Red marks from Chinese Flask Massage

[bash]

As part of my acupuncture treatment for tinnitus, the doctor used hot vacuum flasks on my back. I now have four red marks on my back where the flasks were. Is this normal? How long will they take to go away?

Thanks!

 

[JustRide132]

I've not heard of chinese flask massage but I do chinese cupping and the marks can take anything from an hour to a week to disappear.

 

[Tee Shirt]

Hi Rhienne,

That sounds like cupping to me too. They really should have told you what they were doing and that the cups can leave marks - it's called informed consent...

It's nothing to worry about though as long as you can bear the marks. Like Guruholistics says, it depends how severe the marks are as to how long they'll take to disappear. If it's any consolation, the marks are a good sign that the treatment was needed.

I hope acupuncture helps you - tinnitus must be hard to live with.

Best wishes.

 

[Mao]

Thanks very much! Its a relief to know that they're normal!

Could someone explain to me what the theory behind cupping is? I haven't had it done before and I'm curious!

Thank you for your help!

 

[Rhodesha]

Cupping hit the front pages of the tabloids when Gwyneth Paltrow sported the marks as fashion accessories in a low-backed top...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3879447.stm

It has several uses in Chinese medicine. It can be used to move energy stagnation, often in achey muscles. This can be done using massage oil and sliding the cups. It's a similar feeling to a massage, but sometimes the pulling sensation feels better than pushing.

It is also commonly used to expel pathogens. In chinese medicine these could be in the form of cold (like the common cold), heat, damp, wind to name a few. Although these seem like foreign concepts many people have arthritis which is worse in the damp (this would be a damp invasion) or the heat (heat invasion) for instance. Cupping is used in Easten Europe for this same purpose and I've even seen hieroglyphics of cups on a temple wall in Egypt.

Another (possibly less common) way the can be used is to tonify the energy of a certain organ.

I'm sure there are more uses as there are many branches and theories within Chinese medicine, but I hope this helps with some understanding