10/28/2025
How Cupping Helps During Cold & Flu Season
Cupping therapy does much more than relieve tight muscles — it also supports your body’s natural defenses, making it an excellent therapy during cold and flu season.
🔹 1. Stimulates Circulation and Immune Response
Cupping increases local blood flow, lymphatic movement, and oxygen delivery to the tissues.
This helps the body clear out cellular waste, move stagnation, and improve overall immune activity.
The mild suction triggers a controlled healing response, stimulating white blood cell activity and circulation in areas of congestion or tension — especially across the upper back, where many people hold respiratory tightness.
🔹 2. Releases “Wind” and “Cold” (TCM Perspective)
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, cold and flu symptoms are often caused by external pathogens like wind-cold or wind-heat invading the body.
Cupping helps “open the pores” and release these pathogens, allowing the body to sweat slightly and push out what doesn’t belong.
This can shorten the duration or severity of symptoms when performed early — especially at the neck, shoulders, and upper back, where wind-cold commonly settles.
🔹 3. Relieves Congestion and Sinus Pressure
For colds, chest tightness, or sinus buildup, cupping promotes better lymphatic drainage and loosens phlegm.
Many patients notice it’s easier to breathe and that their chest feels lighter after a session.
🔹 4. Reduces Muscle Aches and Fatigue
When you’re sick, your body becomes tight and fatigued from inflammation and poor circulation.
Cupping gently releases tension in the neck, shoulders, and back — helping restore mobility and relaxation so your body can focus on healing.
🔹 5. Supports Acupuncture Treatments
When combined with acupuncture, cupping amplifies immune response and enhances the treatment’s effectiveness.
Acupuncture activates the body’s systemic healing response, while cupping clears local stagnation — together, they speed up recovery and strengthen your body’s ability to fight future illness.
