Abstract View
Article Title:
BURNING INJURY IN THE CUPPING THERAPY:
A THEORETICAL INVESTIGATION
| Abstract: This study applied a numerical approach to analyze heat transfer in traditional Chinese medicine cupping and to examine whether cupping therapy causes skin burning injury. This study suggested that cupping creates a closed space with adiabatic conditions. The factors considered included the suction temperature when cups were placed onto the skin immediately after fire was applied to them. A higher-order color-coded isothermal chart was used to demonstrate the heat transfer that occurs inside cups. The numerical results showed that the heat inside cups quickly transfers to the skin and dissipates into the external environment. The decrease in the skin’s temperature gradually slowed down, with the rate of decrease becoming almost flat after approximately 158 seconds (at which point the rate of temperature decrease was 0.02 /s). With regard to concerns regarding whether the cupping therapy can cause burns, the numerical results showed that in cases when a suction temperature of 75 , 100 , 125 , and 150 were applied, a temperature of 44 , at which skin could be burnt, was maintained for 150~300 seconds. Thus, preventive measures against burns must be taken when conducting cupping therapy.Cupping is an external therapy in traditional Chinese medicine that is mainly based on heat. However, during treatment, its duration and temperature cannot be effectively controlled, which can cause burning injury. Inconveniences and risks of traditional cupping therapy have resulted in its reduced application. This aspect of traditional medicine is at risk of being lost to future generations, which has become a large concern. |
| Keywords: Cupping, Heat Transfer, Burning Injury, Suction Temperature, Skin Temperature |
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