You may notice quite a few homeless people around Seoul Station. A lot of visitors ask me, “Why are there so many homeless people here?” One of the biggest reasons goes back to 1997, during the Asian Financial Crisis. In Korea, we usually call it the IMF Crisis . A lot of companies went bankrupt, unemployment rose very quickly, and many people suddenly lost their jobs and income. Some people eventually lost their homes as well. And many of them came to Seoul Station . Why here? Because this was one of the main places to find day labor and temporary jobs , and it was also the main railway station if they wanted to go back to their hometowns. But some had no money left and nowhere else to go, so they stayed around the station. That is one reason Seoul Station became one of the main gathering places for homeless people after the 1997 crisis. Then another thing happened. Once many homeless people were here, churches, charities, NGOs, and the government started providing help here. Th...
Hollywood stars who love cupping.
Recently, a photo of Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson undergoing cupping therapy for the first time in his life, was released on SNS and received great attention. Unlike the appearance of his health, he had several major surgeries for a herniated disc, muscle rupture, Achilles tendon rupture, etc.,and many fans were sorry for revealing that his body had been completely damaged after that. He announced that he got cupping therapy for the first time for the treatment of the back and back muscles.
Also, Michael Phelps, who participated in the Olympics after receiving cupping therapy at the last Rio Olympics, became a hot topic. This is because there were many people around the world who wondered what the purple mark on his body was.
This mark on the body is a cupping mark, which is very familiar to Asians, but it seems that it was not to other people. This is a treatment he has been receiving for years to help relax his muscles and ease soreness.
Cupping therapy seems to have become quite common among Hollywood stars such as among Hollywood stars such as pop singer Madonna, Jennifer Aniston, David Beckham, Justin Bieber, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
However, unlike Korea, since it is not subsidized by the national health insurance, it is relatively expensive to get cupping treatment. So, in the United States, many stars are visiting to Korea Town to receive such cupping treatment.
How Cupping works.
Specialized suction cups pull the skin up and away from the underlying muscles breaking capillaries that draws blood to the area and speeds recovery.
What is Cupping ?
Cupping is an ancient remedy that is thousands of years. Cupping has the potential to work by certain mechanisms by stimulating blood flow to the area where the cups are applied that could help release toxins that could help with cellular damage or tissue damage in terms of repairing it increased lymphatic flow. It can stimulate the immune system and the nervous system.
When the blood flow is not smooth as we age, fat and waste products stick to the blood and become lumps. If these blood clots do not flow and stagnate, the supply of nutrients and oxygen is abnormal. When a blood clot blocks a blood vessel, it causes sudden death, and one person dies from a blood clot every 37 seconds worldwide.
Benefits of cupping
- To give enough micro-stimulation in the muscles.
- To promote local blood circulation.
- To remove blood stagnation if necessary (Blood stagnation = blood clot that is aggregation of bad blood in the body)
Cupping Precautions.
The side effects of cupping are blisters that occur when excessive blood loss or excessive negative pressure is applied, which can damage the skin tissue.
In particular, in the case of wet cupping, bloodletting is essential, it must be sterilized when bleeding. A sterile disposable cup must be used. There is a possibility of infection when reused.
Be aware that excessive blood loss for a cool feeling may lead to side effects such as hardening or atrophy of the muscles, so be sure to be careful.
When cupping at home, most of these points are not well understood and often progress from blisters to ulcers due to excessive irritation and inadequate disinfection.
Cupping for the withdrawal of blood is a medical practice, and cupping therapy must be safely treated under the diagnosis of an oriental medical doctor, a medical practitioner.