Great Balls of Fire

After having suffered from back problems for years thanks to an unfortunate playground swing set mishap as a teenager, I've been trying to make the most of Taiwan's National Health Insurance coverage to help my problems while I can afford to.  I've been going pretty regularly to a Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic for $5 subsidized acupuncture and massage treatments, which have helped my back a lot!  

At my last visit, my massage therapist man who, after calling me out on all my bad habits based solely on my involuntary flinching and pained facial expressions: "You didn't go to sleep until after midnight last night, did you?  Your stomach's been upset recently, drink more hot water.  Stop sleeping with your hands by your head,"  suggested that I try the traditional Chinese treatment of FIRE CUPPING on my next visit.

If you have never heard of fire cupping, you're in for a treat!  

Fire cupping is when a practitioner sticks a flaming torch inside a glass cup for a split second -- just enough time for the fire to suck the air out of the cup -- before sticking it to the patient's skin.  The cup creates a vacuum and suctions to the skin, sucking it up inside like a big disgusting looking boil.  After applying 10-15 cups, the patient is left "relax" for a while before the cups are removed.

Before getting the treatment, I wasn't too sure what it was supposed to do... and afterwards, I'm still not too sure!  I think it has something to do with acupressure points on the body, qi, and increasing blood flow to certain areas  -- kind of like the opposite of acupuncture.  It is supposed to leave the patient invigorated and detoxed.

And now, I am a marked woman: the cups leave big, dark hickey bruises that are supposed to last about a week.  Supposedly, the darker the bruise the more off your "qi" is.  

The procedure wasn't really enjoyable at all.  It felt really weird, like a lot of pressure and skin stretching.  It was actually really uncomfortable.  I couldn't move or do anything, so I just lay there and tried to relax.  In all its discomfort though, it did provide a kind of weird stillness that I think can only come from voluntarily putting oneself in such a position.  Mr. Massage Therapist Man recommended that I come back and get the cupping done again within a week before the bruises are gone... not too sure how I feel about that, but I'll keep you updated.

I have aftermath photos, to be posted soon!!

If you want more info / gross details, here's a link to a Wikipedia article and one to a more graphic YouTube video of the cups being removed.