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This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of fire needle plus cupping (FC) combined with oral famciclovir and gabapentin for the treatment of acute-phase herpes zoster (AHZ). This study was conducted as a superiority, randomized controlled trial in which 84 patients with AHZ who met the diagnostic criteria were selected and randomly assigned to three groups on a 1:1 basis. Group A: received oral famciclovir with gabapentin treatment (FG); Group B: received fire needle plus cupping (FC) with FG. The primary outcome was the difference in patients' pain levels as assessed by the VAS scale. Secondary outcomes were changes in sign-symptom scores, incidence of adverse effects, and incidence of PHN. After one week of treatment, both groups showed decreased VAS scores and symptom-sign scores compared to baseline. However, the decrease in VAS scores was significantly higher in Group B compared to Group A ( p  < 0.0001). Similarly, the improvement in symptom-sign scores was significantly better in Group B ( p  < 0.0001). Group A experienced a higher rate of adverse reactions (21.95%) compared to Group B (4.76%), with a significant difference between the groups ( p  = 0.021). Furthermore, the incidence of PHN was significantly lower in Group B (4.76%) compared to Group A (29.27%) ( p  = 0.003). Fire needle therapy combined with medication demonstrated superior analgesic effects, improved symptom relief, and reduced adverse reactions and the incidence of PHN compared to medication alone in the treatment of AHZ. Importantly, the fire needle and cupping therapy should be considered an add-on therapy to standard drug treatment, rather than a standalone treatment. Additionally, due to the lack of a sham-treated control group, the placebo effect associated with invasive therapies such as fire needling and cupping. Future studies should include a sham control group to better isolate the true effects of the treatment. Clinical trial registration : This study was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry under the code ChiCTR1800015372 ( https://www.chictr.org.cn ). Registered on 28 March 2018. All experiments on the participants were following the Declaration of Helsinki.

Background It is difficult to achieve a balance among safety, efficacy, and cost for the clinical treatment of plaque psoriasis. The current treatment of psoriasis often involves comprehensive therapy such as topical plasters, internal medicine, and phototherapy, which are expensive, and some of the drugs have serious side effects. Moving cupping is a type of cupping that has been used clinically for thousands of years in China. It has the advantage of being inexpensive and easy to perform. Therefore, it is widely used in public hospitals in China for psoriasis treatment. However, a comprehensive evaluation of the current clinical evidence of its efficacy is lacking. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of moving cupping to treat plaque psoriasis. Methods A multicenter, two-arm parallel group, single-blind, randomized, controlled trial will be conducted at six hospitals in China between August 1, 2019 and December 31, 2021. A total of 122 adult patients (aged 18–65 years) who meet the inclusion criteria are being recruited. Participants will receive either basic treatment combined with moving cupping therapy or basic treatment combined with moving cupping placebo. The treatment cycle will be 4 weeks, and the efficacy of treatment will be assessed weekly by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index during the treatment period and follow-up visits at weeks 6 and 8. The body surface area, physician’s global assessment, Dermatology Life Quality Index, patient-reported quality of life, visual analog scale, Traditional Chinese Medication syndrome scoring scale, combined medication, and adverse events will also be recorded and compared to the relative baseline values. Discussion The findings of this trial may lead to better decisions regarding the treatment of plaque psoriasis. If the trial outcomes are considered favorable, this ancient Chinese medical therapy may be worthy of widespread use because of its convenience and low cost. Trial registration This study was registered on May 15,2019 at ClinicalTrials.gov with the identifier number NCT03952676 .

This study aimed to develop a quantitative dry cupping system that can monitor negative pressure attenuation and soft tissue pull-up during cupping to quantify soft tissue compliance. Baseball players with myofascial pain syndrome were recruited to validate the benefits of cupping therapy. Nine of 40 baseball players on the same team were diagnosed with trapezius myofascial pain syndrome; another nine players from the same team were recruited as controls. All participants received cupping with a negative pressure of 400 mmHg for 15 minutes each time, twice a week, for 4 weeks. Subjective perception was investigated using upper extremity function questionnaires, and soft tissue compliance was quantified objectively by the system. During the 15-minute cupping procedure, pressure attenuation in the normal group was significantly greater than that in the myofascial group (p = 0.017). The soft tissue compliance in the normal group was significantly higher than that in the myofascial group (p = 0.050). Moreover, a 4-week cupping intervention resulted in an obvious increase in soft tissue lift in the myofascial pain group (p = 0.027), although there was no statistical difference in the improvement of soft tissue compliance. Shoulder (p = 0.023) and upper extremity function (p = 0.008) were significantly improved in both groups, but there was no significant difference between the two groups. This quantitative cupping monitoring system could immediately assess tissue compliance and facilitate the improvement of soft tissues after cupping therapy. Hence, it can be used in athletes to improve their functional recovery and maintain soft tissues health during the off-season period.

