An Investigation into Vacuum Pressure on the Cupping Therapy

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) cupping is a method of applying acupressure by creating a vacuum on the patient's skin to dispel stagnation-stagnant blood and lymph, thereby improving qi flow - to treat respiratory diseases such as the common cold, pneumonia and bronchitis. The Chinese have been doing this since ancient times by using heat inside bamboo cups. Nowadays, suction pump is used to create the vacuum. It can also leave temporary bruised but painless marks on the skin and there completely will not have the risk of burns. New silicone cupping therapeutic cups are available, an innovation for cupping therapy and its wider acceptance. Vacuum cupping creates an increase in blood circulation, a rise of skin temperature, the promotion of metabolism within the skin tissue, better functioning of sweat and sebaceous glands. In this study, a simulated vacuum chamber was designed to investigate the therapeutic effects of vacuum pressure. The results showed that the finger tip temperature (Ts) increased with vacuum pressure (Pv). There was a linear relationship between the suction height (H) and the vacuum pressure (Pv). The thermal images of this study provided the therapists with very useful information in understanding the therapeutic effects of vacuum pressure.

並列關鍵字

Cupping ； Vacuum pressure ； Suction height

國際替代計量

全文下載

主題瀏覽