Taiwan rocker Chyi Chin got deep second-degree burns while undergoing cupping therapy, a traditional way to keep healthy in Chinese medicine, at home in Beijing early Thursday morning, Taiwan media reports. The 51-year-old star was then sent to hospital.
The accident was caused by the therapist's incorrect operation. Chyi suffered burns to his back, face and chest, and is now in stable condition.
[1]Cupping=拔火罐; [2] "moxibustión"=艾灸"Cupping and moxibustion are healing techniques employed across the diverse traditions of acupuncture and oriental medicine for over 2,000 years. In modern times, both methods are usually used to complement acupuncture with needles but they may be used independently. Cupping and moxibustion share the principle of using heat to stimulate circulation and break up congestion or stagnation of blood and "qi" 气 Cupping has some relation to the massage technique tuina, which uses rapid skin pinching at points on the back to break up congestion and stimulate circulation. Moxibustion is more closely related to acupuncture as it is applied to specific acupuncture points, while cupping may be used over acupuncture points or elsewhere. The literature on these techniques consists predominantly of opinion based on clinical experience, case reports, and a few case series reports in which the methods of observation and analysis are not clear or consistent. This does not mean the techniques do not work, but little of what has been reported can be evaluated as scientific evidence.