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A catchy slogan can make cupping sound like an answer before any assessment. Christine prefers a plan you could explain in your own words.

Some cupping advertisements lean on punchy phrases that suggest illness can simply be drawn out of the body. Slogans like these sound confident, but confidence is not the same as information. A worthwhile explanation of any treatment needs to cover the different methods, discuss what is uncertain and invite your questions.

What a good explanation includes

Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, offers cupping in Lane Cove and prefers to talk through:

• what the cupping is intended to help with in your case;
• which type of cup and technique she plans to use;
• what you may feel during and after the session;
• the limitations and uncertainties involved;
• how your response will be looked at over time.

Making sense of unfamiliar terms

You may hear words such as fire cupping, sliding cupping or flash cupping. If a term is new to you, ask Christine what it involves. Glass, plastic and silicone cups behave differently, and the method can change the sensation and the marks that follow.

A plan you could explain

A helpful test is whether you could describe the plan to a friend in your own words. If you could not, ask more questions before starting. Understanding why cupping is being considered, and what would count as a worthwhile response, matters far more than any reassuring catchphrase.

Reviewing the result together

Before the first session, note one everyday activity or symptom to talk over at the next appointment. After treatment, also consider your comfort during the session and how your skin healed. Marks give only a partial view. Whether to keep going should come back to why you began, how you responded and what alternatives are open to you.

Taking time to decide

There is no need to agree to cupping on the spot. If you would like to think it over, or check with your GP about a health condition first, Christine is happy to wait. When you return to the Lane Cove clinic, the conversation can pick up wherever you left it.