Complications from Cupping Therapy Treatments

Cupping Therapy Q&A 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

I had a client come in the other day for a massage and we used manual cupping on her and the next day she said she couldn’t tell if the soreness was from the cupping or if her gallbladder was acting up due to the cupping.

If she had a bad gallbladder when the massage therapist was doing the cupping, could she have just brought up bad toxins from the past that could have caused her gallbladder to act up? We told her to go see her doctor so they could double check her gallbladder.

What can you tell me about this? Do you think this what you think is what happened? Is it possible that she just had so many toxins around her gallbladder area and the cupping just brought it to the surface?

Answer

Considering the wide range of potential reactions to various applied ‘manual cupping’ there truly is no one correct answer. We always advocate safe and gentle work or none at all if you are unsure. Just as in any massage client: “When in doubt, refer out.“

Also, when considering the anatomy, you have liver involvement and perhaps a compromised common bile duct, both of which could have compensatory reactions if said gallbladder is unhealthy. I believe that referring her to her primary doctor is best.

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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.