How old is cupping

Citation: Dinallo A. A reflection on cupping therapy and historical medical dominance. Int J Complement Alt Med. Download PDF. Cupping is a treatment procedure where cups are placed on the skin and then heated to create a vacuum. The pressure from the suction pulls the dermis and muscle tissues into the cup creating petechiae or in Chinese medicine, sha. Cupping therapy is a household remedy in many places throughout the world and is recently gaining scientific interest within mainstream medicine.

In Chinese medicine, cupping and other similar therapies follow the Daoist model of holism. Holism is the philosophy that systems and their properties must be viewed together, not just as a collection of parts. Daoists contended that no single being or human could exist unless they are seen in relation to nature, as an extension of the universe and as such are impacted by natural phenomenon, such as the seasons and climate, as well as by internal states, such as emotional stress.

This framework establishes a theory of knowledge that distinguishes justified belief from opinion. But are dissections the best methodology in determining or proving the effectiveness of therapies such as cupping? Thus, for cupping therapy, which has a longstanding history in a Taoist framework, dissection cannot take into account how seasons and climate, as well as internal states, such as emotional stress, impact pathology. Western medical research and education have been infatuated with understanding disease through dissection.

Human dissection in western society is coupled with the omission of cupping therapy as part of standard medical curriculum, despite its popularity in European historical societies. Some key European historical discoveries included anatomical dissections of Andreas Vesalius, published in , that challenged European fallacies regarding the relationship between structure and function of the human physiology.

To understand why cupping therapy is deemed ineffective it is important to understand the development of the concept of evidence in western medical institutions, and how obtaining evidence has had questionable and corrupt implications. In , the first French professorship for medicine was awarded to Jean Cruveilhier. The United States followed. By , 25 of the 40 medical schools in the United States began offering instruction in dissection.

Problems arose due to a limited supply of bodies and legal mechanism to obtain anatomical material. Dissection had become acceptable to academics and medical students.

As a result, medical schools were located near graveyards:. Fabled in song and story, it satisfied the growing market for fresh bodies with the newly buried corpse of private citizens. The inevitable happened, murder for the possession of corpses.

Unknown numbers of disadvantaged citizens may have been killed to this end. Murdering the living for research was indicative of the power that medical dissection and physiology had over all other types of medical discoveries. Rene Descartes , an influential philosopher, suggested that the mind and body were separate substances, that the mind was distinct from matter. Similarly, Christian religious figures promoted the notion of the body bearing original sin and promoted a separation of body and spirit Stargrove, personal communication , October 2nd.

This fragmentation had serious consequences for the lives lost at the hands of unjust medical doctors all for the sake of obtaining evidence. They received positive reviews from the scientific community for their publication Ernst and Singh reviewed various alternative practices, ranging from acupuncture and cupping therapy, to homeopathy. Perceived benefits of alternative therapy were explained only by dynamics of therapeutic processes or the placebo effect.

The cupping procedure and its visible aspects are likely to generate an above average placebo response. Few seem to be searching for what the technique actually does to improve health or relieve pain. The proposed mechanism of how cupping is supposed to work is increasing the blood flow to affected areas, relaxing the muscles, and reducing overall inflammation.

It is unclear how these benefits would help conditions such as asthma, but many say that if the practice works, it need not be researched further. This does not make for a safe, medically approved practice. Because cupping does not have to break the skin, it is perceived as very low risk, perhaps even more so than acupuncture. But there are possible side effects, even for dry cupping, some of which may be serious.

There have also been reports of cupping worsening some skin diseases. On the more serious end, some recipients have been burned from inappropriate application of cups during fire cupping, and also received burn-like wounds from repeated treatments in the same location from reduced circulation and repeated bruising.

There is also a possibility of skin or wound infections being contracted in wet cupping if the tools and treatment area are not properly sanitized. Most distressing of all, some may seek cupping as a treatment for serious conditions such as cancer. This has already been the case for one Chinese celebrity who died in after choosing cupping and Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat leukemia.

Perhaps the best way to prevent the misguided use of cupping would be to conduct rigorous studies of what the technique can and cannot do. While some will not be convinced, it may help deter others from putting themselves at risk by foregoing more appropriate treatment. As with other complementary and alternative medicines, some patients will seek out and receive these treatments regardless of proof of their effectiveness.

However, if the practice is studied more thoroughly, its risks can be properly categorized, the practice better regulated, and its benefits explained—even if they amount only to relaxation. This will allow recipients to make better decisions about their health. Learn more at marieltishma.

Winter Sections History Essays. Where ancient method of cupping using cow horns is practised. Credit: Wellcome Collection. CC BY Maybe your chest hurts from coughing, or maybe your muscles ache. Would you take it? Even if a doctor can offer you no proof that it works? In the case of cupping, many do. Mohamed K. Tamer S. Alfred S. Dearlove, A. Verguei, N. Birkin, and P. Alireza Ahmadi, David C. Chen, B. Li, P. Liu, Y. Guo, and Z. Ahmadi, Alireza, David C.

Schwebel, and Mansour Rezaei. DOI: Albinali, Hajar A Hajar. The underlying skin is sucked or raised partway into the cup. As a result blood flow to the affected area is enhanced, which in turn activates the immune system, flushes the area, and stretches the tissue. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that cupping therapy remained an integral part of ancient medicine in one form or another. There are conflicting opinions regarding the pioneers of this ancient practice, some consider the Chinese to be the inventors of cupping, while the earliest pictographic records suggest that it is the ancient Egyptians who invented this technique at around B.

The Ebers Papyrus — one of the oldest medical textbooks — mentions the use of cupping by the ancient Egyptians for treating various ailments such as menstrual imbalances, weakened appetite, fever, vertigo and pain. Moreover, drawings of cupping were also discovered on the Temple of Kom Ombo near Luxor. Kom Ombo is regarded as one of the most ancient cities of Egypt. In the Chinese tradition, the evidence of the use of cupping therapy can be traced back to the early Han Dynasty.

Ge Hong — a famous herbalist and alchemist during the Jin Dynasty is considered the first to use this technique in China. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates — a physician by profession and who is regarded as the father of modern medicine, used cupping therapy for treating internal disease and structural problems.