Fire therapy

Fire therapy is a therapy promulgated by among others, Zhang Fenghao in Beijing, that even shocks and amuses practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. It involves applying herbal paste to the affected area, covering it with a towel, pouring water and rubbing alcohol on top of that, and then lighting the whole shebang on fire. Subjects report that it is not painful, but Zhang admits that there have been injuries and burns due to a "lack of standards". Proponents claim that it cures everything from gas to cancer. Fire therapy is not to be confused with the practice of cupping, which is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that involves using fire to heat glass cups in order to create suction on the victim's skin.