Fatigue is common symptom experienced by patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing hemodialysis. This study aimed to identify the effect of dry cupping therapy on the fatique levels of hemodialysis patients at Bendan Hospital, Pekalongan City, Indonesia. The study design used was quasi-experimental design with a control gruop. Thirty patients were selected through convenience sampling, with 15 patients in the intervention group and 15 patients in the control group. The intervention group received dry cupping therapy twice a week for five weeks, while the control group received health education on how to cope with fatique. Fatigue levels were measured using the Indonesian version of FACIT Fatique scale. The results showed that there was a difference in fatigue scores in the intervention group, from 22.40 to 28.73 (p<0.001). Meanwhile, the control group showed no significant change in score before and after, from 23.33 to 23.20 (p>0.001). These findings indicate that dry cupping can reduce fatigue levels in chronic kidney failure patients undergoing hemodialysis. These results can be considered by nurses in integrating complementary nursung into patient care in hospitals.

Cupping therapy has been shown to alleviate muscle fatigue, sustain exercise capacity, enhance post-exercise recovery of autonomic activity, and improves sleep quality. However, variations in athletes' training intensity, competition pressure, and fatigue levels throughout a sports season remain underexplored. Few studies have investigated whether the health benefits of cupping differ across various phases of a sports season. This study aimed to examine the effects of short-term cupping on athletes during preseason conditioning (PSC) and in-season conditioning (ISC). Forty university baseball players were recruited and randomly assigned to either the cupping (dry cupping at - 400 mmHg) or sham (dry cupping at - 100 mmHg) group. Cupping was applied to the upper back and shoulders for 15 minutes, twice a week for 8 consecutive weeks (4 weeks each during PSC and ISC). Cupping had no significant effect on upper-extremity function during either PSC or ISC. Exercise tests during PSC and ISC revealed no postintervention changes in peak power, peak oxygen consumption, or anaerobic threshold. However, cupping during PSC improved postexercise recovery of low-frequency power (LF; P = .013; a component of heart rate variability) and that during ISC improved recovery of the LF/high-frequency power ratio (P = .004) and LF% (P = .037). Additionally, cupping during PSC notably enhanced daytime function, as measured by the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (P = .026). The benefits of cupping therapy vary between PSC and ISC. Cupping during PSC and ISC notably improved the postexercise recovery of autonomic and sympathetic activities, respectively. However, improvements in sleep quality were only observed during PSC.

Purpose Chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP) is a complex and heterogeneous condition, and it is necessary to explore new treatment approaches. We evaluated whether the addition of dry cupping therapy to guideline‑based conventional therapy would further improve clinical outcomes in CNLBP. Methods Thirty-six patients with CNLBP were recruitedand randomly divided into two groups: the control group and the intervention group. The intervention group received cupping therapy in addition to the control group (core stabilization exercises, spinal manipulation and education) for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain intensity. Secondary outcomes were the Roland Morris disability questionnaire (RMDQ), and pressure pain thresholds (PPT) at bilateral Shenshu (BL23), Qihaishu (BL24), and Dachangshu (BL25) acupuncture points. Results At week 4 the between‑group difference in resting pain was trivial (median difference 0.0 cm, 95% CI − 1.0 to 1.0). Neither clinically important nor statistically significant differences were detected in disability or PPTs. Both groups improved substantially from baseline. Conclusion In this randomized trial, adding dry cupping to conventional therapy offered no additional benefit over conventional therapy alone for pain, disability or PPT in CNLBP. Larger, multicentre trials with longer follow‑up and standardized negative pressures are warranted. Trial registration : ChiCTR2300069398, http://www.chictr.org.cn , Registration Date: March 15, 2023.

Cupping therapy (CT) on acupoint CV8 Shenque is a potential treatment of urticaria. This review will analyze the efficacy and safety of CT on CV8 Shenque. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing CT on CV8 Shenque with other treatments were retrieved from 14 worldwide databases from their inception to June 2024. Primary outcomes were symptom scores (SS), quality of life (QoL), and effective rate (ER). Using Review Manager, results were presented as risk ratio (RR) or mean difference (MD), with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane \"risk of bias\" tool, and the quality of evidence was evaluated with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). A total of six RCTs with 409 patients were included. Compared with other treatments, CT on CV8 Shenque significantly improved ER (RR = 1.20, 95% CI [1.07, 1.35], P = .002, 6 RCTs, n = 409), SS (including wheal scores (MD = -0.64, 95% CI [-0.91, -0.37], 2 RCTs, n = 123), symptom duration scores (MD = -0.37, 95% CI [-0.62, -0.12], 2 RCTs, n = 123), and QoL (MD = -2.08, 95% CI [-3.28, -0.88], 1 RCT, n = 66). CT on CV8 Shenque can be a potential therapy for urticaria. Since the overall quality and quantity of the included RCTs were not satisfactory, high-quality research is necessary to further verify the results in the future.

