Table Of ContentThe Art of Cupping
Hedwig Manz
Private Practice
Berlin, Germany
60 illustrations
Thieme
Stuttgart · New York
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Preface V
Preface
Iwanttoremaintruthful.
Iwanttobefreefromfear.
Iwanttohavegoodintentionstowardseverybody.
MahatmaGhandi
Cupping is a treatment modality that has been known for thousands of
years. It has proven itself in popular medicine for generations and has
beentestedforefficacy.
Theancientmethodofcuppingwasfrequentlyresurrectedaftertheendof
World War II, when medications and technical therapeutic equipment
were sparse. In times of prosperity, it was forgotten, even though it is a
safe,fast-actingtreatmentmethod,ifappliedcorrectly.Itcanbeusedalone
orinconjunctionwithothernaturopathicmethods,butalsoinmanycases,in
combinationwithproceduresfromorthodoxmedicine.
Wearelivingatatimewhenthenumberofpathogensresistanttostrong
antibioticsisincreasingatanalarmingrate.Thereasonforthis,intheopi-
nionofmanyexperts,istobefoundintheexcessiveuseofthesedrugs,since
chemical drugs must frequently be replaced with new and stronger medi-
cines.Cupping,ontheotherhand,hasthegreat advantageofbeing simple
and safe in its application and of being effective without drugs. With the
helpofcupsthatattachthemselvesfirmlytotheskinbysuctionandcause
hematomas (bruises), we can remedy functional disturbances, alleviate
pain,andcureillness.
Cuppingisatherapeutictechniquethathasbecomethefocusofmywork
becauseofthediversityof itsapplications.Inourmodernsystemofmedi-
cine,itisunfortunatelystillusedtoorarely,inspiteofthefactthatitoffers
a simple yet extremely useful treatment method—particularly in disorders
related to the common cold, sinusitis, rheumatic complaints, and painful
musculartensionintheback.
Inaddition,experientiallyprovencuppinglocationshavebeenvalidated
scientifically by the connections discovered between the skin and inner
organsviathecutivisceralorviscerocutaneousreflexpaths.Hence,wenever
treatonlyoneorgan,butalwaystheentireperson.
Among other treatment methods, I havebeen using cupping for several
years.Myfirstexperienceswithcuppingarethankstomymotherwhocom-
monlycured my sisters and I with this technique. She advocated the view
VI Preface
thatitwasbetterinminorillnessestostimulatethebody’sself-healingthan
toengage“helpfromoutside.”
Therearesimplypatientswhodesireatreatment methodthatdoesnot
involve chemical substances, medicinal side-effects, or even iatrogenic ef-
fects.Suchpatientspreferatherapeuticprocessthatstrengthenstheorgan-
ism,whenapplied inillness,tothepoint whereitbecomesmoreresistant
andhealthyfromillnesstoillness.Cuppingoffersallthis.
Remarksabout“homeopathyasconcomitanttherapy”complementcup-
pingtherapy.Hereby,thepractitionercandeterminewhetherhomeopathy
promises success in any disease pattern discussed. It is understandable
thatIcanonlypointtohomeopathyandmentionitinpassinginthisbook.
The practitioner who wants to treat effectively cannot avoid studying the
technicalliteratureonhomeopathyinmoredetail.
I have written this book for practitioners and students of naturopathy
whowanttobetrainedincuppingtherapy,butalsoasinformationforread-
ers without medical training. Because, more than anything, the feeling of
well-being in my patients after a cupping treatment has caused curiosity
and many questions about this treatment technique, these questions have
encouraged me to explain medical technical terms also in the language of
laypersons. I thereby give them the opportunity to familiarize themselves
withtheentiretyofthistreatmentmethodinthequietoftheirhome,which
is something that I have found impossible to provide my patients during
clinichoursduetolackoftime.
