See a woman’s disturbing injuries after a cupping session at a local shopping mall left her with painful blisters

A session of fire cupping – a type of alternative medicine praised by celebrities and sport stars – has left an Aussie grandmother in severe pain with second degree burns and awful blisters.

Larita De Ruyssche said she has not been able to sleep because of the pain, but the shopping mall practice where she had it done said the injuries are common. 

Ms De Ruyssche from Shailer Park, Queensland, was left with burns and blisters on her back from a procedure she thought was going to improve her health, not leave her in agony.

She went to the Foot Haven Herbal clinic in Loganholme because it was recommended to her to treat her neck and shoulder pain, but she said the experience ‘was just horrible’.

Cupping involves glass cups being heated and placed on a person’s body to supposedly increase circulation, relieve pain and extract toxins.

‘Some of my friends have had it done and said how good it is for muscles,’ she told 7News, but after a half hour of it, she found the pain unbearable. 

‘You don’t receive burns when you’re doing cupping unless it’s poor technique,’  Waverny Holland of the Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association said. 

‘You don’t burn patients. It’s therapeutically not beneficial, plus it breaks the skin, it’s opening it to infections.’ 

Ms De Ruyssche, who had to have her injuries dressed by her doctor, went back to the business and was told the weeping wounds she suffered were normal.

The boss of the Herbal Clinic told Channel 7 that ‘In China, it’s very common … it really depends on the person’s skin.’

Though the clinic maintains it did nothing wrong, it has apologised to Ms De Ruyssche for her experience. 

She is now considering making a formal complaint to the Queensland Office of the Health Ombudsman. 

Ms De Ruyssche said she has not been able to sleep because of the pain from the injuries (pictured), but the shopping mall practice where she had it done said the injuries are common

She is still feeling the effects of what happened. ‘It’s really painful …

‘I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone and I would hate for anyone else to have my experience,’ she told the Courier Mail.

Foot Haven Herbal owner Adam Zhou said ‘There is no refund for the initial treatment as we have not done anything wrong and followed all the regular procedures.

‘But I did feel sorry for her as she has not had this treatment before and was concerned about the blistering, which can happen depending on your skin type.’ 

WHAT IS FIRE CUPPING? 

Origin: The earliest evidence is a medical texbook from Egypt, 1550 BC.

Procedure: Usually run in conjunction with acupuncture, cupping involves creating suction through a vacuum on the skin.

Results: The practice is supposed to help blood flow, reduce inflammation and treat respiratory problems.

A glass cup about to be heated for the alternative medicine procedure of fire cupping is pictured