As the head of the Wellness Coach team here at Find It Health, I want to explain what to do after cupping.

Our health coach team here at Find It Health puts in the effort to pass credible and up-to-date information and answers to your questions.

In this article, I’ll tell you what you need to do after every cupping session – aftercare, dealing with cupping marks, and more. 

Please consult your doctor for personalized questions, as this is a complex and controversial topic. Your physician can give you more information and other general guidelines.

What To Do After Cupping

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Just like the aftercare process following surgery or any strenuous medical procedure, you also need to take care of yourself after a cupping treatment. These are some of the things you should do:

1. You have to drink plenty of water. Water cleanses your lymphatic system of all the waste from your cells that cupping techniques remove from your tissues.
2. You need to keep yourself warm after every cupping appointment. This is so that you cover all the places you were cupped (the circular marks).
3. Get some rest. You are probably going to feel drowsy or exhibit flu-like symptoms after the time of cupping, e.g., body aches or headaches. This is a temporary feeling. It is your immune system responding to all the cellular waste that cupping massages help to release.

What To Eat After Cupping

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Even though cupping appointments have their own benefits, you also have a part to play in providing your body with nutrients and minerals to boost the healing process. This is majorly for renewing your red blood cells.

The three primary nutrients and minerals you need are Vitamin B (6, 9 & 12), Iron, and Copper.

1. Vitamin B is necessary for energy and red blood cell production. Foods that have Vitamin B are potatoes, bananas, nuts, fish, eggs, spinach, liver, dried beans, asparagus and other leafy green vegetables, orange juice, cereals, rice, beef liver, and clams.
2. Iron is necessary for blood flow and production because it takes oxygen to your tissues. Foods that have iron are chicken, turkey, liver, fish, mussels, shellfish, leafy greens, tofu, broccoli, sweet peas, kale, tomatoes, green beans, corn, beets, bean sprouts, lima beans, and potatoes.
3. Since blood vessels are bound and secured by connective tissue, they need copper to sustain their elasticity. Foods that have copper in them are beef liver, sunflower seeds, lentils, almonds, dried apricots, dark chocolate, and asparagus.

Thus, it is essential that you utilize the maximum benefits of cupping by eating balanced food.

What To Expect After Cupping

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You are not going to suffer any harmful side effects from cupping therapies, but there are temporary side effects:

• Nausea
• Sweating or dizziness
• Mild pain
• Minimal soreness in the cupping areas
• Minor bruises

Everybody has something they want to take care of with cupping.

Your cupping therapist will decide the appropriate cupping techniques you require based on where your affected muscles are and what your comfort level is.

Dynamic cupping is more commonly used, while static cupping is usually for deeper tissues and back muscles. Dry needling is also employed with cupping massages by some therapists to boost pain relief.

What Not To Do After Cupping

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After every cupping procedure, you should make sure you avoid the following:

1. Caffeine, alcohol, sugary foods, drinks, dairy, and processed meats. These foods delay your natural healing process.
2. Showers with hot water, saunas, hot tubs, and places with powerful air conditioning. Your skin is more sensitive to changes in temperature after every cupping therapy session. Leave your skin time to recover.
3. Intense exercise. Your body will feel tired after cupping, so you need to rest. Also, you need to protect your skin from external pathogens.
4. Cold and windy conditions. Cupping opens up your pores, and this means that your skin is more likely to suffer an attack from harsh external influences like cold and wind. This can cause stiffness, muscle tension, and body pain and reduce the flow of energy.

Can You Get a Massage After Cupping?

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Yes, you can. Depending on the massage therapist, you can have a light massage.

This reduces the redness and deepness of the cupping marks, and you feel better after the cupping session.

Even if you have the marks after a few days, you can get a massage. The only time you should consider not getting a massage is if the cupping marks are painful to touch or sensitive.

But, overall, it is safe to get a massage after cupping. Your therapist is the one who decides if you should get a massage or not.

