Suckers are containers used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat mainly chronic pain, but also other pathologies. If you want to use this technique, get someone else to help you, instead of trying to apply these suction cups yourself.

Part 1, the preparation:

1- Locate the area to be treated:
 Locate the place on the body where to place these suction cups. To treat pain and curvature, it is imperative to apply these suction cups on the painful area.
– Target the muscle group concerned and identify the pain points.
– Note that the most fleshy areas like the back, belly, arms and legs are ideal for applying these cupping.
– Do not use this technique if you feel palpitations. Do not place these suction cups on an artery, deep vein thrombosis or ulcer.
– If you use the cupping technique apart from chronic pain, such as depression, bronchial congestion, consult a qualified acupuncturist to determine the best treatment to apply.

2- Clean the skin on which the suction cups will be placed:
– Use water and soap, then dry with a clean towel.
– If possible remove the hair on the part to be treated. The suction created during the process can pull parts of duvets or hair necessarily causing some pain that could have been avoided.

3- Spread oil on your skin:
– Take a small amount of cream or oil that you put on the area to be treated, then make it penetrate well.
– – This step is optional. So you can go directly to the next point.
Do not neglect this action because it helps to limit irritation and move the suction cups easier to reposition during treatment.
To optimize the results, choose a cream known to health professionals and often sold in pharmacies or a vegetable oil like calendula, having a soothing property. Do not use products that have a heating effect or increase blood circulation since the suction cups will produce this effect by circulating the blood to the surface of the treated area.

4- Prepare the suction cups:
– Wash the glass containers you intend to use with warm, slightly salty water. Dry them gently.
– The thick glass containers are the most suitable, but those in pottery, metal, plastic or bamboo, may also be suitable.
– You must get at least 2 sizes of suction cups. Use as many 125 ml containers as 60 ml containers. Prefer cupping with narrow opening rather than wide opening.
– Mix 125 ml of salt in 500 ml of water to clean the suction cups. This solution will have a slightly cleaner effect. Rinse the suction cups thoroughly under running water and then dry thoroughly with a clean towel.

Part 2, use:

1- Take a cotton and impregnate with alcohol of the alcohol type at 90 °. Grab your sterile cotton with a long, medical-grade forceps. Dip this cotton in a container containing the alcohol until it is completely impregnated with this liquid.
– You can get a support other than cotton like paper or dried herbs, if it remains flammable.
– Remove the excess alcohol by compressing the cotton slightly. The cotton must remain wet, without dripping.

2- Light the cotton by directing the flame on the material. Use a lighter or candle and lightly turn on the cotton. Stabilize the cotton well with your pliers.
– Make sure you have closed the container containing the alcohol before handling with fire. A bottle left open may represent a real fire hazard.
– Keep other possible supports away from your work area to reduce the risk of unintentional fire and burns.
– You must control all the steps. If you can not control the flame, use a non-flammable material to stop the oxygen feeding the fire. The flame will go out.

3- Place the inflamed cotton in a sucker. Insert the burning cotton into a first sucker and leave it inside for 2 to 5 seconds until this sucker becomes warm.
– Do not go over a certain temperature. The suction cup must be hot enough when you take it with your bare hands, without getting burned. A sucker that is too hot can cause burns for you, but also for the person being treated.
– If you use multiple suction cups, continue to handle each cotton with your forceps over the entire treatment. Put your pliers once all the suction cups placed on the areas to be treated. If you only have one suction cup, you can let your cotton burn inside. Do this just before placing the suction cup on the skin.
– The flame is powered by the oxygen in the suction cup. This point is important in the process of aspiration on the skin that may be too intense if the amount of oxygen is high.

4- Position the suction cup quickly. Once you have removed the cotton from the suction cup, turn it over and place it on the skin of the area to be treated.
– When the suction cup becomes colder, the space covered by it will be sucked. This suction will create a suction that will hold the suction cup in place. A mark corresponding to the opening of the suction cup can also appear.
– The principle of suction opens the pores of the skin and promote blood circulation. The stagnant blood is removed in favor of a new blood flow circulating in the treated area. This blood entering the tissues will allow this part of the body to benefit from oxygen improving the state of health of the patient.

5- Repeat if necessary. Apply a suction cup at first. Heat each suction cup with the cotton that burns while burning, then turn it over and place it on the skin. Continue until all suction cups are in place.
– For the bony parts of the body, take the suction cups of 60 ml.
– For fairly large and fleshy areas, use the 125 ml suction cups instead.

6- Turn off the flame. Remove the flame by putting the cotton in a fireproof container and close with a lid.
– So you smother the flame by cutting off the influx of oxygen needed to keep a fire going.
– Small flames may still exist in an open container. However, practitioners recommend turning them off completely if you do not use them for safety reasons. The flame may be small enough that you can extinguish it by blowing on it.

7- Leave the suction cups 5 to 10 minutes. Keep the suction cups on the skin for 10 minutes or until the skin under the suction pad changes from red to purple. Remove the suction cups by hand.
– 10 minutes are the ideal time for cupping, for most diseases to treat, but 5 minutes are enough to reap some benefits. Do not go beyond 15 minutes.
– If the suction becomes too painful to bear, remove the suction cups before the time has elapsed.

Part 3, after removal of the suction cups:

1- Expect bruises and marks. Suckers almost always show bruises. In most cases, these marks are not very painful and disappear after 3 to 4 days without any special treatment.
– In some patients, these marks can sometimes stay longer than a week. If these marks persist for more than a week or worsen, consult a doctor.
– These bruises are valuable indicators in the treatment. Deep purple marks are signs of significant blood stagnation, reinforcing the need to treat this area. This area will be taken more carefully and will be further treated with suction cups or other techniques.

2- Take care of any bulbs that may appear. In very rare cases, the suction cups can cause light bulbs or larger. Care for them seriously by piercing, drying, and then disinfecting them.
– Disinfect a suitable needle or pin with alcohol at 90 ° for example, then drill the bulb with the tip of this accessory.
– After piercing the ampoule, gently press the liquid out through the hole made with the needle or pin to dry it.
– Apply antibiotic ointment and sterile bandage to the area.

3- Use this cupping technique without excess. Cupping can be done regularly, but do not abuse this technique that could be harmful to your health. Do not exceed 15 minutes per zone or do not exceed 2 times per day.
– You can repeat this technique daily over 10 days. After this period, allow a day or two to pass, then start the cycle again.

Tips
– If the suction cups work well for you, consider buying your own equipment. There are boxes of suction cups of different sizes, with an air pump creating the principle of suction without you using fire.

Warnings:
– Do not use the suction cups if you are pregnant or indisposed. If you suffer from fractures, muscle contractures or cancerous metastases, avoid this technique.
– Use suction cups after consulting a professional. This technique does not always work and can sometimes make a situation worse.
– Another method known as bleeding can be practiced. Bleeding appears in the sucker after tapping with a needle the skin under which the suction cup is located. This technique must be performed by an experienced professional and not at home.