Summer is a great time for scraping and cupping, which can help to expel cold and dampness, and promote meridian circulation. But sometimes, scraping can result in dark purple lumps, what's the reason behind it?
What Causes Dark Purple Lumps during Scraping
Dark purple lumps during scraping are usually due to moderate or severe Sha syndrome.
Severe Sha syndrome refers to the appearance of one or more dark blue or dark greenish-black lumps with a diameter larger than 2 centimeters on the surface of the skin, significantly higher than other areas.
The presence of severe Sha syndrome indicates severe microcirculation disorders in the body, severe lack of oxygen in the meridians for a long time, and is often seen in more serious sub-healthy or diseased states, often with symptoms.
What Does the Color of Scraping Represent
1. Scattered Sha Points
Sha syndrome: light red, red scattered Sha points and patches, similar to other areas of the skin.
Health tip: Indicates good health, this kind of microcirculation disorder can be self-regulated by the body and healed without treatment.
2. Mild Sha Syndrome
Sha syndrome: patches of light red or red with a diameter of 1-2 centimeters, not higher than the skin surface.
Health tip: Mild microcirculation disorders, indicating mild oxygen deficiency in the meridians for a short period of time; seen in sub-healthy states without subjective symptoms.
3. Moderate Sha Syndrome
Sha syndrome: multiple patches of purple or red with a diameter larger than 2 centimeters, level with or slightly higher than the skin surface.
Health tip: Moderate microcirculation disorders, indicating moderate oxygen deficiency in the meridians for a long time, seen in sub-healthy or diseased states, sometimes with symptoms.
Reasons for Dark Purple Skin after Cupping
The dark purple color of the skin after cupping is generally due to poor blood supply and venous congestion. In general, it is caused by physical fatigue and stagnation of cold and dampness, resulting in meridian stasis, which leads to the black and purple color of the skin after cupping.
What to Do
1. This is a normal phenomenon and indicates the expulsion of cold and dampness from the body. There is no need to worry too much, as the dark purple color will gradually fade over time.
2. In addition to cupping, massage and traditional Chinese medicine hot compress can be used to promote blood circulation and meridian flow in the affected area.
3. If the dark purple marks have not faded after a month, it is recommended to seek medical attention and consider hot compress treatment. If there is no improvement, a blood platelet count should be checked.
Differentiating Skin Colors after Cupping
1. Purple marks with patches: generally indicate cold congealing and blood stasis.
2. Scattered purple spots of the marks: indicate stagnation of Qi and blood stasis.
3. Bright red marks: usually indicate Yin deficiency, Qi and blood deficiency, or excessive Yin fire.
4. Dark red marks: indicate high blood lipids and heat pathogen.
5. Gray-white marks, not warm to touch: mostly due to deficiency-cold or damp pathogen.
6. Marks with skin lines or itchiness: indicate wind pathogen or dampness.
7. Moisture inside the cup: indicates the presence of dampness in that area.
8. Blisters on the marks indicate heavy internal dampness. If there is blood in the blisters, it is a reaction to damp-heat toxin.
Precautions for Cupping
1. Avoid wind and keep warm during cupping treatment.
Avoid wind and keep warm during cupping treatment. When the room temperature is low, try to minimize exposure. In summer, do not cup in front of a fan or in places with drafts. When cupping, the skin pores open and if exposed to wind and cold, the pathogens can enter the body through the open pores, affecting the effectiveness of the treatment and potentially causing new diseases.
2. Treat only one condition at a time.
Do not cup for too long during each treatment, strictly adhere to the principle of treating only one condition at a time. Avoid large areas of cupping treatment continuously to protect the body's vitality.
For each condition, select 1-2 cupping sites when combining meridian and holographic treatment areas.
3. Drink a cup of hot water after cupping treatment.
During cupping treatment, the sweat pores open and pathogenic factors are expelled, which consumes a certain amount of body fluid. After cupping, drink a cup of hot water to replenish the lost water, promote metabolism, and accelerate the elimination of metabolic waste.
4. Pay attention to the timing of bathing after cupping.
After cupping treatment, in order to avoid the invasion of wind and cold, the skin pores need to close and return to their original state before bathing, usually about 3 hours. However, during bathing, cupping can be performed when the water has not completely dried. During bathing, the pores are slightly open, and cupping at this time is quick and effective, but keep warm.
5. Pay attention to the direction of cupping.
Do not scrape back and forth. In principle, cupping should be done from top to bottom and from the inside to the outside. For the face, scrape from the inside to the outside; for the head, scrape from the top to the surroundings; for the neck, scrape from top to bottom; for the back and waist, scrape from top to bottom and from the inside to the outside; for the chest, scrape from the inside to the outside; for the abdomen, scrape from top to bottom; for the limbs, scrape from top to bottom. After scraping one area, move on to another area, do not scrape randomly.
6. Pay attention to the duration of cupping.
The scraping time for each area should be 3-5 minutes; when using the supplementary scraping technique, the scraping time for each area should be 5-10 minutes. Typically, for a patient, 3-5 areas should be selected for scraping. For patients who do not show any signs of scraping or have minimal scraping, the appearance of Sha points or purple patches on the skin is sufficient and there is no need to force scraping.
7. Pay attention to the interval between treatments.
Before the marks from the previous cupping treatment have faded, do not scrape the same area again. There should be an interval of 3-6 days between cupping treatments, based on the disappearance of the marks on the skin. Generally, 3-5 treatments make up one course.
What are the Contraindications for Cupping
1. Patients with severe cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, liver and kidney dysfunction, and generalized edema. Cupping can cause congestion in the subcutaneous tissue, promote blood circulation, and increase the burden on the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys, aggravating the patient's condition and even endangering their life.
2. Cupping should not be used on the abdomen and lumbosacral region of pregnant women, as it may cause miscarriage.
3. Cupping should not be performed on areas with abscesses, ulcers, rashes, and unexplained lumps on the skin, as it can cause infection and spread of the wound.
4. Cupping should not be performed on areas of acute sprains, trauma, or fractures, as it can aggravate bleeding at the site of injury.
5. Cupping should not be used on individuals with contact dermatitis, as it can spread the disease to others.
6. Individuals with bleeding tendencies, such as advanced diabetes, severe anemia, leukemia, aplastic anemia, and thrombocytopenia, should avoid cupping, as the subcutaneous bleeding caused by cupping is not easily absorbed.
7. Individuals who are excessively hungry or full, or who are intoxicated, should not receive gravity or large-scale cupping, as it can cause fainting.
8. Cupping should not be performed on the eyes, lips, tongue, ear holes, nostrils, nipples, or belly button, as cupping can cause congestion in these mucous membrane areas, which cannot be restored.
