Can Cupping Therapy Take a Bite Out of Bell’s Palsy?

Cupping Therapy Question and Answer Series

Intro

Thank you for joining us for another installment of our Cupping Therapy Q&A Series. Here, we feature clinical questions submitted to us by ACE Massage Cupping Therapy practitioners. Our educators offer some brief insight on the topic so that you can expand your working knowledge on this revolutionary bodywork therapy and its benefits.

Question

Can ACE Massage Cupping or MediCupping techniques be used to help clients with Bells Palsy?

Answer

Hello there and thanks for your question about Bell’s Palsy. We recently worked on someone at the FSMTA convention who had been diagnosed with Bells Palsy about three years prior, and we have worked with many people who have had the condition for even longer. We’ve found good success helping with their issues.

I use the magnets along the Trigeminal nerve, and then use a low pumping mode on the machine to tone and lift flaccid muscles. I take extra care to ensure that I work the entire face, along with the posterior/cervical, and anterior neck region with various techniques and machine modes.

Cupping therapy uses suction cups to draw the skin upward, creating negative pressure. This is thought to increase blood flow, break up adhesions, and reduce inflammation. While commonly used for muscle pain and stiffness, its effectiveness in Bell’s palsy is less clear-cut.

Potential Benefits:

• Increased Blood Flow: Bell’s palsy often involves inflammation and swelling around the facial nerve. Cupping therapy might improve blood flow to the affected area, potentially aiding nerve healing.
• Reduced Inflammation: The negative pressure created by cupping could help decrease inflammation, easing nerve compression and potentially speeding up recovery.
• Pain Relief: Cupping therapy is known for its analgesic (pain-relieving) effects. In Bell’s palsy, reducing pain can be crucial for improving quality of life and enabling facial muscle exercises.

Submit a Question

To submit a question featured on our blog, contact info@massagecupping.com.

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About the Author

Anita J. Shannon has been a licensed massage therapist and licensed cosmetologist since 1983. She specializes in skin care, body treatments, clinical aromatherapy, and various modalities of massage therapy. She has been a national educator since 1990, appearing at numerous national spa and massage conventions each year. For four years, Anita appeared as a co-host on the television program “Health Options Today” with Dr. Mitchell Ghen.

Anita is the founder and director of Advanced Continuing Education (ACE), an NCBTMB CE provider established in 2001. Anita has presented hundreds of workshops on ACE Massage Cupping and MediCupping therapy throughout the US and internationally since 2002. Anita has been published on the subject of cupping therapy in industry publications such as Massage Today, Massage Magazine, and Les Nouvelles Esthetiques. She has published two educational videos on ACE Massage Cupping bodywork, two on MediCupping therapy and one on TheraCupping home care, and is currently writing a book on VacuTherapies. In 2011, Anita was inducted into the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame.

In 2016, Anita opened ACE Institute Online, an online education portal designed to bring cupping therapy training into the digital age. Since its debut in 2016, ACE Institute Online has introduced the revolutionary techniques found in ACE Massage Cupping and MediCupping to over ten thousand students worldwide.