For the Love of Acupuncture, Cupping, and My Nervous System 🫶🏽

If you are here, you have probably seen me face down on a table, little needles in my upper back, cups on the rest of my back, and a heat lamp warming me from above. And I want to tell you: it is the best!!!! I am not fully asleep, and not fully out, but in that good place where your brain stops its little anxiety marathon and just... rests.

That is what acupuncture and cupping do for me. And if you have been curious, a little scared, or your family says "¿para qué?" every time you bring it up or calls you weird, this one is for you.

Let's Talk About the Stigma

If you have been following me, by now you know that in Latino culture we do not really talk about mental health. We push through, we pray, we make caldo, or at least we are told to do so. And while there is beauty in all of that, there is also a gap, especially when it comes to actually treating what is going on inside.

The stigma around alternative therapies is not just a Latinx thing either. Western medicine has been slow to embrace practices like acupuncture and cupping, even though they have been around for thousands of years across Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Egyptian cultures. The Ebers Papyrus, one of the oldest medical texts ever found from 1550 B.C., documents cupping as a legitimate treatment.[1] Thousands of years, and we are still out here acting like it is weird.

The pushback comes from both sides, from families who side-eye anything that is not a prescription, and from Western medicine that has been slow to fund research on these practices. But the research is growing, and what it is showing is worth knowing about. Insurance now approves acupuncture for the most part, even with Medi-Cal or Medicaid, depending on what you call it in your state.

What the Research Says

I am not going to oversell this. The research is still growing, partly because these practices are hard to study in the traditional double-blind way, and partly because funding for this kind of research has always been limited.

But here is what we do know:

On acupuncture: A 2024 study found that adding acupuncture to a mental health treatment plan led to a 78.4% drop in depression symptoms, a 41.1% decline in anxiety, and a 53.1% improvement in sleep quality.[2] Acupuncture also helps increase serotonin production in the brain, yes, your favorite mood regulator, which is why it can help with both anxiety and depression. A 2025 review on generalized anxiety disorder found that acupuncture, alone or combined with medication, may actually work better than medication by itself, with fewer side effects.[3]

On cupping: Cupping activates the parasympathetic nervous system, your "rest and digest" mode, fighting that fight-or-flight response that is basically the engine of an anxiety spiral.[4] It helps with inflammation, improves circulation, and has been linked to increased dopamine and serotonin levels.[5] Research on fibromyalgia found that cupping significantly reduced pain and improved quality of life compared to standard care.[6]

In Reality: More studies are still needed, and most guidelines classify these as complementary therapies, meaning they work alongside other treatment. Which is exactly how I use them.

My Situation

I "graduated" from my therapist a while back. And I mean that literally. I did the work, got to a good place, and we both agreed it was time. My insurance would also agree, since my anxiety had improved enough that they no longer considered continued sessions necessary. I agree to disagree on that one, but that is another story.

Managing anxiety does not stop just because therapy does. It is ongoing. Some stretches are harder than others, and what works for me is a combination of things: exercise, acupuncture, cupping, and daily medication. I have new insurance now, Kaiser Permanente, in the Inland Empire, and we will see how that goes. My history with Kaiser Permanente, LA's mental health department was not great, long wait times, staff strikes, the whole thing. So for now, what I know works is showing up to my acupuncturist's table and letting my nervous system breathe.

What It Actually Feels Like

You have tattoos, so you should not mind it, right?! I mean, I do not, but I know a lot of people who do not particularly enjoy getting their blood drawn for funzies. But that is the difference: it is a tiny poke, well, a couple of them.

If you have a good acupuncturist, you really will not feel most of them. Once the heat lamp goes over my back, I honestly do not feel much at all. The only things I notice are the initial cupping placement, which has a little pinch when the suction grabs, and occasionally when a needle gets pressed to stimulate a specific point. But that is always a conversation you have with your acupuncturist beforehand. Nothing should catch you off guard.

It is less scary medical procedure and more accidental nap with health benefits.

Should You Try It?

Yes. Especially if you are managing anxiety or depression and want complementary support, if you have been curious but nervous, or if you feel like something is still missing even after trying what your doctor recommended. The physical and emotional sides of stress are not separate, and it helps to treat them together.

Consult your doctor before adding anything new to your routine, especially if you are on medication. I have tried acupuncture many times before and have never had an issue, so adding it back into my routine was not a question for me. Find someone you actually trust, that part matters more than anything else. Search Google reviews, Yelp, etc. That is my strategy when looking for a therapist, psychiatrist, or any kind of doctor. I also have personal preferences around gender, ethnicity, and other factors, and that is completely okay too.

Come See My Acupuncturist

You can also just take a recommendation from a friend, like mine! If you trust me and know me, I will point you in the right direction, among the many other things that I have information on.

If you are in the Riverside area, go see my acupuncturist, Dr. Yu,at:

Healing Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Clinic

4193 Flat Rock Rd, Riverside, CA 92505

(626) 662-5365

If you caught the video on my Instagram, I hope it made it feel a little less intimidating. We do not have to be scared of the things that help us heal, whether that is therapy, medication, cupping, acupuncture, a good ugly cry, or all of the above.

Healing is hard enough. It might as well feel good too.

— Educated Chola 🧠

Made with love and your salud mental in mind.

Sources

[1] Hometown Chiropractic. History of Cupping Therapy. https://hometownchiropracticnc.com/history-of-cupping/ | Britannica. Ebers Papyrus. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ebers-papyrus | ResearchGate. History of Cupping (Hijama): A Narrative Review of Literature. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317064060_History_of_cupping_Hijama_a_narrative_review_of_literature

[2] Lu, M. et al. (2024). Effectiveness of acupuncture in treating patients with pain and mental health concerns: the results of the Alberta Complementary Health Integration Project. Frontiers in Neurology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11333307/

[3] Annals of General Psychiatry (2025). Efficacy of acupuncture for generalized anxiety disorder: a systematic review. Springer Nature. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12991-025-00614-5

[4] SOHMA Integrative Medicine. Can Cupping Help with Anxiety? https://www.sohma.org/therapy/cupping-therapy/can-cupping-help-with-anxiety/

[5] Cupping Warehouse. Cupping Therapy, Hormones and Neurotransmitters. https://cuppingwarehouse.com/blogs/library-and-articles/cupping-therapy-hormones-and-neurotransmitters

[6] Lauche, R. et al. (2016). Efficacy of cupping therapy in patients with the fibromyalgia syndrome: a randomised placebo controlled trial. Scientific Reports. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5112514/