the Wikipedia entry on TCM:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_medicine
is full of information. also some wonderful poetic terms that crop up on 141...i know it's a serious science, but i'm curious about "downward-draining" and "dampness-transforming"...
moxibustion is the burning of mugwort and used in conjunction with acupuncture, but i've seen the cupping-method referred to as "moxibustion" more than once. anyway, this stuff is best left to someone who knows the practice.
this is the relevant part:
"Cupping (拔罐) is a type of Chinese massage, consisting of placing several glass "cups" (open spheres) on the body. A match is lit and placed inside the cup and then removed before placing the cup against the skin. As the air in the cup is heated, it expands, and after placing in the skin, cools, creating lower pressure inside the cup that allows the cup to stick to the skin via suction. When combined with massage oil, the cups can be slid around the back, offering "reverse-pressure massage"."
it definitely does make you look like you've tangled with something--red regular spots, big ones, different shades.
JtB