Cupping therapy is when a vacuum is created using special cups and placed on the skin to promote healing. They often leave dark red or purple marks on the skin that people mistake for bruises. Cupping does not do any damage to the tissue, therefore doesn’t cause actual bruising. When the vacuum is created and tissue is drawn up into the cup, space is created for stagnant, non-circulating blood and fluid to be diffused into the tissue spaces to be eliminated by the body. When that old, non-circulating blood is cleansed from the capillaries, cupping marks are created. This restores healthy circulation, releases, and oxygenates muscles and eliminates pain.