If you’ve been watching the Olympics, you may be wondering about all those spots on the athlete’s bodies.
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The history of Chinese cupping is a long history of healing and innovation. Licensed acupuncturist Christopher Miller shows how it works.
Olympic swimmers are using an ancient therapy to help them gain an advantage in the 2016 Rio Games.
“I take one of these glass cups”.
The cupping craze is spreading around the world – thanks in a big part to Michael Phelps. If you want to get more technical, cupping is said to decompress stiffened fascia, the connective tissue that stabilizes muscles and is prone to tightening during intense exercise.
Many athletes have even invested in “DIY cupping” kits – that use suction rather than heat to pull the skin away from the body.
Cupping therapy is covered by most insurance plans as an alternative to medicine. She says her clients often feel immediate relief. There are several different styles of cupping that may be utilized which may incorporate sliding the cups along the skin, applying and removing them rapidly, leaving them in place and placing them over acupuncture needles.
“I am very surprised”, Chae says of all the fuss.
It is common for athletes to try new treatments that may relieve pain, whether or not they are supported by science.
As a doctor I cringe whenever I see a patient with cupping marks.
The therapy dating back to ancient Egypt, China and the Middle East focuses on relieving muscle tension by targeting knots; The suction raises the skin, drawing blood to the surface. This process is not painful, rather it feels unique like the tentacles of an octopus have attached their suction cups onto your skin. Though there are many benefits to cupping, academic literature also states that side effects can include red marks, swelling, bruising and Panniculitis (inflammation of the fatty layer underneath the skin).
That doesn’t mean cupping isn’t beneficial, though, say some experts.
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“It helps enhance the body’s natural neurological and circulatory function, thus allowing the body to be pushed and perform at a higher competitive level”, he said.
