I have tried both. Very early on in my DX I went to an acupuncturist (which was sort of amazing in itself as I NEVER would have thought I would CHOSE to have needles stuck in my body especially after all the pokes for testing, spinal tap and many rounds of steroids. BUT I went. And selected one that is really well known here in the Pacific Northwest, and recommended by my neurologist.

I saw him once a week for about 4 months...and although I am almost "ashamed" to admit it, we parted ways, after HE asked me to give it a break and NOT continue. And here is why. FOR ME, it was extremely painful, which is NOT supposed to be the case (sometimes there may be small twangs when the needle first goes in, or discomfort in an area where you are carrying stress and have bad flow, but NOT what I was going through. AND it really flustered him, which made it all the worse for me. I live and breath to put EVERYONE at ease, and here I was, NOT "performing" the way he wanted/expected.

My final visit, he wanted to try some different locations (if I remember, feet, ears and head) and I remember just screaming at the top of my lungs when one went in and then being so mortified that there might be someone in the waiting room, now running away in fear. I had three friends that went to this same acupuncturist and all experienced amazing relief and improvement (2 had MS and one has Lupus)
Cupping: I go to a massage therapist every week and frequently when I am having specific problems and issues in various areas, she will use the cups. (Often times it is my hips, huge problems there) I find them to be extremely helpful (although they DO leave the funny HUGE hicky marks so be warned during bathing suit season:)
I also do a lot of chiropractic work. Again, find it to be VERY helpful for the pain and muscle issues that I have. Another thing that I would NOT have imagined choosing to do, that has become a standard practice for me.

I go for the sciatic pain that I have - which may or may not be associated with the MS. That said, I have found that some of the spasticity in my left leg has been reduced. Again - sciatic or MS? Who knows. If you are looking for a cure then acupuncture is not for you. As a stress reducer it is priceless.

Love the needles. It's relaxing. The Dr. starts with massage and then the needles with some mild electrical stimulation. Works wonders. I have a session every week.

I haven't tried accupunture yet (mostly due to money), but my has and he loved it. However, he has never found physio, chiro, massage or accupuncture, has ever given him any lasting pain relief, even when he can go on a regular basis. I've tried all of the first three off and on for many years, but I run into the same problem he does. It only helps for a few days at best, with both of us.

I don't mean to discourage you though. I've known a lot of people who swear by it. And if I ever have the funds again, I fully intend to try it myself. When it comes to pain relief, I'm willing to try almost anything!

Cupping, I'd never heard of so looked it up on WebMD. There's and article there that sheds some rather scary insights on this treatment. Sorry, but I'm on my cell at the moment and can't figure out how to Copy and Paste web links or text so I can't provide one directly to it for you. Forgot the title too.

Acupuncture helped me but I can't afford it so I learned how to do acupressure on myself. I have some cups but I feel like I might burn myself.