Cupping: My Secret Weapon to Relieve Back Pain Quickly
By Dr. Tamar, Naturopathic Doctor
I often see men in my practice seeking solutions to their nagging back pain. Typically, these are Dads who have desk jobs by day, but on evenings and weekends take on physical tasks they haven’t necessarily prepared their bodies for, leaving them with injuries and muscle strains. Or, sitting at a desk all day, in a stressful environment, has left them with headaches and chronic back pain. In each of these cases, much of their pain has a muscular component to it, which can be efficiently addressed with a combination of cupping and acupuncture.I have always used acupuncture for back pain in my practice, but the day I purchased a set of silicone cups and started to use them, I was able to help with pain management to a whole new level. I am so grateful for these little lifesavers! Now, I can see a patient who is barely walking from pain and muscle spasming walk visibly better right after their treatment.
What is cupping? Cupping uses a silicone or glass cup (in my case, I use silicone) to which suction is applied in order to pull up the skin and tissues, allowing more blood and lymph flow to the area. Think about it as decompressing the whole area while bringing blood flow, flushing out inflammatory compounds, and facilitating the flow of healing nutrients to the area. In traditional Chinese medicine, we call it moving stagnant Qi and Blood in the area. You can get some “bruising” in the area afterwards (you may recall the Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps’ highly publicized cupping marks), which usually disappears within a week or two. Most people don’t mind the marks because of the relief they get from the treatment. The marks can be minimized by continuously moving the cups rather than keeping them in one place.
If you’re looking for some relief from your back pain, come on in to give cupping and acupuncture a try! And ladies, we’ve got your back too!
Downtown Brampton Wellness Centre
Call: 905-451-3963 or email: info@bramptonwellness.ca
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