I’m Nandini and I am thirty one years old. I am currently in the process of moving my entire life to London, England after having spent my whole existence in Bangkok, Thailand. Growing up in an Indian household, it was normal to be exposed to many natural remedies. Some others were less common to me, like acupuncture and cupping, despite how effective can be for pain management.
It wasn’t until recently where I started to notice my body not being able to recover as quickly as it used to. It was largely due to the fact that I was a rhythm cycling instructor, teaching at least ten classes a week. I had very little or even no time to rest and recover. I started experiencing intense pain down my spine, my shoulders were constantly stiff and it impacted my sleep. It was excruciating.
A fellow instruction recommended that I try acupuncture and cupping as he had found them quite useful himself.
To be completely honest with you, after having done research on Chinese medicine, specifically acupuncture and cupping; I didn’t really do anything. It still felt so foreign to me that I figured I’d be able to find pain relief in ways that I had done previously.
I am very blessed to be living in Bangkok, known for its Thai massage at an incredibly affordable price. It had worked for me previously, so why wouldn’t it work now? I tried traditional Thai massage, herbal compress, Swedish massage and sports massage. The last one was designed specifically for athletes looking to find relief from their daily strenuous activities.
However, everytime after I went for a massage, the pain did not subside; it seemed to get worse. I’d feel relaxed immediately afterwards, but give it a few hours and my shoulders would tighten again and I just felt sore. It happened every single time.
Do you ever feel like when you do something for your body for a long period of time, your body gets used to it? It certainly is the case for me. Massages used to be great for providing relief but my pain but it just wasn’t enough anymore. It was time to finally try the thing I had done so much research for.
Luckily there is a hospital in Bangkok that specializes exclusively in Chinese medicine. Upon my initial phone conversation, I explained my issues in depth. They sent me to an acupuncture specialist, known for dealing with body pain due to extreme physical exercise.
During my consultation with the specialist, it seemed like acupuncture and cupping were two treatments that went hand-in-hand. A patient coming in for acupuncture would almost always end their treatment with cupping.
I lay down on my front as tiny needles went all across my back. The practitioner placed some additional needles in the areas where I had the most severe pain. I could feel my body twitch at times. Those were the areas that needed it most. I think I must’ve fallen asleep during the treatment because I woke up when the specialist replacing the needles with glass cups. They don’t look like traditional Chinese cups from which you drink tea.
This part of the treatment did not feel as relaxing as the needles. I could feel immense heat on the parts of my body where the cups were placed. The idea is the cups perform a suction and are able to provide deep relief to sore and weak muscles. After the treatment, you will see marks on your body where the cups were. Those marks fade in two to three weeks.
The immediate relief I experienced after my first treatment was better than getting any massage. I became a believer and I was kicking myself at how long it took me to finally try acupuncture and cupping in the first place. I would try to do at least one treatment a week and over time my tense shoulders began to relax. The pain in my lower back completely disappeared and you best believe I was getting some of the deepest sleep ever. My body was finally breathing a sigh of relief and was able to truly relax, pain-free.
While there is no one perfect treatment or holistic way of living, acupuncture and cupping is worth giving a try to treat your pain. Despite using needles, acupuncture is completely non-invasive. If you are experiencing pain and muscle tightness, acupuncture and cupping could help. The treatments help to loosen tension in muscles and encourage blood flow. If you are feeling at a dead-end and looking to find total relaxation, consider acupuncture and cupping.
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