{"podcast":{"title":"The Thinking Practitioner","slug":"the-thinking-practitioner-958450","podcast_index_feed_id":958450,"rss_url":"https://www.thethinkingpractitioner.com/feed.xml","website_url":"https://www.thethinkingpractitioner.com","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/6037716/ttp_cover_art_1400x1400px_20191001al.jpg","author":"Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe","episode_count":175,"summary":"For the practitioner who’s never stopped being curious. Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe bring together leading researchers, master clinicians, and big questions from across bodywork, massage, and manual therapy — exploring not just what we do with our hands, but why it works and how to do it better. Smart, grounded, and genuinely useful conversations for the somatic arts and sciences. For professional practitioners in bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedics, sports massage, physical therapy, and osteopathy — as well as yoga, strength and conditioning, and allied professions. This podcast is not medical or treatment advice.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-22T18:19:44.451763+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-thinking-practitioner-958450"},"episode":{"title":"167: Cupping & the Nervous System (with Joi Edwards)","slug":"167-cupping-the-nervous-system-with-joi-edwards","published_at":"2026-04-01T09:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-thinking-practitioner-958450/167-cupping-the-nervous-system-with-joi-edwards","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-thinking-practitioner-958450","url":"https://www.thethinkingpractitioner.com/e/title-pending-ep-167/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/k9tbxqm2ggyc8vuf/TTP_167_audio_202603239v88r.mp3","summary":"🎙Dr. Joi Edwards is a physical therapist with nearly 20 years of experience specializing in orthopedic injuries and a licensed massage therapist who bridges the gap between clinical assessment and intuitive soft-tissue work. She joins Whitney on The Thinking Practitioner to dive deep into the world of cupping therapy—exploring the physiological mechanisms, the various types of tools, and why this ancient modality is about much more than just leaving red marks on the skin. Joi’s fascination with cupping began in the clinic when she discovered the modality \"pre-Michael Phelps\" and noticed an immediate 15-degree increase in her own shoulder's range of motion after experimenting with the cups. Her journey was further shaped by international patients who shared how their families had used cupping for generations to treat everything from systemic colds to localized chronic pain. This episode is an exploration of how decompression—rather than the compression typically associated with massage—can restore tissue mechanics and stimulate a nervous system response that even the most skilled manual techniques sometimes can't replicate. ✨ Topics discussed include: Whitney and Joi walk through the different categories of cupping, the science of tissue decompression, and how to safely integrate cups into a clinical practice. Joi's transition from physical therapy to massage therapy—and why she felt compelled to integrate the two. The history of cupping: from hollowed-out animal horns used for \"snake bites\" to modern medical-grade silicone. Wet cupping (Hijama) vs. Dry cupping: understanding the scope of practice and the cultural significance of bloodletting. The physics of the \"Pinch Grip\" and \"Donut Drop\": how different application methods change the treatment. Decompression vs. Comp…","meta_description":"🎙Dr. Joi Edwards is a physical therapist with nearly 20 years of experience specializing in orthopedic injuries and a licensed massage therapist who bridg…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2945,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-thinking-practitioner-958450/episodes/167-cupping-the-nervous-system-with-joi-edwards/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-thinking-practitioner-958450/167-cupping-the-nervous-system-with-joi-edwards.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}