Fatigue, abdominal bloating, diarrhea, headaches…
The dog days of summer can be quite challenging.
Experts teach you how to effectively use cupping therapy to expel dampness,
This method of conditioning is essential to learn!
Cupping is possible during the dog days of summer
Cupping therapy can be performed throughout the year, including summer. During the dog days, the heat and humidity can make people feel sticky and heavy, often leading to a desire for coolness. At this time, wind, cold, and dampness can invade the body.
In TCM, there are two common methods to treat pathogenic factors: one is to use herbs that disperse wind, relieve the exterior, and induce sweating to expel pathogens; the other is to use cupping to draw out pathogens. By cupping on the affected areas and acupuncture points, pathogens can be extracted, achieving effects such as relieving muscle tension, promoting circulation, and alleviating pain.
Cupping can expel dampness and strengthen the spleen and stomach
According to TCM, the spleen governs transportation and transformation, converting food into the essential substances needed by the body and distributing them throughout.
During the dog days, dampness can easily invade the body. Once dampness obstructs the spleen, it can lead to dysfunction of the spleen and stomach, often resulting in symptoms such as loss of appetite, stomach bloating, and diarrhea.
There are five acupuncture points used for cupping to expel dampness and treat stomach ailments, resembling a plum blossom, also known as the Five Plum Blossom Points.
Zhongwan Point is the front-mu point of the stomach, meaning that the stomach qi gathers here. Stimulating this point can directly affect the stomach. When the stomach is not well, pressing this point will elicit a sour pain sensation.
Shangwan Point and Xiawan Point are located above and below Zhongwan Point, respectively, corresponding to the shape of the stomach.
Liangmen Point is an acupuncture point on the stomach meridian, serving as the gateway for stomach qi to enter and exit, and is an important auxiliary point for treating stomach diseases.
Cupping to expel dampness and treat diarrhea can utilize the Tian Shu Point and Qi Hai Point.
On either side of the navel, there is a Tian Shu Point, which is the front-mu point of the large intestine, where the qi of the large intestine gathers. If there is abdominal pain or diarrhea, gently pressing the Tian Shu Point will reveal a significant sour pain sensation.
Qi Hai Point is located 1.5 cun below the navel and is known as the Huang Zhi Yuan Point, corresponding to the body’s original qi. Qi Hai Point is a key health point that can be used to expel internal pathogenic factors and also to boost the body’s righteous qi.
Cupping can relieve fatigue
In TCM, clear yang has three characteristics: clear yang emerges from the upper orifices, turbid yin emerges from the lower orifices; clear yang fills the four limbs; clear yang penetrates the skin.
During the dog days, if a person experiences symptoms such as soreness, fatigue, heaviness, laziness, and tiredness, it is often due to dampness invading the body, leading to dampness obstructing clear yang. When clear yang is obstructed, it cannot rise normally to the head, causing a sensation of heaviness in the head, manifesting as dizziness, headaches, and a heavy head; if clear yang cannot fill the limbs, it results in general fatigue and heaviness.
To relieve summer fatigue, one can first undergo extensive dispersive treatment using moving cupping. Additionally, one can select the Pi Shu and Wei Shu points, which are closely related to dampness, and retain the cups at these points. The combination of moving cupping and retaining cups enhances the effect of expelling dampness.
What is moving cupping? Click the video below to see experts explain it on-site↓↓↓
Cupping can relieve a heavy head
During the dog days, if one feels unclear in the head, experiencing headaches, heaviness, and discomfort, TCM believes this is due to dampness obstructing the clear yang, leading to a sensation of heaviness in the head.
Cupping for dampness obstructing headaches can utilize the Yuzhong Point and Taiyang Point.
Yuzhong Point, also known as an extraordinary point, is located at the midpoint connecting the hairline and the glabella. This is one of the most commonly used points for treating various headaches.
Taiyang Point is prone to external pathogenic factors, such as wind, cold, and dampness, and is also known as the nest of the bandits. Due to the protection of the sphenoid bone, cupping at the Taiyang Point is relatively safe.
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Health Road Program Broadcast Time
“Clever Use of Small Cups During the Dog Days”
△ First Broadcast: July 29, 18:05
△ Rebroadcast: Next Day 08:28
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Article edited by: Bo Ran Editor: Bai Xia
