Cupping guides
Resistance band training at home: 12 full-body exercises, a three-day-a-week programme, and what a home gym actually needs
Resistance bands are the cheapest and most complete tool for a home gym: one set gives resistance for the whole body, from light rehab to heavy strength, and takes no space. Here are 12 full-body band exercises, a three-day-a-week programme to follow for eight weeks, which bands and anchors you need, what is worth adding to a home gym (and what you can skip), and how to use cupping for muscle soreness and recovery between sessions.
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Bloated stomach and gas: causes, when it should be investigated, self-care that helps and abdominal massage with cups
A bloated stomach is usually due to gas from food fermenting in the gut, air you swallow, a sluggish bowel, stress that switches off digestion or hormones before a period; in some it is IBS or a sensitivity to certain carbohydrates. Here are the causes, the warning signs that should be investigated, the self-care with evidence (eating technique, FODMAP principles, movement, breathing) and how to do abdominal massage with cups that helps gas move on.
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Sauna, cold plunge and ice baths for recovery: what research says, how to do it safely, infrared sauna, and how cupping fits into heat and cold
Heat and cold are the oldest recovery tools, and research has caught up with part of the tradition: sauna has evidence for heart health, sleep and muscle relaxation, cold water for mood, alertness and reduced muscle soreness, and alternating between them for circulation. Here is what is shown and what is not, how to do it safely (times, temperatures, who should be careful), what infrared sauna does, and how cupping fits in before, during and after heat and cold.
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Diastasis recti (separated abdominal muscles) and training after childbirth: self-test, exercises that heal, what to avoid and how cupping is used on the belly and back
Diastasis recti, separated abdominal muscles, is when the connective tissue between the rectus muscles has been stretched during pregnancy so a gap remains after childbirth. It is normal in the first months and heals in most people with the right training of the deep abdominal muscles and pelvic floor. Here is the self-test, why it happens, training week by week after childbirth, what to avoid, when to seek help, and how cupping is used on the belly and back once the tissue has healed.
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Vertebral compression fracture: symptoms, why it happens (osteoporosis), how it heals, exercises that help and what applies to massage and cupping
A vertebral compression fracture is a fracture where a vertebra is squashed, usually because of osteoporosis and sometimes after a light lift or fall. It heals in six to twelve weeks and is treated with pain relief, early movement and training of the back extensors; it is also a warning sign that the skeleton needs investigating. Here are the symptoms, the warning signs, the healing, the exercises, what to avoid and what applies to massage and cupping.
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Scoliosis: what it is, how to detect it, when it should be assessed, exercises that help adults and what cupping can do for the muscles
Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine found in two to three percent of the population, usually mild and without need for treatment. Here is the difference between functional and structural scoliosis, the self-test, when children and adults should be assessed, what helps adults with pain (strength, mobility, Schroth-inspired training, cardio) and how cupping of the unevenly loaded back muscles is used as a complement.
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Whiplash: symptoms, how it heals, self-care and exercises with evidence, and when cupping of the neck can be used
Whiplash is a sprain of the neck's muscles and ligaments after a rapid back-and-forth movement of the head, usually in a rear-end collision. Most people recover within weeks to a few months, and early, gentle movement heals better than rest and a collar. Here are the symptoms, the warning signs, the healing week by week, exercises with evidence, why some get long-term problems, and when cupping of the neck muscles can be used.
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Massage: the types (classic, deep tissue, lymphatic, connective tissue, sports and cupping massage), what they do, what research says and how to massage at home
Massage is mechanical influence on muscles, connective tissue and skin with hands or tools, and the different types differ in pressure, direction and purpose. Here are the most common types of massage and what they suit, what research says about pain, stress and recovery, when massage is not suitable, and how to massage yourself at home with hands, a ball and cups.
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Yin yoga at home: what it is, eight poses for beginners, how long to hold them and how static cups deepen the session
Yin yoga is calm, lying or seated yoga where you hold poses for three to five minutes with relaxed muscles, so connective tissue, joints and the nervous system have time to release. Here is what yin yoga does, who it suits, eight poses for beginners with timings and props, how to breathe, common mistakes, and how static cups and light cupping are used before and during the session.
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