Iconstantlyhearquestionslikethefollowing:Whatdowordslikeextra-
vasation,cutis,orhyperemiamean?Whobesidesthespecialistknowthese
terms!?Forthisreason,Iaskpractitionerstonotbecomeannoyedorimpa-
tient when I have also supplied the common English for medical technical
termsandwhenIhaveillustratedcertainconnectionsthatwouldbeunne-
cessaryforprofessionals.
Ialsowanttoexplaintheprocessandmodeofactionofthistherapyfor
the layperson in order to facilitate communication between practitioner
and patient. Hence, I also describe the harmony of the organ systems and
the functional unity of the nervous system. In my opinion, we can avoid
manydisappointments,errors,andmisjudgmentsaboutatreatmentmethod
whenweunderstandfullytheconnectionsbetweenatherapyanditseffect
onthehumanbody.
Although I have been very familiar with the effect of cupping since my
childhood,Iapplieditinitiallyonlywithgreatcareinmypractice,because
I constantly had in mind thefailures that this treatment method has been
blamedforduetoignoranceandimproperapplication.Now,afterlongyears
ofexperience,Itakefulladvantageofthemarvelousopportunitiesthatcup-
Preface VII
pingpresents—Ihaveyettoseeanyfailuresormishaps.Thisdoesnotmean,
however,thatthisbookcanreplacethephysicianforreaderswithoutmed-
icaltraining,becauseanymajorornotsufficientlyobvioushealthissuemust
firstbeevaluatedbyaphysicianorregisteredcomplementaryandalterna-
tivemedicine(CAM)practitioner(Heilpraktiker).Cuppingisobviouslyalso
nosubstitutefor necessarytreatment with conventionalmedicine,suchas
surgeryorantibioticsinacuteillness.
Itistheintentionofthisbooktointroduceasuccessful,newlyrediscov-
eredmethodindetailandtoindicateitspotentials,butalsoitslimitations,
andtherebyfacilitateasafeapplicationofcuppinginanynaturopathicclinic.
Numerous illustrations clarify the text and thereby contribute to a deeper
understanding.
Iamgratefultoanyreaderforconstructivecriticism.Heartfeltgratitude
goestomyfriend—whoshallremainanonymous—forsuggestionsandcriti-
cism;tomydaughter-in-law,AnnePopielski,forcorrectionsandpaperwork;
andtoallotherswhohavecontributedtothecreationofthisbook.Finally,
my gratitude goes to everyone at Thieme Publishers for their interest and
friendlycooperationinthepublicationofthisbook.
HedwigManz
VIII Contents
Contents
Preface _ V
I IntroductionandFoundations _ 1
1 HistoricalBackground _ 3
2 WhatDoWeMeanby“Cupping”? _ 5
3 TheTherapeuticConceptionofDryCupping _ 9
4 Self-regulatoryMechanismsintheBody
—ACrashCourseforPatients _ 18
II ClinicalApplicationsofCuppingTherapy _ 31
5 DryCupping _ 33
6 WetCupping _ 49
III CuppingTherapyofIndicatedDisordersandComplaints _ 53
7 DisordersoftheHead _ 56
8 RespiratoryTracts _ 65
9 CardiovascularDisease _ 80
10 DigestiveOrgans _ 87
11 LocomotorSystem _ 104
12 ReproductiveOrgans _ 116
13 UrinaryTracts _ 133
14 NervousSystem _ 138
15 VenousDisorders _ 145
16 Obesity(Adipositas,Overweight) _ 147
17 Cellulitis(AdipositasCircumscriptaOedematosa);
Cellulite(DermatopanniculosisDeformans) _ 150
IV CuppingTherapyinConventionalWesternMedicine _ 153
18 CuppingasSupportiveTherapywithinConventional
WesternMedicine _ 155
V Appendix _ 165
Conclusion _ 167
FurtherReading _ 168
I
Introduction and Foundations
1 HistoricalBackground _ 3
2 WhatDoWeMeanby“Cupping”? _ 5
3 TheTherapeuticConceptionofDryCupping _ 9
4 Self-regulatoryMechanismsintheBody
—ACrashCourseforPatients _ 18
