Cupping guides
Support stockings and compression stockings: the difference, the compression classes, who should wear which (swollen legs, varicose veins, pregnancy, travel, lymphoedema), how to put them on and care for them, and how they combine with lymphatic massage
Support stockings and compression stockings are the single most effective self-care for heavy, swollen legs, varicose veins and swelling in pregnancy and on long journeys, and standard treatment for lymphoedema and after a blood clot. Yet they are used wrongly or not at all: wrong class, wrong size, put on after the legs have already swollen, or not at all because they are hard to get on. Here is the difference between support stockings (light, over the counter) and medical compression stockings (classes 1–3, fitted), who should wear which class and length, when not to use them (reduced arterial circulation, certain skin problems), how to measure, put on and wash them, donning aids, common mistakes, and how the stockings combine with lymphatic massage and cupping for the best effect.
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Swollen feet and legs in pregnancy: why it happens, what is normal and what is not (pre-eclampsia, blood clot), what helps and light lymphatic massage with a cup
Eight in ten pregnant women get swollen feet, ankles and lower legs, mostly in the third trimester, in heat and toward the end of the day. It is due to more blood and fluid in the body, hormones that soften the vessels, and the uterus pressing on the large veins so blood from the legs has a harder time returning. It is almost always harmless, but sudden swelling of the face and hands, swelling with headache or visual disturbance, or one leg that swells more than the other and becomes warm and tender mean care the same day. Here are the causes, the warning signs, what actually helps (movement and calf pumps, elevation, left side-lying, compression stockings, water and less salt, cooling) and how to do light lymphatic massage on the legs with the hands or a cup on the lowest suction, with your midwife's go-ahead.
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Varicose veins on the legs: why they appear, the symptoms, what helps (compression, movement, elevation, treatment), varicose veins in pregnancy – and why you should not cup over them
Varicose veins are widened, twisting superficial veins on the legs that appear when the valves in the veins stop closing properly and blood pools. They are common, often hereditary, more frequent in women, after pregnancies and in people who stand a lot, and cause heaviness, swelling, itching and night cramps, but are rarely dangerous. Here is why they appear, how to tell them from spider veins and deep vein thrombosis, when to seek care, what helps in daily life and which treatments exist, how to manage varicose veins in pregnancy, and a clear rule about cupping: never on the varicose veins themselves, but light lymphatic drainage above them can reduce swelling.
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Lipoedema: the symptoms, how to tell it from lymphoedema and overweight, the stages, what actually helps (compression, movement, lymphatic drainage, diet) and how cupping can be used – and not
Lipoedema is a chronic disorder of fat tissue that almost only affects women: symmetrical fat accumulation on hips, thighs, lower legs and sometimes arms, with slim feet and hands, tenderness to pressure, easy bruising and a body that doesn't respond to dieting where it should. It is constantly confused with overweight and lymphoedema and often discovered late. Here are the symptoms, the differences, the stages and types, how it is diagnosed, what actually helps (compression, movement in water and strength, manual lymphatic drainage, anti-inflammatory diet, pain management, liposuction in selected cases), what doesn't help, and how light cupping can be used as part of self-care – and when it shouldn't be.
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