While a few studies have indicated that cupping may reduce pain and increase well being, as The New York Times notes there's
scant research to determine whether it's anything more than a placebo effect.
While there is
scant scientific
research to back up claims that it cures cellulite, it has some cosmetic benefits, explains Mona Gohara, MD, a dermatologist at the Yale School of Medicine — although they are fleeting at best.