Fire Cupping (Bentosa) Heals Chronic Aches
What is Fire Cupping?
It's a Holistic treatment that actually "cups" or suctions parts of the body that suffer from chronic pain. Cupping, also called "bentosa" or "ventosa" in Asia is a common but extremely effective treatment that soothes muscle pain, be it on the legs, arms but it is usually more often used as a way to treat common back and neck pain.
This is the type of treatment that uses a CUP or a GLASS that aims to suction the COOL SPOTS in the body (particularly the back) which is believed in some cultures to mean the lack of blood circulation. Cold spots are also the same spots that are given "extra emphasis" by those who believe in Shiatsu massage. Most Holistic believers say that these "cold spots" mean that there is something wrong with the Chi-balance in one's body, thus causing chronic pain. It also is proven to detoxify the body from toxins.
Cupping or "bentosa" should be done by an expert,but it is easy to learn how to do it. Yes, you'd need the small cup or glass, alcohol (or gas), cloth and a rubber band in some cases. The healer now wraps the candle or coin (usually big coins) with the cloth and makes sure that it is tied securely by the rubber band. Then, these pieces of coins are placed strategically on pressure points in your back -- particularly in the case of treating chronic pain. Then some alcohol (or gas) is applied on the glass (yes that sounds scary but it isn't really) and a match is used to light the inside which is then quickly positioned on the coins/candles on the pressure points of the back.
Result is BETTER than a massage and almost immediately the pain is gone. The same treatment can be used in other areas like the legs or the neck though it is most commonly used at the back where most people complain of chronic pain. It is an extremely effective treatment and a LOT better than massage.
After the cupping, do not be alarmed by those red spots at the back. In a day or two, they will disappear , though there may be some Holistic healers who may advise you NOT to take a bath for about 12 hours after the treatment. Another good result of cupping is that you get to be VERY relaxed after the treatment and you instinctively know that something in your body has vastly improved! There are several ways of doing the "cupping" or "bentosa" treatment, but here are the two most common ways on the videos below.