Whole Living: Cupping

We look at this therapy technique to show you the benefits.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Maybe you haven't heard the term "cupping" but you've probably seen those purple or red circles on celebrities and athletes. 

This week in Whole Living, we are looking at this therapy to learn about the benefits. 

Kim Kuhn, Owner of Elevate Wellness in St Pete, says cupping is a manual therapy technique used in Chinese medicine to treat a variety of conditions.

Things like pain, digestive issues, migraines even anxiety.

It's like a massage, but instead of pushing, you're pulling things out. 

Those circles are stagnant blood that comes up to the surface. The stuck blood that can get trapped in the muscle tissue is able to come to the surface. And then the muscle tissue is able to flush that out.   

"It'll be a variety of colors depending on the level of stagnation that's in the tissue. So the darker, more purple it is, the more stagnation that's there. The lighter it is the less stagnation that's in the tissue," says Kuhn.