Why Can’t You Shower After Cupping?

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Your skin pores become really sensitive after a cupping session because of the negative pressure of the gentle suction of the cups. Your skin then becomes susceptible to infections and drastic changes in temperature.

How Long Should I Wait To Shower After Cupping?

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Most cupping therapists agree that you should wait at least three hours after a cupping session before you take a shower or bathe.

If you are thinking of a nice, warm bath to take after your session, please stop. As long as it is not three hours minimum, do not take a shower. Your skin pores get really sensitive after cupping therapies, and this means that it is prone to infections and changes in temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

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What should you do after cupping?

After cupping, you should drink plenty of water and stay hydrated. Water is necessary because it helps to cleanse your lymphatic system of all the cellular waste and by-products that cupping techniques help to release from your tissues.

Secondly, stay warm because you need to cover up the areas that you got cupped or the marks that cupping induces.

Lastly, get some rest because you will feel more tired and exhausted than usual after a cupping session. You may even experience some flu-like symptoms like body pains and such. Fortunately, this is only temporary, as it is your immune system’s response to the cellular waste being released by cupping.

What should you avoid after cupping?

Avoid caffeine, alcohol, sugary foods, drinks, dairy, and processed meats because they reduce the rate at which your body is able to process and heal after the treatment.

Avoid hot showers, saunas, baths, tubs, and powerful air conditioning. This is because your skin becomes extra sensitive after cupping, which makes your pores open up. If you do need to shower, you can shower with filtered water. This prevents random chemicals from penetrating your skin, thereby avoiding infections.

Avoid intense exercise because you will be too tired after cupping, and you need time to heal. Avoid cold and windy conditions, as this makes your skin susceptible to infections since your pores are opened up.

What to expect the day after cupping?

Expect feelings of tiredness, fatigue, and general flu-like symptoms. This has no cause for alarm because it is only a temporary feeling.

These side effects are only your body’s way of getting rid of the waste and toxins that cupping therapy releases. It is also your body’s way of processing and healing naturally. All you need to do is get some rest, avoid stressful situations, and take care of yourself.

What should I eat or drink after cupping?

Drink lots of water because it is vital to stay hydrated after cupping. Non-caffeinated warm herbal teas work fine too.

Eat foods rich in vitamin B (6, 9, & 12), copper, and iron. Food like bananas, potatoes, seeds, nuts, fish, eggs, leafy greens, beef liver, clams, nutritional yeasts, turkey, shellfish, tofu, broccoli, corn, cabbage, dark chocolate, lentils, almonds, etc.

What happens to your body after cupping?

The gentle suction force, as a result of the negative pressure from the cups, opens tiny blood vessels under your skin. The cupping area is treated as a wound by your body. More blood is sent to the area to speed up the body’s natural healing process. This causes circular marks or bruises that fade entirely after a few days – at most, two weeks.

You should consult your doctor when you notice you have burns, extreme pain or soreness, and fever or other symptoms of a skin infection.

People with arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, back pain, neck pain, knee pain, and shoulder pain, breathing problems, such as asthma, carpal tunnel syndrome, gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel disease (IBD), headaches and migraines, high blood pressure (hypertension) get relief with cupping therapy.

Conclusion – Research by Findithealth.com

A form of traditional treatment, cupping therapy is effective for a number of health problems and ailments. Patients seeking relief will do so. However, you should also know that taking care of yourself after a procedure is as crucial as undergoing that procedure. 

Aftercare for cupping is ideal. Drink lots of water and stay hydrated. 

Avoid soda, caffeine, sugary foods, windy and cold conditions, hot showers, baths, saunas, smoking, or vaping. Eat foods rich in vitamins B-6, B-9, and B-12, copper, and iron. Avoid direct sunlight because this causes you to sweat, and a high amount of sodium (which is found in sweat) can lead to itchiness and irritation.