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Evidence Map of Cupping Therapy.
Tae Young Choi1, Lin Ang1,2, Boncho Ku3
1Clinical Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 34054, Korea.
Journal of Clinical Medicine
|April 30, 2021
Summary
Cupping therapy shows potential benefits for pain and skin conditions like low back pain and plaque psoriasis, according to a review of systematic studies. Further research is recommended for these conditions.
Area of Science:
- Integrative Medicine
- Evidence-Based Practice
Background:
- Cupping therapy is a traditional practice with a wide range of clinical applications.
- Systematic reviews are crucial for assessing the efficacy of therapeutic interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically map and assess the existing evidence from systematic reviews on cupping therapy.
- To identify clinical areas where cupping therapy demonstrates potential benefits.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, etc.) for systematic reviews on cupping therapy up to March 2021.
- An evidence map, utilizing a bubble plot, was created to visualize research volume, participant numbers, confidence, and effectiveness across different conditions.
- Thirteen systematic reviews were included in the evidence map, resulting in 16 visualized data points (bubbles).
Main Results:
- Six systematic reviews indicated potential benefits of cupping therapy for conditions including low back pain, ankylosing spondylitis, knee osteoarthritis, neck pain, herpes zoster, migraine, plaque psoriasis, and chronic urticaria.
- The evidence map visually summarized the research landscape, highlighting areas with statistically significant findings.
- Cupping therapy has been explored across diverse clinical fields, with notable evidence for specific conditions.
Conclusions:
- Systematic reviews suggest that cupping therapy may offer benefits for several musculoskeletal and dermatological conditions.
- Evidence mapping effectively visualizes research trends and findings, aiding knowledge transfer to policymakers.
- Further research is particularly encouraged for musculoskeletal pain (e.g., low back pain, knee osteoarthritis) and skin diseases (e.g., plaque psoriasis).
