Cupping

     There are many ways to stimulate the points, reducing or reinforcing. The use of cupping is very effective in fleshy areas, like on the thighs or calves, abdomen or back, even on the upper arms.
     First, you lubricate skin with some lotion or oil. Then you dip your cotton ball into alcohol and light it (see May 7 for lighted cotton ball!). Now while holding the flaming and dramatic cotton ball (FCB), you move the cup around on the oiled skin to get the patient used to the sensation, then you plunge (too strong a word?) the FCB into the cup to heat the air just a little and then put the cup down on the patient’s skin. Don’t forget to blow out the FCB at this point! As the air inside the cup cools, it creates a vacuum and pulls the skin up into the cup. Now, you move the cup around over the affected area and then let it come to rest over the point where you want the energy affected.
      It doesn’t hurt at all, although it may result in some fairly deep bruising, especially on the back. Can give some good pulse changes too.

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Sciatica and Beginnings

     In acupuncture school at the Tai Sophia Institue, we had a clinical phase there at the end where we had to do 90 treatments and at least ten different individuals as a requirement to graduate. My first patients (as well as my wife) had back and sciatica issues, enough so that I was the unofficial go-to guy in clinic at the time to consult on those matters. I didn’t plan it that way, I would have chosen smoking cessation or weight loss or something that it seems everyone was interested in.

     The upshot was that I became very comfortable with things associated with sciatica treatment, things like where’s Jumping Round, GB-30 located (close to the hip joint), is cupping indicated (induce a vacuum into a glass ball with a lighted alcohol-soaked cotton ball - very dramatic!), how to introduce heat into the area (on a big needle with burning moxa), what are the related points, how do you situate the patient for treatment (on their side), how do you maintain the site with draping and obtain access to what you need to while maintaining their dignity?

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