Can I use the cupping machine during menstruation?

Cupping has a long history in my country. Because the back has many relevant acupuncture points of the body, cupping is mainly performed on the back. It is especially suitable for people with back pain, general fatigue, and can relieve stress on the bones. So can cupping be done during menstruation? Let’s take a detailed look at it below.

Can I use cupping during my period?

Early menstruation is one of the symptoms of irregular menstruation, which means that the menarche time is earlier than the normal cycle. Its occurrence is mostly related to Qi deficiency, Chong and Ren malnutrition or blood heat disturbance and Chong and Ren.

Qi deficiency can be divided into spleen qi deficiency and kidney qi deficiency. Early menstruation caused by spleen deficiency is often accompanied by symptoms such as heavy menstruation, light red color, thin and clear menstruation, chest tightness, shortness of breath, laziness to speak, poor appetite and loose stools. Early menstruation caused by kidney deficiency is often accompanied by symptoms such as more or less menstruation, light red color, thin and clear menstruation, back pain and weak legs, tinnitus and dizziness. Blood heat can be divided into yang-excess blood heat, liver qi stagnation and heat, and yin-deficiency blood heat. Early menstruation caused by Yang excess and blood heat is often accompanied by symptoms such as heavy menstruation, dark red or purple red color, thick texture, red and yellow urine, constipation, and red face. Early menstruation caused by liver qi stagnation and damage to body fluid is often accompanied by symptoms such as more or less menstruation, dark red or purple red color, thick and oily texture, or poor menstruation, chest and breast pain, irritability, etc. Early menstruation caused by Yin deficiency and blood heat is often accompanied by symptoms such as more or less menstruation, red color and thick texture, dry throat and mouth, hot hands and feet, red cheekbones, red tongue with little coating, and thin pulse.

Cupping is mainly based on the air pressure and moist heat effect in the cup to produce a good stimulation to the part, so as to achieve the purpose of relaxing muscles and activating blood circulation, invigorating qi and activating blood circulation, and dispelling wind and cold. Therefore, for some patients with qi deficiency, blood stasis and irregular menstruation, cupping treatment may advance menstruation or increase menstrual volume due to the effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis.

In addition, cupping is generally not suitable for people with weak constitutions. Because their body is deficient in both qi and blood, repeated cupping treatment will cause qi and blood to become more insufficient, disrupting the body's yin and yang balance and causing yin and yang imbalance. Therefore, if a person with a weak constitution experiences early menstruation after cupping, it cannot completely rule out the possibility of cupping. However, cupping does not necessarily lead to early menstruation. It needs to be analyzed in conjunction with the actual situation and should not be generalized.