# Is cupping really an ancient Chinese practice? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 9, 2016, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271 "2016-08-09T19:35:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/21 "2016-08-10T17:59:12Z")
> [@moojja](#): > > B/c placebo effect is really useful. Unfortunately, even when it exists (as in the current example which has not been substantiated), it tends to not be lasting, sending people in search of new (or old) placebos. Phelps’ belief that cupping somehow improves his athletic performance is similar to Wade Boggs’ conviction that he did better if he only ate chicken before baseball games. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/22 "2016-08-10T18:35:38Z")
Yes it’s an ancient Chinese practice , I had it done a few times and was told it was in ancient time. It take time for the red marks to ago . ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/23 "2016-08-10T19:36:33Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Phelps’ belief that cupping somehow improves his athletic performance is similar to Wade Boggs’ conviction that he did better if he only ate chicken before baseball games. One could theorize that cupping allows one to apply inverse pressure to the muscles, as opposed to something like massaging or other pressure treatments. So maybe in terms of loosening up muscles, being able to both push + pull is better than just push. But, I’d vote that the fact that Phelps had long arms is the main thing that helped him win. It’s unlikely that the cups are able to do anything to anything below the epidermis. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/24 "2016-08-10T20:55:29Z")
I don’t know if it’s ancient, but I doubt it’s a recent western import. It’s as common as taking an aspirin, even in the most remote villages. I’m not sure that a recent western practice could achieve that level of penetration. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/25 "2016-08-10T21:41:34Z")
It appears like 100% woo. Some claim it increases blood flow, but if you’re to the point of bursting capillaries and creating hickeys, aren’t you inhibiting blood flow? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/26 "2016-08-10T21:51:38Z")
I don’t think it’s a _recent_ import, but I do suspect it originated in Egypt, found its way to Europe, and from there made its way to China, possibly along the Silk Road. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/27 "2016-08-10T22:44:52Z")
Of course, cupping evolved into the torture involving a rat, an iron bowl, and some fire. (Trap rat in iron bowl on victim’s stomach. Build fire on bowl. Crazed rat tunnels his way out…) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/28 "2016-08-10T23:18:31Z")
Many woo-prone Westerners assume that cupping and other “traditional Chinese medicine” practices are wildly popular in China. The reality is that in recent years both practitioners and consumers have been moving towards use of that evil ol’ Western [Evidence-Based Medicine](http://www.chinamedicalboard.org/news/advancing-evidence-based-medicine-in-china). There’s a patronizing and even racist element to alt med beliefs about what “primitive” cultures hold important as regards health care. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/29 "2016-08-10T23:52:02Z")
Chinese? What Chinese? Ask any Jews of a certain age about what _their_ parents recommended n the Old Country. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/30 "2016-08-11T02:48:45Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Of course, cupping evolved into the torture involving a rat, an iron bowl, and some fire. > > (Trap rat in iron bowl on victim’s stomach. Build fire on bowl. Crazed rat tunnels his way out…) And then you were eaten by a Gru. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/31 "2016-08-11T02:56:37Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > It appears like 100% woo. …well that sucks… ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/32 "2016-08-11T04:52:43Z")
IIRC, it was also used as a form of [bloodletting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijama). (It’s thought that that was what killed Queen Victoria’s father, his doctors used cupping to treat pneumonia) ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/33 "2016-08-11T12:33:09Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > One could theorize that cupping allows one to apply inverse pressure to the muscles, as opposed to something like massaging or other pressure treatments. So maybe in terms of loosening up muscles, being able to both push + pull is better than just push. But it doesn’t pull the muscle; it only pulls the skin and subcutaneous fat. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > Many woo-prone Westerners assume that cupping and other “traditional Chinese medicine” practices are wildly popular in China. There are several of us here that have lived in China and can attest to how wildly popular TCM is in China. > [@](#): > > The reality is that in recent years both practitioners and consumers have been moving towards use of that evil ol’ Western [Evidence-Based Medicine](http://www.chinamedicalboard.org/news/advancing-evidence-based-medicine-in-china). Yes, that’s true. The same pressures have largely aligned the modern practices of M.D.'s and D.O.'s in the USA. On the other hand, there are people who still seek out homeopaths in modern countries! > [@](#): > > There’s a patronizing and even racist element to alt med beliefs about what “primitive” cultures hold important as regards health care. I’m not sure I’m seeing that in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/34 "2016-08-11T12:42:49Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > There’s a patronizing and even racist element to alt med beliefs about what “primitive” cultures hold important as regards health care. Not every criticism about a different culture has a racist element to it. Bullshit is Bullshit regardless of the skin colour of the perpetrator. Homeopathy is the highest grade hogwash known to man and yet is was “invented” (i.e. made up from absolutely fuck-all evidence) right here in the heart of the enlightened west. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/35 "2016-08-11T12:59:49Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > My physical therapist applied KT tape when I injured a hamstring, and the difference was like night and day. I can’t speak as to whether it improves performance, but it does mitigate injury. Strapping an injury helps, there is no doubt about that. The question is whether this particular (expensive) tape and technique can bring about the benefit it claims over and above other non-proprietary methods. The world of elite sports is full of bullshit and/or practices that are not necessarily and universally as beneficial as everyone considers them to be. [ice-baths](http://www.outsideonline.com/1971446/recovery-ice-bath-isnt-always-such-good-idea) anyone? The whiff of placebo is strong with many such practices. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/36 "2016-08-11T13:09:37Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > The world of elite sports is full of bullshit and/or practices that are not necessarily and universally as beneficial as everyone considers them to be. Elite sports? You can’t walk through your local 24-Hour Fatness without seeing magnetic bracelets, copper-lined socks, herbal rubs, and nineteen other kinds of long-disproven woo. They often sell it at the main counter. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/37 "2016-08-11T16:53:30Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Elite sports? You can’t walk through your local 24-Hour Fatness without seeing magnetic bracelets, copper-lined socks, herbal rubs, and nineteen other kinds of long-disproven woo. They often sell it at the main counter. very true, very true. You’d just think that, at the highest level, you’d want your support people to be using something that actually works. Of course when you do get to elite level much of the difference to be made is mental so perhaps a placebo is just what the (quack) doctor ordered. And I’m curious. It may be a play on words that loses something in the trip across the Atlantic but what is a “24-HR Fatness”? ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/38 "2016-08-11T17:03:58Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > And I’m curious. It may be a play on words that loses something in the trip across the Atlantic but what is a “24-HR Fatness”? It’s a sneering reference to [24 Hour Fitness](http://www.24hourfitness.com/), a gym chain. Attempt at fat-shaming, basically. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/39 "2016-08-11T17:20:17Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Chinese? What Chinese? > > Ask any Jews of a certain age about what _their_ parents recommended n the Old Country. Hey, just found out it’s the source of one of my favorite and often-applicable sayings!– “As useful as a Band-Aid on a corpse,” _Zolst helfen vi a toyten bankes_ “It helps as [well as] cupping a dead man.” [Cite,](http://kehillatisrael.net/docs/yiddish/yiddish_pr.htm) giant page of Yiddish sayings. I am unaware of references for Yiddish etymology, although I’m sure they’re out there. It’s probably interesting re “bankes.” ETA: Just remembered I first heard it, in English, from my Old-Country-born father as a kid. Probably in one of his typically encouraging discourses on one project or another of mine… ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271/40 "2016-08-12T07:52:17Z")
Cupping is extremely common in China and within the Chinese diaspora. It’s about has hard to find a cupper as to find a chiropractor. And both may fall into the same “not medically quantifiable range.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cupping-really-an-ancient-chinese-practice/762271.md?page=3)