Cupping therapy with fire is a traditional and oldest cupping technique. Cupping therapy using fire has been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine, as well as in many forms of folk and traditional medicine worldwide, including Europe. Heating the inside of the cup with an open flame creates a vacuum inside the cup. When we properly and quickly apply the cup to the body, this vacuum will suck it onto the skin. In this article, you will learn step-by-step how to safely perform fire cupping.
Table of Contents:
1) What cups can be used for fire cupping?
2) Places to apply the cups
3) Before applying the cups
4) How to heat the cups?
5) Fire Cupping
6) How to remove the cups?
7) Contraindications Summary
What cups can be used for fire cupping?
Firstly, we need to choose the right type of cups. Not every cup can be used with fire, only those specially designed for this purpose. The most popular type of fire cups is glass cups. They can be purchased separately or in ready-made cupping sets. Glass cups are probably the first cups that come to mind when we hear the term "cupping therapy" or when we remember the treatments that our mothers and grandmothers used.
Another type of cup that can be used is bamboo or copper cups. Bamboo cups were used long before glass cups became popular. In ancient times, either such cups or "cups" made of horns of various animals were used. Although bamboo is flammable, we do not have to worry about setting it on fire! It is heated for a very short time - too short for it to catch fire. Copper cups are also called Tibetan cups. They are definitely more durable than glass cups, which can be broken.
However, plastic, rubber-glass, rubber, or silicone cups, i.e., those made of synthetic materials, are not suitable for fire cupping.
Places to apply the cups
Cups are traditionally applied to the back for respiratory problems or upper respiratory tract infections. Cups can also be used in more advanced therapies that use acupuncture points (in Traditional Chinese Medicine) or Head zones (in physiotherapy or holistic medicine). You will learn more about different cupping therapies from other articles that will appear on our blog.
Before applying the cups
Before placing the cup on the back or any other part of the body, the skin should be moistened with any natural massage oil. For example, you can use such an oil as the Gua Sha oil available in our store.
How to heat the cups?
To heat the cup, we need an open flame source (a flame). The safest way is to use a special heater called a "kwak" in Polish. It is a metal rod wrapped in fabric or cotton, soaked in alcohol or denatured alcohol at one end. It creates a kind of small, portable torch that is inserted into the cup.
How to heat up a cupping glass?
To heat up a cupping glass, we need an open flame source (a flame). The safest way to do this is to use a "kwacz," a special heater. It is a metal rod wrapped in fabric or cotton wool soaked in alcohol or denatured alcohol. It creates a small, portable torch that is inserted into the cupping glass.
We can also use a piece of cotton wool soaked in denatured alcohol or spirit, held with a tong (the tong allows us to lock the handle, thus reducing the risk of the burning material falling onto the patient, which could happen if we held it with tweezers, for example).
We must have a lighter or a glowing burner ready to quickly light the kwacz because it will likely go out during the procedure.
Placing medical fire cupping glasses
Once we have prepared the cupping glasses, heater, and lighter, we can proceed to place the cups.
To place the cupping glass, we light the kwacz and take it in our weaker hand (left if we are right-handed, right if we are left-handed). Note! Throughout the procedure, we always keep the kwacz outside of the patient's area, never over them. We take the cupping glass in the other hand. We keep the hand with the burning kwacz stationary in front of us and place the cupping glass on it so that the kwacz is inside the glass. At the same time, we take care not to touch the edges of the cupping glass with the kwacz. Then, we make two or three circular movements with the cupping glass, remove it from the kwacz, and apply it to the chosen area of the body. We release the cupping glass, and the vacuum created inside it will suck it onto the skin. Done! We can move on to placing the next cupping glass.
How to remove fire cupping glasses from the skin?
To remove the cupping glass safely and painlessly, we do not pull it off but instead gently squeeze the skin near the cupping glass. This way, the cupping glass will detach on its own.
Contraindications
When placing cupping glasses, we must remember the basic safety rules and contraindications. You can read more about these rules in a separate article on our blog.
Summary
To summarize, fire cupping is a technique that has been known for many centuries. We use glass, bamboo, or copper cups for the procedure. In addition to the cups, we also need a heating device called a kwacz, as well as alcohol or denatured alcohol and a lighter. We hold the lit kwacz in one hand and place a cup on it with the other hand, perform a few circular movements, and apply it to the skin. The negative pressure created inside the cup will do the rest! The procedure is simpler than it might seem - we just need to remember the basic safety rules and contraindications.
