Flash cupping therapy, as a unique form of cupping therapy, has distinct characteristics. Firstly, it has unique therapeutic effects, with strong warming and wind-dispelling capabilities; secondly, it requires high operational skills, and without proficient techniques, safe and effective treatment cannot be achieved.
Flash cupping therapy is suitable for patients with relaxed muscles, where suction is not tight or where it is difficult to retain the cup, as well as for those with local skin numbness or functional decline. It is commonly used for conditions such as wind-cold-damp bi syndrome, pain in the lower back, shoulders, arms, and legs, joint pain, soft tissue sprains and strains, as well as for colds, headaches, coughs, asthma, stomach pain, vomiting, abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea, and post-stroke sequelae. It can also yield good results in treating diseases with wind evil as a major factor, such as cervical spondylosis, facial paralysis, tinnitus, and dizziness, as well as alleviating symptoms like mouse hand, tennis elbow, and postpartum limb soreness.
The Unique Functions of Flash Cupping:
(1) Suction Effect: Similar to regular cupping, flash cupping therapy utilizes the principle of negative pressure to draw the skin and flesh into the cup, which can expel pathogenic factors from the body surface, achieving the effect of dispelling evils.
(2) Warming Effect: During flash cupping, a larger flame is used, which repeatedly passes over the skin surface, providing a roasting effect on the local tissues. The hot air inside the cup also warms the local tissues, contributing to the therapeutic effect; when the bottom of the cup is heated, it can be rolled over the local tissues to disperse cold and dampness.
(3) Massage Effect: When the cup is heated, rolling techniques from Tui Na (Chinese therapeutic massage) such as rolling, pushing, wiping, kneading, and point pressing are employed, causing passive movement of the local tissues and improving blood circulation.
Applications of Flash Cupping Therapy:
Flash cupping therapy is applicable to almost all diseases except for those with excess heat and deficiency heat. Most clinical diseases are based on deficiency, with cold, dampness, and stasis as the predominant symptoms, making them suitable for flash cupping therapy.
Flash cupping therapy has a wide range of applicability. Regular cupping therapy cannot be used on the face or hairy areas due to aesthetic concerns and poor adhesion. Flash cupping therapy does not leave cup marks and is performed quickly, allowing for the second suction before the first cup is removed. Therefore, in terms of indications and the range of application sites, flash cupping therapy is more suitable.
Supervised by: Meng Xinhui, Zhao Xiwen
Reviewed by: Shang Junan
Proofread by: Wang Hangyou
Edited by: Bai Yuquan, Zhu Tong
Source: Department of Internal Medicine II
★National Level II Class A Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
★ Gansu People’s Hospital Advantageous Discipline Medical Alliance
★Gansu• People’s Hospital Advantageous Discipline Ear, Nose, Throat, and Head and Neck Surgery Medical Alliance
★ Member Unit of Gansu Provincial TCM Hospital Medical Group
★Gansu Maternal and Child Health, Pediatric Specialty Alliance Unit
★Lanzhou University Second Hospital Gynecology Specialty Alliance Unit
★Lanzhou University First Hospital Medical Alliance Unit
★Tianshui First People’s Hospital Chest Pain Center Alliance Unit
★Longnan First People’s Hospital Medical Consortium
