Why a hepatologist is cautioning against this well-liked athlete recuperation trend: "Unscientific, dangerous nonsense"

Some athletes and health enthusiasts still utilise cupping therapy, which has been around for centuries, to relieve pain and promote muscle repair. Discussions concerning whether these practices provide real health benefits or only give the appearance of treatment without any scientific support have been triggered by their resurgence in popularity on social media. Following a warning from Kerala-based hepatologist Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips, popularly known online as "The Liver Doc," in an Instagram post, that discussion has heated up.He criticised cupping therapy, calling it "unscientific, dangerous nonsense" and encouraging people to think twice about what he called a "superstitious trend" being passed off as valid medical treatment.

Images of wet cupping, which involves applying suction after making tiny incisions to extract what some consider to be "toxic" blood, were included in his post. "The skin is not a filter for toxins; that is the job of your liver and kidneys," Dr. Philips said, challenging the fundamental idea underlying the procedure. “Sucking out blood by cutting the skin is not detoxification; it is a recipe for infection, scarring, and, in some cases, extensive skin damage,” he continued.He also brought up issues of medical safety and hygiene, pointing out that using non-sterile equipment or providing inadequate aftercare could expose individuals to dangerous infections including HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. In addition to causing haematomas, irreversible scarring, and skin discolouration, he claims that the strong suction used in cupping can also drive patients to put off getting the right treatment for underlying diseases if they rely on it rather than going to the doctor.