In traditional Chinese medicine, there are many ways to prevent and treat diseases, such as cupping, scraping, sweat steaming, and moxibustion. More and more people are enthusiastic about these traditional Chinese medicine health projects. So, how long should one wait after cupping and scraping before sweat steaming?
How long after cupping and scraping can one sweat steam?
It is recommended to wait 1-2 days before sweat steaming.
The scraping and cupping therapy first scrapes away the superficial stagnation, and then uses cupping to remove deeper problems. The combination of the two has already achieved good results, so there is no need for sweat steaming as an additional treatment.
In addition, cupping and scraping can open the pores and deplete the body's vitality. Immediately following with sweat steaming may not be well-tolerated by the body. Therefore, it is recommended to wait 1-2 days after cupping and scraping before sweat steaming.
How long after cupping and scraping can one take a bath?
In general, it is recommended to wait 12-24 hours before taking a bath.
Because cupping and scraping involves scraping first and then cupping, usually on the back. After cupping and scraping, if the body's wind-cold, dampness, heat, and blood stasis cause local meridian blockages and blood stasis, there will be obvious scraping marks and cupping marks in the areas where blood stasis occurs.
During this time, the pores are open, and taking a bath too soon can easily lead to invasion of cold air. Moreover, the skin is congested and the capillaries on the surface may rupture, so bathing immediately can easily damage the compromised skin. After 12-24 hours, the pores have returned to normal, and the damaged epidermis has recovered to some extent. At this time, taking a bath will not have the problem of cold air invasion or skin damage.
How long after cupping and scraping can one exfoliate?
It is recommended to wait until the scraping marks and cupping marks on the body have faded before exfoliating. Generally, it can take 3-4 days for faster fading, and one to two weeks for slower fading.
Unlike bathing, exfoliating requires using tools to remove dirt and keratin from the skin, which involves vigorous friction on the body's skin. After cupping and scraping, the skin in the treated area is very fragile due to congestion and capillary rupture. Exfoliating at this time can easily cause skin abrasions. Therefore, it is best to wait until the scraping marks and cupping marks have faded before exfoliating.
How to identify the color of the skin after cupping?
1. After cupping, if the cupping marks appear deep red, purplish-black, or reddish, and there is slight pain when touched, accompanied by body heat, it indicates the patient has heat-toxin syndrome.
2. Sometimes, after cupping, the cupping marks appear blood red or dark red, indicating pathological reactions of long-term dampness and blood stasis.
3. After cupping, if the cupping marks appear as blisters, edema, or watery appearances, it indicates excessive dampness in the patient or illness caused by exposure to dampness.
4. If the cupping marks appear purple-red or purplish-black, without reddish or feverish symptoms, it indicates blood stasis in the patient.
5. If the cupping marks show no change in skin color and feel cool to the touch, it mostly indicates the patient has deficiency-cold syndrome.
6. If the cupping marks itch slightly or show skin lesions, it mostly indicates the patient has wind disorder.
Which is better for eliminating dampness, sweat steaming or cupping?
Comparatively, sweat steaming is better for eliminating dampness.
The principle of cupping is to achieve balance in the body by causing blood vessel rupture and bleeding through physical negative pressure. Its main function is not to eliminate dampness, but to promote meridian circulation, improve blood circulation, reduce swelling and pain, dispel wind and cold, and detoxify.
Sweat steaming uses far-infrared high temperature to make the body sweat, and during the sweating process, the cold and dampness in the body will be eliminated along with the sweat. It can also accelerate the body's metabolism, improve circulation, and remove waste and dampness from the body, which can be used to expel wind, dispel cold, warm the body, promote blood circulation, and enhance skin beauty.
Eliminating dampness primarily relies on internal treatment rather than external treatment.
Many people think that cupping can quickly eliminate dampness, but it actually cannot achieve the desired effect. Both cupping and sweat steaming can promote sweating and have a certain effect on eliminating dampness. However, due to the small amount of water expelled, the effect of eliminating dampness is actually very limited.
Patients with excessive dampness should first identify the type of dampness and use dampness-expelling medications to relieve surface symptoms. Since the root cause of excessive dampness is insufficient spleen and stomach transformation and transportation functions, after dampness is eliminated, the spleen and stomach still need to be regulated to fundamentally improve the constitution.
Precautions after cupping and scraping
1. Within two hours after cupping and scraping, avoid drinking cold beverages, eating ice watermelon, etc., and it is best not to touch cold water.
2. Do not use air conditioning or fans during the cupping and scraping process to avoid air circulation.
3. Cupping and scraping should not be done when overly full, hungry, or thirsty. It is recommended to wait one hour after a meal to perform cupping and scraping.
4. When using fire cupping, be careful not to burn or scald the skin. If the skin is burned or blisters appear due to leaving the cupping jars for too long, there is no need to treat small blisters. Just apply disinfectant gauze to prevent rubbing. If the blisters are larger, use a sterile needle to release the fluid, apply gentian violet solution, or apply a sterilized gauze bandage to prevent infection.
5. Cupping and scraping should not be performed on skin with allergies, ulcers, edema, or where large blood vessels are present. Cupping should also be avoided on the abdomen and lumbosacral area of pregnant women.
