An ancient art of negative pressure — drawing stagnation to the surface, releasing what the body has been quietly carrying for far too long.
When Michael Phelps walked poolside at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the dark circular marks across his shoulders ignited a global conversation about cupping therapy. Suddenly, an ancient practice used across Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, and Middle Eastern healing traditions for thousands of years was front-page news. Those distinctive circles — technically known as ecchymosis or sha — were not bruises from injury. They were the visible evidence of stagnation being drawn upward through layers of tissue, released from its long residence in muscle, fascia, and capillary beds.
Cupping has been used in Chinese medicine for at least two millennia, with references in the Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica) from the Ming Dynasty. Its mechanism — creating a vacuum that lifts tissue rather than compressing it — makes it fundamentally different from every other form of manual therapy. Where massage, Tui Na, and physiotherapy push down and inward, cupping works upward and outward, creating space where there was compression, movement where there was stagnation.
At Rainbow Medicine, Dr Christine Shen uses cupping as part of an integrated treatment plan — always preceded by a thorough TCM diagnosis that identifies where Qi and Blood have stagnated, which meridian pathways are obstructed, and what the patient's constitutional picture suggests about the best approach. Cupping is not applied uniformly; it is prescribed with clinical precision.
Traditional glass cups create suction through brief flame application that removes oxygen before placement on the skin. Glass conducts no heat to the patient — only the vacuum remains. Glass cups produce a consistent, reproducible level of suction and are ideal for conditions requiring strong stimulation of specific acupuncture points or meridian pathways.
Flexible silicone cups allow for dynamic or "sliding" cupping — the practitioner can move the cup across oiled skin in long strokes, effectively combining cupping with a form of deep tissue massage. This technique is particularly effective for large muscle groups such as the erector spinae, hamstrings, and IT band, and is favoured for sports recovery and fascial release work.
Rainbow Medicine practises dry cupping exclusively. Wet cupping (hijama) — which involves small incisions to release blood — is a distinct practice associated with other traditions and is not offered at this clinic. All cupping at Rainbow Medicine works through suction alone, making it safe, hygienic, and appropriate for a wide range of patients.
The colour and nature of the marks left after cupping are genuinely informative. In TCM, they are read as a diagnostic text written by the body itself:
Bright red: Heat pattern, acute condition, good circulation present beneath stagnation
Dark purple or near-black: Severe Blood stagnation, chronic condition, significant obstruction
Pale pink: Qi deficiency, poor circulation, constitutional weakness
No marks or rapid fading: Minimal stagnation, constitutional Yin or Blood deficiency requiring gentler treatment
Blistering (rare): Damp-Heat pattern, prolonged stagnation with fluid accumulation
These marks typically fade within 3–10 days. They are not painful to touch in the way a bruise is — most patients are surprised to find them largely painless. With regular treatment, marks tend to become lighter and resolve more quickly as underlying stagnation clears.
The suction created by a cup generates negative pressure — literally pulling the layers of tissue apart rather than compressing them together. This decompression effect reaches fascia, the connective tissue web that envelops muscles, nerves, and organs. Fascial adhesions — the stiffened, glued-together planes of tissue that develop after injury, surgery, repetitive strain, or prolonged poor posture — respond well to this upward lift.
As tissue is drawn into the cup, capillaries rupture at the surface level (producing the characteristic marks), lymphatic circulation is stimulated, and interstitial fluid begins to move. Old metabolic waste products — the lactic acid, inflammatory cytokines, and cellular debris that accumulate in chronically tight muscle — are mobilised toward lymphatic drainage pathways.
In TCM, the mechanism is expressed differently but describes the same reality from a different vantage point: cupping dredges the meridian channels, expels Wind-Cold-Damp pathogens lodged in the superficial layers, and moves stagnant Blood and Qi that have accumulated due to trauma, cold, or chronic tension. The back — where the Bladder meridian runs in two parallel lines flanking the spine — is the primary site for cupping, as each point along these channels corresponds to the Shu (Back-Transporting) point of an internal organ.
Cupping the Bladder meridian can thus tonify or sedate the corresponding organ's energetic function — a profound effect that extends far beyond the local musculoskeletal relief most patients initially seek.
The most commonly treated presentation. Cupping addresses the fascial restrictions, muscle spasm, and meridian obstruction underlying most musculoskeletal pain in the upper and lower back, rotator cuff region, and cervical spine. Many patients experience significant relief within 1–3 sessions.
Elite athletes use cupping for a reason: it dramatically accelerates recovery from training load, reduces delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and maintains tissue quality between sessions. Sliding cupping over major muscle groups before competition may reduce injury risk by improving fascial mobility.
Cupping on the upper back over the Lung Shu points (BL-13) has been used for centuries to assist in releasing phlegm, supporting immune function, and relieving chest tightness in conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, and the lingering cough that follows respiratory illness.
Regular cupping stimulates the lymphatic system and may support immune surveillance. In TCM, cupping expels exterior pathogens — the Wind and Cold that lodge in the Wei Qi (defensive Qi) layer — making it valuable as a seasonal preventive measure and during early stages of illness.
Abdominal cupping (with gentle, brief application) can support digestive motility, reduce bloating, and address constipation by stimulating the Stomach, Spleen, and Large Intestine meridians. This is often used alongside acupuncture and dietary recommendations.
Facial and body cupping for aesthetic purposes works by drawing stagnant lymph and interstitial fluid to the surface, stimulating collagen production, and improving microcirculation. This is not a cosmetic promise but a side effect of improved circulation and fascial health noted by many patients.
See also: Acupuncture | Sports Injury Recovery
Your first cupping session begins with a TCM consultation — pulse reading, tongue diagnosis, and a discussion of your symptoms, medical history, and current concerns. Dr Christine Shen will explain the process, identify the most appropriate cupping sites, and answer any questions before beginning.
Cupping is most commonly applied to the back, shoulders, and neck, though it can be used on the legs, arms, abdomen, and chest depending on your presentation. The sensation is one of pulling or stretching — not painful, but noticeably unusual if you have not experienced it before. Most patients find it deeply satisfying, describing the sensation as "like a deep tissue massage in reverse."
Cups are typically left in place for 5–15 minutes for stationary cupping, or moved continuously for sliding cupping. The total cupping component of a treatment usually occupies 15–25 minutes within a longer appointment that may also include acupuncture, Tui Na, or herbal medicine recommendations.
After treatment, you may notice the characteristic circular marks. These will be explained to you as part of the diagnostic conversation. Avoid exposing the treated areas to direct cold or wind for 24 hours, as the pores are open and the body is temporarily more vulnerable to exterior pathogens — exactly the Wind and Cold that TCM warns against. Stay warm, hydrate well, and rest if possible.
Most patients find that the first session produces significant relief, with cumulative benefit building over a course of 4–8 treatments. Frequency depends on your condition: acute presentations may be treated weekly; chronic conditions may begin with weekly sessions before spacing to fortnightly or monthly maintenance.
Whether you are carrying the weight of chronic tension, recovering from athletic training, or simply feeling stuck — cupping at Rainbow Medicine offers a pathway to relief that is ancient in wisdom and immediate in effect. Dr Christine Shen practises at Lane Cove and Freshwater.
Book a ConsultationInitial consultation $150 / 90 min | Follow-up $110 / 60 min | 0410 699 065
