A popular medical treatment in the United States during the nineteenth century was bloodletting or bleeding, in which blood was removed from the body because it was thought to be toxic. Physicians believed that when the tainted blood was removed, the patient would recover.
Cupping involves placing heated bell-like jars on specific areas of the body.
The device can be released by hand or by using a small pump. It does recommend the practice for people with stomach pain, boils, weak circulation, shoulder pain and stiff necks, diarrhea and vomiting, rib pain, menstrual cramps, headaches, bronchitis, colds, asthma, infertility, impotence, hemorrhoids, bedwetting, and anemia. It is questionable whether cupping is really an effective treatment for this wide array of illnesses. In addition, many of these conditions, such as asthma and stomach pain, can be serious or even life threatening. Using cupping or any other unproved remedy could delay necessary medical treatment and have serious consequences.