{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,21]],"date-time":"2026-05-21T13:11:23Z","timestamp":1779369083853,"version":"3.53.0"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,15]],"date-time":"2026-05-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778803200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Cupping therapy is a commonly used Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) modality for treating lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and has gained increasing attention in recent years. Large-area cupping therapy is characterized by extensive and deep negative-pressure stimulation, which may exert analgesic effects by improving local circulation and modulating inflammatory mediators. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of large-area cupping therapy in patients with cold-damp type LDH and to explore its potential mechanisms of action.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      This prospective, randomized controlled trial enrolled 60 patients diagnosed with LDH of the cold-dampness type. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) using a random number table to either the observation group (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 30) or the control group (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 30). The observation group received large-area cupping therapy, while the control group underwent conventional infrared therapy. Both groups were treated once every other day for a total of six sessions. Pain was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and TCM symptom scores were recorded. Serum levels of prostaglandin E\n                      <jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub>\n                      (PGE\n                      <jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub>\n                      ) and \u03b2-endorphin (\u03b2-EP) were measured before treatment, after the first session, and after the final session.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      There were no significant differences between the two groups at baseline in terms of VAS scores, TCM symptom scores, or serum levels of PGE\n                      <jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub>\n                      and \u03b2-EP (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;gt; 0.05). After treatment, the observation group showed significantly greater improvements in VAS scores, symptom scores, and biochemical markers compared to the control group (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.05). Specifically, PGE\n                      <jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub>\n                      levels in the treatment group decreased from 123.45 \u00b1 15.93 pg\/mL at baseline to 69.79 \u00b1 16.44 pg\/mL after treatment, while \u03b2-EP levels increased from 4.38 \u00b1 1.09 ng\/mL to 7.74 \u00b1 1.12 ng\/mL. The total effective rate was 93.33% in the observation group and 83.33% in the control group, with a between-group difference of 10.00%; however, this difference was not statistically significant (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 0.424). No serious adverse events occurred.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Large-area cupping therapy demonstrates promising short-term clinical efficacy in relieving pain and modulating inflammatory mediators in cold-damp type LDH. While safe and well-tolerated, further studies with long-term follow-up are required to establish the durability of these effects.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2026.1742100","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,15]],"date-time":"2026-05-15T04:28:19Z","timestamp":1778819299000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Clinical study on the therapeutic effect of large-area cupping therapy for lumbar disc herniation of cold-damp type (a Traditional Chinese Medicine syndrome)"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Yingxia","family":"Ding","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Tuina, Qingdao Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Qingdao Hiser Hospital Affiliated of Qingdao University","place":["Qingdao, 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