Gulay AYDIN, Muhammet Mustafa CIFTCI
The Medical Bulletin of Haseki - 2026;64(3):170-175
Aim: Despite increasing interest in wet cupping therapy (WCT), its effects on cardiac autonomic regulation have not been sufficiently investigated. In this context, we aimed to investigate whether WCT affects cardiac autonomic function in healthy individuals. Methods: This study was designed as a prospective single-arm interventional pre-post study in which 24-hour rhythm Holter (RH) recordings were obtained before and after WCT between August 2, 2022, and December 31, 2022. Time-domain measures were used to assess heart rate variability (HRV). 50 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Before the WCT , nurses in the cardiology outpatient clinic Holter room attached 24-hour RHs to the participants; the RHs were removed after 24 hours, before the WCT was applied in the traditional and complementary medicine department. After the WCT procedure, the 24-hour RH was immediately reattached to the healthy participants in the Holter room and removed 24 hours later. Results: No statistical difference was found between the two groups in the following parameters: standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN) [95% Confidence interval (CI): -8.912-5.434, t=-0.487, p=0.628], SDANN (95% CI: -9.515-4.776, t=-0.666, p=0.508), SDNN index (95% CI: -2.815-2.245, t=-0.226, p=0.822), SDSD (z=-1.238, p=0.216), NN50 (z=-1.725, p=0.085), RMSSD (z=-1.048, p=0.295), pNN50 (z=-0.104, p=0.917) and triangular index (z=-1.355, p=0.176). Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, studies evaluating HRV parameters using 24-hour Holter monitoring before and after WCT are limited. When HRV parameters were compared before and after WCT , no statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups. More studies are needed with a larger number of healthy volunteers and with repeated WCT procedures.
