Cupping

Cupping is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy involving the placement of glass, plastic, or bamboo cups on the skin with a vacuum. The therapy is used to relieve what is called "stagnation" in TCM terms, and is used in the treatment of respiratory diseases such as the common cold, pneumonia, and bronchitis. Cupping is also used to treat back, neck, shoulder, and other musculoskeletal pain. Its advocates claim it has other applications as well.

This technique, in varying forms, has also been found in the folk medicine of Vietnam, the Balkans and modern Greece, among other places. The film Zorba the Greek depicts Zorba applying the cups to his elderly mistress in her last illness.

Cupping has never been shown to be effective in a clinical trial. It can leave temporary unsightly marks on the skin and there is also a small risk of burns.