Alternative Therapies

Alternative therapies have been practiced for centuries by many different cultures throughout the world. Alternative therapies can defined as any therapy that does not fit into the standard, traditional therapies used in the average health care system. There are hundreds of alternative therapies that have been practiced and that are currently being practiced today. Some of these therapies involve herbs, vitamins and minerals. While some involve stretching, pressure points and reflection. Cupping is an alternative therapy that has been used globally for over 2,000 years (NIH, 2016). Cupping is a Chinese tradition first discovered and practiced by Ge Hong, a well-known alchemist and herbalist (Dharmananda, 1999). Since its discovery, cupping …show more content…
This therapy can also be used to help treat and ease the symptoms related to respiratory conditions including asthma and bronchitis (Acupuncture Today, 2017). Gastrointestinal disorder symptoms have also been relieved by undergoing this alternative therapy, including irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis and crohn's disease (Acupuncture Today, 2017). Pain reduction is the most common reason cupping it performed, but not just pain from muscle injuries. Arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome and migraines have all been treated through cupping (Dhapte & Mehta …show more content…
It’s popularity grew recently in the United States due to professional athletes being vocal about undergoing cupping in order to reduce pain from injuries and speed up the healing time. Cupping is used globally for many different reasons, using different techniques and producing different results, but the physiological goal is all the same, to increase blood flow. Over the past decade there has been a great deal of research and clinical trials done on the science of cupping. The Beijing University of Chinese Medicine partnered with The University of Western Sydney, Australia recently published an article in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences titled, “ An overview of systematic reviews of clinical evidence for cupping therapy.” It was concluded after reviewing research on several clinical trials on cupping that, “Cupping therapy may be beneficial for pain-related conditions (herpes zoster, low back pain), acne, and facial paralysis. However, an explicit conclusion could not be drawn due to the low quality of the original studies” (Cao, Han, Liu & Zhu, 2015). Ultimately more substantial research and clinical trials are needed in regards to cupping in order to accurately prove the medical benefits of the alternative