Dr. Zhang Sheng Mao explains that the human body contains hundreds of acupuncture points linked and connected to different organs and systems.
KIGALI – The sight of long needles piercing human skin was enough to make me nervous. Inside one of the makeshift consultation rooms run by the Chinese medical team in Rwanda, a patient calmly undergoes acupuncture treatment as doctors move around with quiet confidence and precision.
I stand there watching, curious but visibly unsettled. It was my first close encounter with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a centuries-old healing practice that has increasingly found space in modern healthcare systems across the world.
Moments later, I found myself choosing what seemed like the less intimidating option known as capping therapy. What began as a hesitant medical experience quickly turned into a fascinating lesson about one of the world’s oldest healing traditions.
Where Medicine Meets Philosophy
Body oil was gently rubbed across my back as the doctor prepared several glass cups in the treatment room. He briefly inserted a flame into one of the cups to heat the air inside before quickly placing it onto my skin. As the air cooled and contracted, negative pressure formed inside the cup, creating suction against the skin.
Within minutes, the cups tightened firmly against my back, pulling the skin upward with a deep tightening sensation that felt strange, yet surprisingly soothing. As the treatment continued, curiosity slowly replaced fear.
Dr. Nirite, a TCM doctor, explained that capping therapy is commonly used in China to relieve muscle pain, body stiffness and fatigue. According to him, many Chinese families still rely on traditional therapies alongside modern medicine.
“The body must remain balanced. If the body becomes too hot or too cold, illness develops,” he explained.
That idea of balance forms the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a practice developed more than 2,000 years ago. TCM is based on the belief that the body contains a vital energy flow that moves through pathways called meridians. When that flow becomes blocked or unbalanced, pain and disease can occur.
Nirite described capping as a treatment designed to improve circulation and relax muscles through negative pressure.
“The fire inside the cup burns oxygen and lowers air pressure. When the cup is placed on the skin, the suction stimulates blood circulation around that area,” he explained.
The dark circular marks left behind after treatment often surprise first-time patients, but practitioners say they are temporary signs of increased circulation beneath the skin.
While modern science continues to debate some traditional concepts such as “toxins” and internal body heat, studies have shown that capping therapy may help reduce muscle tension and chronic pain by promoting blood flow and relaxation.
For me, however, the experience felt larger than medicine alone. It was an introduction to a medical philosophy deeply woven into Chinese culture and history.
A flame is briefly inserted into glass cups to heat the air inside before quickly placing it onto the skin.
Understanding the Mystery of Acupuncture
Even while undergoing capping therapy, my attention kept returning to the acupuncture session happening nearby. How could needles inserted into one part of the body treat pain somewhere completely different?
Dr. Zhang Sheng Mao, the leader of the 26th Chinese Medical Team in Rwanda, explained that the body contains hundreds of acupuncture points linked through meridians connected to different organs and systems.
By stimulating specific points using thin needles, practitioners believe they can relieve pain and restore internal balance.
Zhang recalled a recent case in Rwanda where a patient suffering from ankle pain reportedly received acupuncture treatment on the arm instead of the injured foot.
“People think the needle must go exactly where the pain is. But in Traditional Chinese Medicine, different points connect to different parts of the body,” Zhang said.
Acupuncture is now practiced in many countries worldwide and is increasingly used alongside conventional medicine for pain management, migraines and stress-related conditions. The World Health Organization recognizes acupuncture as a complementary treatment for several conditions.
Yet beyond science and research, what stood out most was the confidence the doctors carried in their centuries-old traditions. “This is our science. Generations of Chinese people have used it to treat illness,” Zhang said proudly.
Unlike Western medicine, which often focuses on rapid symptom relief, TCM emphasizes restoring long-term balance using natural therapies such as herbs, acupuncture, massage and cupping.
During acupuncture, needles are inserted into one part of the body to treat pain somewhere completely different.
More Than a Medical Experience
As the cups were finally removed from my back, the circular marks left behind became visible reminders of an experience I had initially feared.
I had walked into the room nervous about needles, fire and unfamiliar medical theories. I walked out with curiosity, understanding and respect for a healing tradition that has survived for thousands of years.
For the Chinese doctors working in Rwanda, TCM is not only about treating patients. It is also part of a broader cultural exchange and long-standing cooperation between China and Rwanda in the health sector.
Whether one fully believes in every aspect of TCM or not, one thing became increasingly clear during my first encounter with it. TCM is more than treatment, it is history, philosophy, culture and healing woven together into one enduring practice.
During capping, the cooled and contracted air creates negative pressure inside the cup, creating suction against the skin.
