Did you see Sunday’s telecast of the Olympics and wonder if those pepperoni-like bruises on 23-times Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps back were giant hickeys, cigar burns, nicotine patches or horribly designed tattoos?
There’s a lot of mystery around those reddish, purplish scars. And you weren’t alone in letting your imagination run wild.
Cupping involves heating small plastic or glass cups to create a vacuum and pulling them from the body to relax the sore muscles. The spotting takes about a week or two to disappear.
Dive in further to know what exactly is happening on Phelps’ back:
1. Looks Brutal- Why Does Phelps Get Himself Dotted?
Well, the practice seems like a rage in Rio and on social media, but it’s more than 2000-years old and so popular in China that people do it on the streets. No kidding.
I’ve done it before meets, pretty much every meet I go to. So I asked for a little cupping yesterday because I was sore and the trainer hit me pretty hard and left a couple of bruises.Michael Phelps to New York Times
While cupping is having a moment at the Olympics, thanks to not only Phelps but also gymnast Alex Naddour, Hollywood’s big shots Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston have been flaunting the scars on the red carpet.
No matter how ridiculous any practice looks or sounds, athletes are known to try every pain-relieving recovery method in the book.
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2. It’s Not the First Time Cupping Has Made International Headlines
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Forget anti-gravity yoga and placenta pills, every celebrity worth her salt knows that their wellness regimen must include cupping. Patrons swear it improves everything from muscle soreness, cellulite to depression.
3. The Western Way Of Cupping Isn’t Authentic
Like with everything the West adopts, whether turmeric latte, yoga or cupping, the ancient approach to the practice is usually quite different.
The 2000-year old Eastern science is based on the belief that all diseases are caused by an obstacle in the flow of energy or ‘chi’. Cupping opens up all channels for ‘chi’ to aid healing, releases pain and renews sore muscles. Also, in the Chinese way, cupping isn’t just about creating a vacuum to draw skin and blood upwards, it’s one part of a holistic approach to treat a disease by a combination of methods and not an isolated therapy in itself.
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4. Does Science Approve It?
Clinical evidence of cupping benefits are limited beyond a placebo.
I scanned various review papers on cupping and found that no one finds the practice harmful or risky in any way. Some studies are structurally flawed, few exaggerate the benefits but on the whole, not one systematic review has data to prove or disapprove its mechanism, effects or explain how it works.
Another review done in 2015 published in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Science says, “ the mechanism of cupping remains largely unclear. It draws blood to the skin to relieve pain is just a wild guess.”
5. Should We Dismiss It Because Modern Science Is Too Arrogant To Accept Alternative Medicine?
Even though science says homeopathy is witchcraft, millions from former Presidents, the Royals, to David Beckham have been ardent fans of this ‘whacky fringe belief’.
Cupping and acupressure are a part of mainstream Chinese medicine. They are more than 2,000-years old, practiced in their hospitals by trained professionals.
But if something has been around for so many centuries, and has thousands of devotees, is it reason enough to worship it willy nilly?
Of course not.
Alternative medicine is a space where health fads flourish. Celebrity endorsements fuel these fads and add to the hype. This is exactly why we need modern medicine to weigh in with accurate clinical studies, to tell us whether these practices are trick or treatment.
Till then, let’s go by Phelps’ word and hope the practice cures something more than the dreaded condition of celebs craving attention.
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