For years, I would sit at work with hunched shoulders, counting our dollars and contemplating our early retirement and world travel plans
No longer do I obsess about the value of our portfolio, but I have yet to completely shake the Mr. Burns hunch. Sometimes after long guitar sessions, writing a blog post, or hours of practicing Chinese writing, I can feel that old work tension creep into my shoulders and upper back
Doing a little yoga or getting a massage helps, but some of those knots are deep, built up over years. It isn’t something a 90 minute massage is going to completely work out
So I decided to give something else a try… so I signed up for a session of Chinese Cupping Therapy. When in Rome…
Advocates of this therapy credit it with curing all kinds of diseases… even cancer. The idea is that suction on the skin will increase blood flow, which induces healing or helps release toxins from the body. Of course none of this has any scientific basis… In any case, I was interested more in the mechanical effects
With glass cups placed on back and shoulders, a mechanical pump was used to create suction. With some effort, these cups were moved along the major muscle groups, in somewhat of a reverse massage. Extra attention was given to some of the more gnarly knots. As tension was worked out, suction was increased to get deeper into the muscle tissue.
Honestly this hurt like hell… for a moment I thought I might have inadvertently wandered into Helga’s House of Pain
While not at all visually pleasing, the effects were quite positive. The range of motion in my shoulders has noticeably improved, and the level of tension has greatly reduced. Any bruising was gone in a few days, and I’m still feeling the greater muscle comfort and improved skin condition with cleaner pores, even a few weeks later
I think that is most…
What do you think? Would you give it a try?
$:
90 minute massage and cupping session: 1300 TWD (~$43 USD)
Did you have a safe word? :)
I don’t think I would give it a try. Looks crazy painful. I imagine my muscle pains would be imperceptible and the pain from the cupping would be the only thing I notice.
And pain releases endorphins, right? So maybe there is some physiological basis for the treatment.
Have you tried the turkish/russian massages anywhere? 300 lb burly dude gets on top of you and twists and pulls and punches the crap out of you until you feel better. I haven’t (yet) but might give that a shot before cupping.
never tried the turkish/russian massage, but I’ve had a 200 lb Thai woman with a mustache do something similar
But was she really a “she”?
I figure spooning would be more beneficial both martially and physically which would then probably lead to a great reward in the end ;0. Probably didn’t cost $43 either.
Then again I’d try anything once, this isn’t going to be on the top of my list though.
Spooning leads to forking?
Jeremy,
That looks extremely painful! But I guess it worked for you. Glad to hear it.
That being said, I also prefer the spooning suggestion. :)
Best wishes.
No pain, no gain! Haha!
I’m looking into adding some home body building like what you are doing too
Our massage therapist here practices fire cupping on both of us–I just had a session today where it looks like I made out with a really amorous octopus. It can be painful, but a good practitioner will listen to you–or watch your face contort in agony–and adjust accordingly. You might also consider a foam roller, if you’ll be in one place for while. Lie on your back, on the top, lengthwise, as through you were Snoopy on his doghouse-stretch your arms out horiozonatally as far as you can and then sweep them in…repeat. My Pilates guy called this “chicken wings” and it is exactly for the Mr. Burns posture.
We had chicken wings the other day. Yum! I’m also looking into the Pilates flavor
May I ask how much you pay your massage therapist? (for comparison purposes)
Hey, just wondering where did you get the cupping done? I went to a local place on Anhe Road for it and it was pretty poor!
http://www.mingyi.tw/
Cupping, is a great option for those who want all the pains in their bodies to be thrown away instantly. The medical experts put on the cups at right areas that can suck the aches right away.
Cupping looks just like FIRE, you just have to want it bad enough. And the results can be quite pleasing. But tell me, have you drawn any haters because of your cupping sessions?
I’m not aware of any cupping haters
So it’s just being financially intelligent and independent that haters gonna hate? I applaud your courage, may you be forever young, soft, and supple.
Not sure I would have been able to go through with this. Glad it worked out well for you but it looked painful! Sometimes I wonder who comes up with this stuff!?!
In hindsight maybe it wasn’t so awesome, since I haven’t done it again.