Bańki lekarskie – praktyczne zastosowanie

Summary
Medical cupping is a method of treatment which has been well known throughout history. It is assumed, that the method has originated from China. In Polish medicine, Stefan Falmierz was the first to describe cupping and its various applications in 1534, in his herbarium entitled Zielnik czyli Herbarz.
At its core, the treatment is based on using a closed receptacle i.e. a cup to create a vacuum with the strength ranging between 0.2 to 0.8 atmospheres, which causes irritation of the skin receptors. Due to the presence of vacuum in the cup, extravasation of the blood occurs. In consequence, this leads to the activation of the immunological system, causing it to create a large amount of antibodies. Irritation of the skin receptors, muscles and fasciae, causes analgesic and therapeutic effect as well. Application of cupping is advised in the cases of: infections of the respiratory system, bronchial asthma, diseases of the osteoarticular system, the circulatory system, gastro-intestinal tract and diseases of the nervous system e.g. neuralgia and mylagia.
Contra-indications to the application of cupping are: excessive brittleness of the vessels, impaired coagulability of the blood, autoimmune diseases, an active neoplastic disease, tuberculosis, atopic dermatitis, pregnancy, uncontroled hypertension, anaemia and the insufficiency of the circulatory system.
There are three different kinds of medical cups: glass (fire) cups, vacuum cups and Chinese (rubber) cups. Cupping requires special preparation of the patient, having the necessary equipment and a special room. In Poland, in accordance with the ordinance of the Ministry of Health, nurses are authorized to perform cupping.