Preface
I want to remain truthful.
I want to be free from fear.
I want to have good intentions towards everybody.
Mahatma Gandhi
Cupping is a treatment modality that has been known for thousands of years. It has proven itself in popular medicine for generations and has been tested for efficacy.
The ancient method of cupping was resurrected after the end of World War II, when medications and technical therapeutic equipment were sparse. It was forgotten in times of prosperity, even though it is a safe, fast-acting treatment method, if applied correctly. Not only can it be used alone or in conjunction with other naturopathic methods, but also in combination with procedures from orthodox medicine in many cases.
We are living in a time when the number of pathogens resistant to strong antibiotics is increasing at an alarming rate. The reason for this, in the opinion of many experts, is to be found in the excessive use of these drugs, since chemical drugs must frequently be replaced with new and stronger medicines. Cupping, on the other hand, has the great advantage of being simple and safe in its application and of being effective without drugs.
Note
With the help of cups that attach themselves firmly to the skin by suction and cause hematomas (bruises), we can remedy functional disturbances, alleviate pain, and cure illness.
Cupping is a therapeutic technique that has become the focus of my work because of the diversity of its applications.
In our modern system of medicine, it is unfortunately still used too rarely, inspite of the fact that it offers a simple yet extremely useful treatment method—particularly in disorders related to the common cold, sinusitis, rheumatic complaints, and painful muscular tension in the back.
In addition, experientially proven cupping locations have been validated scientifically by the connections discovered between the skin and inner organs via the cutivisceral or viscerocutaneous reflex paths. Hence, we never treat only one organ, but always the entire person.
Among other treatment methods, I have been using cupping for several years. My first experiences with cupping were with my mother who normallycured my sisters and I with this technique. She advocated the view that it was better in minor illnesses to stimulate the body’s self-healing than to engage “help from outside.”
There are patients who simply desire a treatment method that does not involve chemical substances, medicinal side-effects, or even iatrogenic effects. Such patients prefer a therapeutic process that, when applied during illness, strengthens the organism to the point where it becomes more resistant and healthy, from illness to illness. Cupping offers all this.
Remarks about “homeopathy as concomitant therapy” complement cupping therapy. The practitioner can determine whether homeopathy promises success in any disease pattern discussed. It is understandable that I can only point to homeopathy and mention it in passing in this book. A practitioner who wants to treat effectively cannot avoid studying the technical literature on homeopathy in more detail.
I have written this book not only for the practitioners and students of naturopathy who want to be trained in cupping therapy, but also as a source of information for readers without medical training. As more than anything, the feeling of well-being in my patients after a cupping treatment has caused curiosity and raised many questions about this treatment technique, and these questions have encouraged me to explain the medical technical terms in the language of laypersons also. I thereby give them the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the entirety of this treatment method in the quiet of their home, which is something that I have found impossible to provide my patients during clinic hours due to lack of time.
I constantly hear questions like the following: What do words like extravasation, cutis, or hyperemia mean? Who besides the specialist know these terms!?
Note
For this reason, I ask practitioners to not become annoyed or impatient when I also provide the common English words for the medical technical terms and when I illustrate certain connections that would be unnecessary for professionals.
I want to explain the process and mode of action of this therapy for the layperson too in order to facilitate communication between the practitioner and the patient. Hence, I describe the harmony of the organ systems and the functional unity of the nervous system.
In my opinion, we can avoid many disappointments, errors, and misjudgments about a treatment method when we understand fully the connections between a therapy and its effect on the human body.
Although I was familiar with the effect of cupping since my childhood, I applied it with great care in my practice initially, because I was constantly reminded of the failures that this treatment method has been blamed for due to ignorance and improper application.
Now, after many years of experience, I am taking full advantage of the marvelous opportunities that cupping presents—I have yet to see any failure or mishap.
Note
This does not mean, however, that this book can replace the physician for readers without medical training, because any major or not sufficiently obvious health issue must first be evaluated by a physician or a registered complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioner (Heilpraktiker).
Cupping is obviously also no substitute for necessary treatment with conventional medicine, such as surgery or antibiotics in acute illness.
It is the intention of this book to not only introduce a successful, newly rediscovered method in detail and indicate its potentials, but also its limitations, and thereby facilitate a safe application of cupping in any naturopathic clinic. Numerous photos clarify the text and thereby contribute to a deeper understanding.
I am grateful to any reader for constructive criticism. Heartfelt gratitude goes to my friend—who shall remain anonymous—for suggestions and criticism; to my daughter-in-law, Anne Popielski, for corrections and paperwork; and to all others who have contributed to the creation of this book.
Finally, my gratitude goes to everyone at Thieme Publishers for their interest and friendly cooperation in the publication of this book.
Hedwig Manz
| Part 1Introduction and Foundations | 1 Historical Background2 What Do We Mean by “Cupping”?3 The Therapeutic Conception of Dry Cupping4 Self-regulatory Mechanisms in the Body—A Crash Course for Patients |
1 Historical Background
If you dismiss and neglect the experience of the ancients and believe that you will find the right path only in the newest treatments, you fool yourself and the people around you.
Hippocrates
The practice of cupping is over 5000 years old. The effect has remained the same; only the cups and the technique have changed over these many years. We can find the application of suction cups in the medicine of all “primitive” people, as well as in the oldest civilizations. Reports about the art of cupping were already to be found in ancient Chinese, Hindu, and Egyptian medical scriptures. The Greek physician, Hippocrates (400 BCE), who is known as the “Father of Medicine,” was also very familiar with this method.
The