Ever wondered what those large purple round circles you see people with on their back? It’s an AOM technique called cupping. Where jars or ‘cups’ are applied with either a pump or igniting a flame to create negative pressure which causes a vacuum so they suction onto the skin. Cupping works by breaking up stagnation and drawing blood to blocked areas. Another technique is Gua Sha, or scraping which, according to folk lore, was primarily used by non-acupuncturists to get “Qi flowing” using household implements such as rice spoons. Cupping and Gua Sha can be used in conjunction with acupuncture and moxibustion, or used as an alternative to acupuncture needles such as working with children.