Cupping is a popular option in the treatment of winter diseases in summer. There are many teaching posts about cupping on social media platforms. Some people share their status after cupping, while others analyze that different colored cupping marks correspond to different diseases. Various cupping tools are also popular on e-commerce platforms. So, is cupping really useful? Is online teaching trustworthy? Can you judge your health status with a can print? After pseudoscientific cupping, there will be red and purple cupping marks left on the body. Some people believe that the deeper the jar mark, the heavier the blood stasis, toxins, and dampness in the body; There are also many bloggers who explain the topic of "judging health status based on the color of can prints". In fact, these are all pseudosciences. Chen Yunfei, director of the First Department of acupuncture and moxibustion and Moxibustion of Yueyang Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that the principle of cupping is to generate negative pressure through steam, so that the cupping can be adsorbed on the skin, causing local capillary congestion, thus eliminating pathological products and metabolites in the body. There are many capillaries distributed in the human dermal tissue, and the pressure inside the cupping can cause capillary dilation. If the pressure inside the tank is low and the capillaries are not ruptured, the skin will turn red; If the pressure inside the tank is too high and the capillaries expand excessively, they will not be able to withstand the pressure and rupture, causing bleeding. This blood will seep into the dermis, and the skin will show dark red or purple black marks. Under the same pressure, the longer the cupping time, the darker the color. Simply put, the darker the color, the more toxins or dampness there are in the body, but rather the more capillaries rupture and the more blood seeps out. The saying 'water bubbles from cupping indicate heavy moisture' is also popular, but it cannot withstand scrutiny. Chen Yunfei pointed out that there are two main reasons for the formation of blisters: one is that the temperature inside the tank is too high, which causes the skin to be burned and blisters to form; The second reason is that the cupping time is too long, and too much local skin tissue fluid seeps out, forming blisters. In general, the retention time for large jars in clinical practice is 5-10 minutes, and for small jars it is 10-15 minutes. After a long cupping time, the skin is prone to blisters. If there are blisters on the skin after cupping, apply burn ointment when the blisters are small to reduce friction and avoid infection. Be careful not to apply yellow wine, toothpaste, etc; When the blister is large, it is necessary to seek medical attention promptly. Purchase equipment for cupping on your own? It is not recommended to purchase cupping equipment by oneself. Cupping machines are a popular choice for many people, and various household cupping machines have high sales on e-commerce platforms. Some people also review and share popular cupping machines in the market. But Chen Yunfei does not recommend individuals or non professional organizations to pull cans at will. He stated that cupping is a professional medical procedure with specific techniques, strict requirements for time and pressure, and not suitable for everyone. Specifically, doctors need to evaluate the patient's physical condition before deciding whether cupping is possible. Patients with cardiovascular diseases, bleeding disorders, skin allergies and diseases, pregnant women, and women during menstruation are not suitable for cupping. In addition, care after cupping is also important. After cupping, the human body's capillaries expand and pores open. If air conditioning is blown at this time, it is easy for cold air to enter the body, so it is important to take good measures to keep warm. After cupping, the skin is relatively fragile. It is recommended to take a shower 4 hours after cupping to avoid rubbing the cupping area, otherwise it is prone to infection. (New Society)