Crowded cities, air pollution and high rates for cancer, all are pushing Chinese people to search for more ways of preventing diseases and become healthier. The Chinese suction therapy thus stands out…
Chinese Suction Therapy: Ancient And Unique
Suction therapy in China has a long history. Even though suction therapy originated in ancient Greece, the suction therapy in China, also called cupping therapy, has its own features. It can be dated back to 1000 B.C., Qin Dynasty, with the animals’ horns as original tools. Through making a vacuum in a cup, the patient’s skin can be drawn upwards in it, activating the blood vessels and nerves under the skin. This therapy can be applied to treat various diseases or discomforts, such as bronchitis, pneumonia, anemia, high blood pressure, muscle knots, pain or swelling. Two different types compose Chinese suction therapy, dry cupping and wet cupping therapy.
Compared with other traditional therapies, suction therapy has its own features. Acupuncture and scrapping therapy are major Chinese therapies in China. According to an estimate, there have been hundreds of acupuncture and scrapping therapy clinics in Shanghai. Acupuncture (In Chinese 针灸 zhēnjiǔ) is the therapy in which the needles are inserted into patients’ skins at acupuncture point to relieve pain or discomfort. Scrapping therapy (in Chinese 刮痧 Gua sha, meaning “scraping sha-bruises”) is the one in which someone needs to scrap the patients’ backs with a coin or a piece of glass dipped in oil or water. Both require a professional therapist to help finish the process. For the suction therapy, some type of therapy needs to be implemented by doctors or therapists after consultation, innovative suction cups have been invented and produced to be used by patients themselves at home. Fire or medicine is not necessary if this is only for prevention. Besides, suction therapy will not cause skin infections if it is used properly while acupuncture’s outcome is a tiny needle hole.
Low Health Rate Causes Desire For Health
Chinese people’s attitudes about health are heading toward prevention rather than treatment. More attention has been paid to the healthcare market in recent years, that is related to food, beverage or lifestyle. Vegetables and tea beverages are preferred while junk food is more and more abandoned. Having sports is preferred while staying at home. The expenditure of medicine in China has amounted to over 75 billion dollars, following the United States and Japan. The GDP for healthcare industry has reached 2,480 billion RMB in 2015. Most of the people fall into the category of a sub-healthy group with slight or serious diseases. Even though people get ill inevitably, they tend to choose treatments with negligible harm and side effects to human body. Thus, Chinese therapy is recommended and preferred by people at home and even abroad.
Chinese suction therapy will not disappear under doubts and oppositions. Some scientists and doctors pose opposition against suction therapy, holding the belief that using it wrongly may cause other diseases such as skin infections. They also think that suction therapy is not based on scientific theory and enough clinical experiments and data. However, as an effective therapy, Chinese suction therapy serves for prevention and treatment, which caters to people’s needs. Besides, you can see high encouragement from the government and emerging innovation for this suction cup therapy that help to promote its popularity. As long as it is used under doctors’ supervision, people can benefit a lot from it without side effects and harms. The worse environment and working pressure urge people to pay attention to healthcare and disease prevention. The National Ministry of Health has strived to build a healthcare service system, which featured Chinese medicine and therapy. In China, the output value of Chinese medicine has reached over 500 billion RMB in 2015, accounting for over 1/3 of the whole medicine market. Meanwhile, Chinese suction therapy has been promoted to other countries, including the United States, Australia, and Canada. The innovation of tools is a breakthrough. Instead of using bamboos and porcelain as main tools, glass stands out as the new tools, which is both convenient and hygienic.
As both tradition and treatment, Chinese suction therapy will not disappear. It will even be more popular for its positive effect and people’s preference. More efficient and innovative suction therapy will emerge in the future. Indeed, it will derive new tools and techniques from science and technology.
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