Here is a brief review about cupping used by the practitioners of Chinese (Oriental) medicine. Many people still think cupping was used only in China. However, this technique dates far back in history and was used not only in China but in the different parts of the world. It is very interesting to note that countries implementing these techniques were geographically far away from each other. Sometimes, these countries were separated by a body of water. So this brings up a question – How did the people from different areas of the world came up to use the same technique? Cupping – is a form of treatment that uses any object resembling a cup. The cups were made form different materials. There were cups made out of bamboo, horn, glass, etc. The idea of a cup is to provide suction at the specific place on the body. This suction will start to bring more blood to the area which in turn may improve the circulation. For example you need to increase some circulation in the back because there is back pain. A practitioner of Chinese Medicine will use cups to provide suction to the back hence improving the circulation and providing a relief. In terms of Chinese medicine you move Qi and Blood and relieve stagnation in the back. This may be a very viable solution to many health problems. Please consult with your practitioner if cupping is something that may help with your problems.

It became very popular to use herbs and herbal formulas to self treat. Herbs are a wonderful means to deal with many diseases and some of the herbs have been used for centuries.  The British sailors learned form the Indians what to do with pine needles in order to treat r prevent scurvy. In ancient Egypt and China herbal formulas have been successfully used to address many different ailments.  One may find a lot of different books and sources on the net describing the use of  herbal formulas and tinctures.  Many stories about different diseases being cured with the use of herbals may sound unrealistic but some of them are true.  I remember about ten years ago my mother's friend call her crying.  Her eighteen years old daughter ( I will call her Jill - it is not her real name) came back from Puerto Rico with a very swollen leg and swollen foot. The leg was swollen from the knee down and it was very difficult to step on the foot due to pain.  I think - ( I do not remember for sure right now) she also had a slight fever.  Jill thought she was bitten by one of the spiders indigenous to Puerto Rico.  By the time my mother received this call Jill went though different antibiotics, a snake anti-venom treatment and doctors at this stage did not know what to do next. Meanwhile the leg was not getting better and the girl could not sleep at night due to pain and discomfort.  I talked to her for about 15 minutes. She described her condition and the way her leg looks. I selected a Chinese herbal formula that I thought would work in this case. My selection was based on my knowledge of Chinese herbal Medicine. I told Jill to take the herbs before going to bed and to call me in the morning. The next day at about 10 am there was still no call from Jill. I called her – no answer. By the time noon came I was a little concerned since I still did not hear from Jill. I asked my mother to call her friend to find out what is going on. My mother called her friend and then told me that Jill just woke up. Her swelling was almost gone. Jill slept well for the first time in weeks. The leg was normal after about two more days of taking the herbal formula. This was a good ending. However, there are many things to consider when taking herbal supplements. There are medical conditions when you need to be very careful when taking herbs supplements. The most common are hypertension, diabetes, glaucoma, autoimmune diseases and cancer. If you are taking blood thinners you also need to be very careful with herbals. It is always better to consult an herbalist before taking herbal supplements or better yet to see one and have a custom herbal formula made for you.