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

This Guy Needs a Massage

This Guy Needs a Massage

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

A Few Cups and Bruises

A Few Cups and Bruises

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…

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What do you think?  Would you give it a try?

$:
90 minute massage and cupping session: 1300 TWD (~$43 USD)

A pre-Cupping Zen Moment

A pre-Cupping Zen Moment