A California woman in her 60s found herself covered in horrible blisters after falling asleep while performing a cupping massage on her back via a pump.
Acupuncture, reiki, naturopathy, feng shui… alternative medicine is increasingly popular among Westerners. And even if some are sometimes skeptical about their effectiveness, we would tend to think that they are risk-free. A Californian in her sixties could, however, affirm the opposite. Indeed, after trying to perform a cupping massage on herself, the unfortunate woman found herself covered in horrible blisters, as reported by the newspaper. JAMA Dermatology.
This Californian injured her shoulder and had the idea of relieving her pain by trying cupping therapy herself. So she decided to use a pump to perform her massage. Unfortunately for her, she fell asleep in the middle of the operation. Waking up 30 minutes later, she discovered horribly painful blisters on her back, and immediately rushed to the hospital.
A Woman Fell Asleep During Cupping Therapy. She Woke Up with Bizarre Blisters. https://t.co/NLnEs7qC03 pic.twitter.com/iVjDoZALYp
—Live Science (@LiveScience) December 12, 2018
“The pressure was strong enough to cut the skin in two, separating the two normal layers,” explains Dr Maria Wei, author of the article, to the site. LiveScience. “This case proves that it is essential to be followed by a professional when making a suction cup message with a mechanical device. Correctly controlled, there should be no problems”, she continues.
A technique dating from before Jesus Christ
This isn’t the first time a scientific journal has reported a case of cupping massage gone wrong. In 2017, an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia reported 20 such cases that took place between 2009 and 2016 around the world. A 34-year-old man was notably found with 5% of his body burned after a container of methylated alcohol spilled on his right side, catching fire. The newspaper did not report whether these incidents took place under the supervision of a professional or not.
Cupping massage is an age-old alternative remedy (the Egyptians already used it 3000 years ago) based on the concept that pain is caused by stagnant blood and too low an energy flow. To overcome this, professionals use glass, plastic or silicone suction cups to suck on the skin and increase blood flow, the aim being to give the muscles oxygen and nutrients and to release toxins and tension associated with back and neck pain.
By bringing the blood to the surface of the skin, cupping causes huge but harmless bruises that disappear naturally after two to three weeks. If everything goes normally…
See below a cupping massage performed in China:
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