Cupping
CUPPING
Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine in which a therapist puts special cups on your skin for a few minutes to create suction. Patients choose cupping for many purposes, including to help with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation, and well-being, and as a type of deep-tissue massage.
Cupping is very beneficial to the injured part of the body because it helps the blood flow in the muscle layer. If blood is stagnated, there will be problems with muscle activity and inflammation. Cupping helps to promote blood circulation. The use of cupping can greatly reduce a patient’s dependence on pharmaceutical pain relievers.
Cupping therapy might be trendy now, but it’s not new. It dates back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures. One of the oldest medical textbooks in the world, the Ebers Papyrus, describes how the ancient Egyptians used cupping therapy in 1,550 B.C.
If 19-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps does it for his health, then it’s gotta be good, right?
That’s what many are wondering after spotting cupping marks -- those purplish circles -- on the swimmer’s upper body poolside at the 2016 Olympics in Rio this week. Phelps also posted a shot of himself on Instagram being cupped last year.