
Following the Meridian Pathways
By stimulating the meridians related to the viscera along the meridian pathways, cupping can adjust and improve the function of the internal organs. Different cupping techniques such as sliding cupping and walking cupping can have corresponding effects on respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, cardiovascular diseases, gynecological diseases, and more, by promoting the transmission of sensations.
Precautions for Cupping in Summer
1. After cupping, rub the back back and forth several times to relax the muscles in the congested area until the skin feels warm. Then cover the back with a blanket to avoid catching a cold. If conditions permit, you can buy a blanket with red beans inside and heat it in the microwave, which has a very good effect.
2. Do not take a shower within eight hours after cupping. After cupping, the skin cells are in an open state, and taking a shower will introduce a large amount of moisture into the body, which will have the opposite effect. It is also recommended to avoid blowing with a fan or air conditioning on the same day, as the principles are the same as taking a shower.
3. Pay attention to the hygiene and dryness of the bed sheets after cupping. At this time, the skin is in a vulnerable state, and if the bed sheets are not clean and dry enough, it is easy to cause skin allergies.
4. Maintain fresh air indoors during cupping, avoid direct fan blowing in summer, and keep the room warm in winter to avoid catching a cold.
5. Pay attention to cleaning and disinfection. Both the hands of the practitioner and the cupping area of the patient should be cleaned or routinely disinfected. Cupping equipment must be regularly disinfected.