•Cupping therapy may reduce inflammatory markers during resting condition.•Cupping therapy may reduce upregulation of inflammatory markers during vigorous exercise testing. The aim of the present study was to investigate potential anti-inflammatory effects of wet-cupping prior to a moderate-to-vigorous exercise test among martial arts athletes. Twenty-one male karate athletes voluntarily participated in this study and were randomly divided into 3 groups: vigorous exercise (VE, n = 7), cupping (CT, n = 7) and cupping plus vigorous exercise (VECT, n = 7). Participants in exercise groups performed an exercise test while participants in CT received cupping therapy, and participants in VECT received cupping therapy plus exercise. Inflammatory markers (i.e., interlukin-6, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α, TNF-α) were assessed prior to, immediately, 30 min, and 24 h after cupping therapy, vigorous exercise test, and their combination. IL-6 values were significantly lower immediately after cupping intervention in CT as compared to baseline (P < 0.025). IL-6 significantly increased immediately and 30 min post-exercise in VE in comparison with baseline (P < 0.025). IL-6 was also significantly higher at 24 h post-exercise in CTVE as compared to baseline (P < 0.025). TNF-α values were significantly lower in CT as compared to VE and CTVE at immediately and 30 min post-exercise (P < 0.01). TNF-α significantly decreased immediately and 30 min after cupping intervention in CT as compared to baseline (P < 0.01). Conversely, TNF-α significantly increased immediately after exercise in VE as compared to baseline (P < 0.025). TNF-α also significantly increased at 30 min and 24 h post-exercise in CTVE in comparison with baseline (P < 0.025). Our findings showed that exercise-induced augmentation in inflammatory markers were lower in athletes who received cupping therapy, suggesting such therapy may be an avenue to mitigate the inflammatory response to vigorous exercise among martial arts athletes. A large-scale clinical study is needed to confirm the findings of the present study.

Dry cupping therapy is a noninvasive treatment commonly used to reduce pain and promote the healing process in various populations, including those with nonspecific neck pain; however, no data are available to support most of this method's true physiological benefits. To determine if dry cupping therapy decreased pain and increased subcutaneous blood flow compared with sham cupping and control conditions. Controlled laboratory study. Laboratory. A total of 32 participants (age = 22.5 ± 2.8 years, height = 173.3 ± 10.1 cm, mass = 76.6 ± 18.7 kg) with self-reported nonspecific neck pain. We used dry cupping and sham cupping interventions and a control condition. For the dry cupping intervention, 1 stationary cup was placed directly over the most painful area for 8 minutes. The sham cupping intervention followed the same procedures as the dry cupping intervention except a sham cup was applied. For the control condition, participants received no treatment. Subjective pain intensity (visual analog scale); pain-pressure threshold; subcutaneous hemodynamics, including superficial and deep oxygenated, deoxygenated, and total hemoglobin levels; and tissue saturation index. We observed differences in the visual analog scale score and the superficial and deep oxygenated and total hemoglobin levels (P values ≤ .002) immediately postintervention compared with baseline. Post hoc tests revealed that the dry cupping group had less pain than the sham cupping and control groups and higher superficial and deep oxygenated and total hemoglobin levels (P values ≤ .008). No differences were found between baseline and 24 hours postintervention. A single session of dry cupping therapy may be an effective short-term treatment method for immediately reducing pain and increasing oxygenated and total hemoglobin levels in patients with nonspecific neck pain.

This article collected, organized, and summarized the medical literatures of cupping therapy from three major Chinese databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chongqing VIP (VIP), and WanFang, with cupping, moving cupping, flash cupping, pricking cupping, or medicinal cupping as the retrieve title or key words, and the retrieve range was from 1953 to July 15, 2015. This article was to give an overall review of cupping therapy from the clinical application and mechanism research based on its application form, indications, and mechanism research progress. The results showed that there are various types of cupping methods; its indications cover multiple subjects such as internal medicine, external medicine, gynecology and pediatrics; and its major action mechanisms include negative pressure suction, increasing pain threshold, promoting dermal blood flow and improving body immunity.